Issue - meetings

To consider the report of the Cabinet Member for Culture and Leisure providing an overview of progress made against the Cultural Strategy for the period April 2022 to March 2023.

RESOLVED that the report is accepted and progress against the objectives and actions is noted.

Cabinet considered the report of the Cabinet Member for Culture and Leisure that provided an overview of progress made against the Cultural Strategy for the period April 2022 to March 2023.

The Cabinet Member for Culture and Leisure reminded Members that the Cultural Strategy was not just for the Council but for the whole city including the Gloucester Culture Trust and other organisations.  He expressed his pleasure in the positive delivery report (Appendix 1) as every single area had been improved upon, and that the events staged had become more diverse and numerous.  The Cabinet Member for Culture and Leisure advised that the progress would continue with the National Portfolio Organisation (NPO) status awards (3.9 Objective 7) which would bring a slight shift towards young people. He drew Members’ attention to the improvements revealed in the resident’s survey (4.2) and commented that these demonstrated that people were noticing that Gloucester is on the up.

The Cabinet Member for Environment emphasised the huge amount of both internal and external investment being brought in to enable cultural events across the city and that there were opportunities for people to get involved wherever he looked.

RESOLVED that the report is accepted and progress against the objectives and actions is noted.

To consider the report of the Cabinet Member for Culture and Leisure providing an overview of progress made against the Cultural Strategy for the period between April 2022 and March 2023.

Report to follow.

107.1  Councillor Lewis introduced the report and explained that the Cultural Strategy was a strategy for the whole city of Gloucester and delivered in partnership with the Gloucester Culture Trust (GCT). He reflected on some of the achievements which had been made against the Cultural Strategy, such as Gloucester Guildhall obtaining National Portfolio Organisation (NPO) Status and the completion of the Kings Square redevelopment which he felt had made the city centre more vibrant and had embedded culture in the city.

107.2  Councillor Lewis further noted that the latest residents’ survey had shown a 9% increase in the level of pride in the city and felt this illustrated increased customer satisfaction. He advised Members that the strategy aimed to focus on increasing participation in the cultural life from the city from a diverse range of communities, including a focus on young people in particular.

107.3  Councillor Wilson referred to cultural events which had taken place at Kings Square and asked whether there were plans to repeat successful events from 2022, such as Polish Heritage Day, and whether there were plans for any new events in 2023. Councillor Lewis explained that event bookings at Kings Square were commissioned outside of the City Council however it was his understanding that events such as Polish Heritage Day would be repeated in 2023. He noted that the Kings Square event space was a public space to be used and that the Culture team welcomed ideas on new events. The Head of Culture further added that the City Council was assisting with the development of funding bids which would help develop the cultural event programme for Kings Square.

107.4  Councillor Campbell thanked Councillor Lewis and his team for improving the display of culture in Gloucester. She referred to the Mecca Bingo hall building which was currently vacant following the hall closure in 2022 and asked whether the City Council might have any interest in assisting with the development of the building into a cultural venue. Councillor Lewis confirmed that the team were aware of the closure of Mecca Bingo and confirmed that they would be very willing to support any organisation interested in developing the venue by assisting with funding applications.

107.5  Councillor Durdey noted that it was good to see the development of culture in the heart of Gloucester city and queried whether there was enough understanding of the views of residents across all council wards. Councillor Lewis noted that there was always more to be done and agreed to take away the point on considering more targeted consultation. The Head of Culture explained that as part of Gloucester Guildhall’s new NPO status, there was a requirement to provide accurate and detailed reporting into audience demographic. He stated that this would help provide more detailed reporting which would assist with targeted consultation.

107.6  Councillor Ackroyd asked for an update on how the 2023 Retro Festival was progressing. Councillor Lewis responded that the City Council was in dialogue with the late Councillor Organ’s family  ...  view the full minutes text for item 107