Agenda item

To receive a report detailing the progress to date and outcomes of the consultations as forming the basis of the strategic objectives for a boroughwide Cultural Strategy.

Cabinet received a report which detailed the progress to date and outcomes of the consultations as forming the basis of the strategic objectives for a boroughwide Cultural Strategy.

The value of culture and its vital role in supporting health and wellbeing was brought into sharp relief during the COVID 19 pandemic, when the initial absence of cultural provision was keenly felt, and the cultural sector had to find new ways to connect with audiences. The value of shared human experience and the sense of connectedness that cultural activity brought, whether as participant or audience, was key to helping many people navigate and emerge from the darkest days of the pandemic.

Following agreement with the Cabinet Member for Culture, Sport and Leisure in September 2021, the process of initiating consultation on a Cultural Strategy for North Tyneside began in April 2022. The agreed approach was that, while the Authority should take the initiative in providing a framework for the cultural offer, the active engagement of the wider public sector, private and voluntary sectors would also be vital. The strategy should be one for the Borough, not just the Authority.

Consultants Iain Watson OBE (former TWAM Director) and Catherine Hearne (formerly CEO Helix Arts and BBC Executive ) were commissioned to work with the Head of Culture to undertake a process of consultation which would result in a boroughwide strategy and cultural compact, consistent with the Arts Council England (ACE) guidance in their ten year plan Let’s Create (2020-2030), which emphasised partnership working and the development of broad based cultural compacts in developing the cultural offer for the benefit of residents and the economy.

Consultation had identified a number of challenges which any strategy for the borough would need to address if it was to sustain the engagement of key stakeholders.  The report provided details of the seven emerging challenges identified which were summarised in section 1.5.5 of the report. The consultation had demonstrated an enthusiasm and readiness to engage along with a willingness to be part of an ongoing process of developing the cultural agenda for the borough.

The development of a unified Cultural Strategy would provide the opportunity to give an even greater strategic profile to the cultural offer in the Borough, promoting new ways of more effectively engaging communities, supporting the wider objectives of ‘Our North Tyneside Plan’ and contributing towards town centre recovery.  Recent work by ACE, A High Street Renaissance (2021), illustrated how investment in arts and culture could bring people and pride back to high streets.

The process and outcomes of the three phases of consultation were detailed in section 1.5.2 of the report.  In total 359 responses were received to the public survey, an analysis of which was provided at Appendix 1 to the report.

The journey to date had certainly demonstrated an enthusiasm and readiness to engage and a willingness to be part of an ongoing process of developing the cultural agenda for the Borough. Harnessing and sustaining this energy would be key to the next phase of the process, as the Authority moved towards a finalised strategy and an ongoing dialogue through a long term compact not only with the cultural sector but engaging business, education and health and wellbeing.

An impact statement, which considered each of the challenges; partners and resources required to meet them; indicative outputs; and impact, was included at Appendix 2 to the report. An illustrative visual representation of the networks necessary to make a cultural compact work, which was by no means exhaustive, was included at Appendix 3 to the report.

The report also gave a breakdown of the National and Regional picture in section 1.5.6 of the report, which provided examples of the scope of work by a variety of organisations and governing bodies, the evidence being gathered across various forms of art and culture suggested that audiences were returning to culture in different ways.

The recently published DCMS Committee report on placemaking and levelling up included a range of recommendations aimed at supporting the sector. The report recognised the important role culture played in placemaking, stating, “It is evident that placed-based cultural policymaking can help deliver on the missions set out in the Levelling Up White Paper, including improving pride in place but also local leadership, living standards, education, skills, health and wellbeing, so long as these are done in a locally-sensitive way.”  The report goes on to stress the need for the government to incorporate support for local arts and culture into its Statement for Levelling-Up Missions.

Within the region, in Durham, where the City of Culture bid was not successful, the process of developing the bid through engaging communities and the cultural sector had been assessed as being so valuable that it would be continued as part of a County-wide approach to ongoing cultural development.

The common factor in all of these examples had been the role of culture in defining place. While the approach in each area had been different, due to the different geography and history of these locations, the essential role of culture in the process of regeneration and, latterly, post pandemic recovery had been a constant. These were examples from which the Authority could learn in North Tyneside and take inspiration in shaping the Authority’s own bespoke vision, with and for the residents and cultural workforce in the Borough.

Cabinet considered the following decision options: to approve the recommendations set out in paragraph 1.2 of the report; or alternatively, to not accept the recommendations.

Resolved that (1) the progressto dateand supportthe outcomesof theconsultation asforming the basis of the strategic objectives for a boroughwide CulturalStrategy, be noted;

(2 the outcome of the Cultural Strategy Survey Key Finding Report at Appendix 1 to the report, be noted;

(3) the Director of Regeneration and Economic Development, be authorised to draft a Cultural Strategy in consultation with [appropriate Cabinet Member(s)] and the Director of Resourcesand theAssistant ChiefExecutive andto takeall necessarysteps todevelop the Final Strategy;

(4)  a further report be received presenting the final draft CulturalStrategy, be

be agreed; and

(5)  Work with partners to form a North Tyneside Cultural Compact to drive

forward the delivery and monitoring of the Cultural Strategy, be agreed.

(Reason for decision: It supports the Authority’s objective to develop a thrivingeconomy; it is consistent with the objectives of the Authority’s Equally Well strategy for health and wellbeing; and supports the strategic objectives of Arts Council England in promoting place-based strategies forculture.)