Agenda item

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 and that retro car owners would be invited back to take part in the festival. He noted that the current position was that Kings Square might not be the right location for the Retro Festival.

107.7  Councillor Hiton asked whether there were any proposals to make better use of the event space at Llanthony Secunda Priory. He reflected on his recent experience of attending a concert at the venue and noted that it could be used to host large events effectively. The Head of Culture confirmed that the City Council did have aspirations to hold more large-scale events in the future and intended to make use of Llanthony Secunda Priory as a large event venue. He noted that the Culture team would be scaling up the Guildhall event programme and had the option to move larger events over to alternative sites which could accommodate high capacity.

107.8  Councillor Castle expressed the view that the Tree of Light festival was an excellent event, particularly for school children and asked whether there were any plans to hold similar events in the future. Councillor Lewis confirmed that similar events were held on an annual basis however there were different themes each year. He noted that his preference would be to combine a future event with the Christmas Tree light switch-on.

107.9  Councillor Kubaszczyk asked whether there were any plans to measure footfall at events in Kings Square through counting the number of attendees. The Head of Culture noted that there was a facility to track footfall based on mobile phone data which could provide an indication of footfall in a certain area and noted that this data was available on the Visit Gloucester website. Councillor Lewis noted that where events took place over a wider area, such as Tall Ships or Gloucester Goes Retro, calculating footfall was more of a challenge.

107.10          The Chair referred to the objective in Appendix 1 of the report to broaden the cultural offer to support social and economic development. He noted that he had picked up on some criticism amongst smaller local and grassroots arts organisations who felt that larger organisations tended to be the preferred options for hosting events. Councillor Lewis noted that many of these organisations were Gloucester based, including the Music Works and Strike a Light, however he confirmed that smaller organisations who had an idea were more than welcome to approach the council and the Culture team would listen to their suggestions and help wherever possible.

107.11          In response to an additional query from the Chair regarding support for solo practitioners, Councillor Lewis advised that the Gloucester Culture Trust would be best placed to help those artists.

107.12          The Chair referred to the changes to the Board of the Gloucester Culture Trust and noted that the Board had recently appointed five new trustees and were still in the process of recruiting a new Chief Executive Officer and Chair. He asked whether Members should be concerned about the stability of the Trust. Councillor Lewis noted that he was very satisfied with the quality and skills of the new trustees and noted that the new NPO status had drawn interest from candidates further afield. The Head of Culture confirmed that the first interview for the position of Chief Executive Officer had taken place, and the interview for position of Chair was due to take place on Friday 3^rd March.

107.13          In response to further comments from the Chair regarding the changes to the Board and whether the Cabinet Member could provide Members with assurances, Councillor Lewis confirmed that he had confidence in the new trustees.

107.14          Councillor Durdey referred to the narrative in the report concerning environmental implications and expressed that he would like to see environmental sustainability at the forefront and planning of any cultural event. Councillor Lewis noted his agreement with Councillor Durdey’s comments and confirmed that the council would do as much as possible to facilitate environmentally friendly measures at cultural events, however this often depended on the type of event.

107.15          In response to additional comments from Councillor Durdey regarding single use plastics and recycling provision at events, the Head of Culture explained that no single use plastics were used in events ran by the City Council directly, and that the council did ask external organisers how they were making sure that their event was as environmentally friendly as possible. He confirmed that he was happy to take Councillor Durdey’s comments back to the team.

107.16          Councillor Kubaszczyk noted that he was aware that smaller cultural organisations sometimes struggled to gain access to funding, noting that advertisements tended to be directed towards larger and more established organisations. He asked whether consideration could be given to creating a separate funding stream for smaller organisations. Councillor Lewis agreed that he would be willing to look into this request.

107.17          Councillor Gravells requested an update on the current position on the Picturedrome Theatre and former Ritz building. The Head of Culture confirmed that the building was being used by the SVA organisation as a studio and premises to develop artistic workshops. He noted that although the building was no longer being used as a theatre, it was still being used for creative purposes.

107.18          Councillor Gravells noted that the Picturedrome Theatre was situated in an ideal location with good parking facilities and queried how the City Council might be able to encourage the owners to work with the council. The Head of Culture noted that the City Council did not own the building, however the Culture team had engaged with the SVA on a number of occasions and had funded activities at the venue. He reiterated that it was no longer being utilised as a performance space however it was up to SVA as the users what they did with the space.

107.19          Councillor Gravells expressed the view that City Council could be more proactive in its involvement with the building and commented that he would follow the matter up with Councillor Lewis outside of the meeting. Councillor Lewis reiterated that the City Council had sponsored activities at the venue despite it not operating as an events space at the moment.

          RESOLVED – That the Overview and Scrutiny Committee NOTE the report.