Issue - meetings

To consider the report of the Cabinet Member for Culture and Leisure providing an update on progress made against the Cultural Strategy for the period April 2020 to September 2020 and seeking to present the plan to update the actions in Gloucester’s Cultural Vision & Strategy for the period 2021-2026.

RESOLVED that:

(1)  the report is accepted and progress against the objectives noted

(2)  the plan to update the Cultural Strategy for the next five years is accepted

(3)  the Public Art Principals are adopted.

Cabinet considered the report of the Cabinet Member for Culture and Leisure that provided an update on progress made against the Cultural Strategy for the period April 2020 to September 2020 and sought to present the plan to update the actions in Gloucester’s Cultural Vision & Strategy for the period 2021-2026.

The Cabinet Member for Culture and Leisure advised Members that the report represented growing confidence in the cultural activity of the city with tangible progress having been made despite COVID-19.  He gave examples of some of the most successful cultural achievements listed in the report and thanked the Gloucester Culture Trust (GCT) and officers for them.  The Cabinet Member for Culture and Leisure further emphasised the importance of culture to health and wellbeing as well as an economic driver.  He referred to the Public Art Principles (Appendix 3) and recommended that Members adopt them recalling the discussion of the report at Overview and Scrutiny Committee (30^th November 2020) when the issue of public art removed from buildings, such as the British Home Stores murals, was raised (minute 9.5).  The Cabinet Member for Culture and Leisure commented that existing artworks had to be made the most of as well as new works created.

The Cabinet Member for Environment stated that an amazing job had been done to produce any cultural offerings at all despite COVID-19, even more so given the good quality of many of them including the `Of Earth and Sky’ and `Gaia’ projects.  The Cabinet Member for Communities and Neighbourhoods commented that the difficulties had been overcome by seeking opportunities to bring cultural resources to people such as using the volunteer food distribution network to deliver art packs.  She commended the collaborative work by the GCT and Active Gloucestershire among others that had contributed to the achievements and stressed that the benefits of taking culture direct to communities must continue in future.  The Cabinet Member for Culture and Leisure reiterated that the success had been accomplished through partnership and building relationships.  He asked the Head of Cultural Services to pass on Cabinet’s comments to all colleagues and partners.

RESOLVED that:

(1)                the report is accepted and progress against the objectives noted

(2)                the plan to update the Cultural Strategy for the next five years is accepted

(3)                the Public Art Principals are adopted.