Agenda item

Report attached.

The Cabinet considered a report of Councillor Kimberley Whitehead, Portfolio Holder for Culture, Heritage and Arts, which provided an overview of the current and planned activities around arts, heritage, and culture in Hyndburn, in particular those supported by Hyndburn Borough Council.  The report also:

• highlighted key developments, funding sources, and next steps to further support and enhance these areas;
• provided an update on progress around the Council’s developing Culture and Heritage Strategy; and
• provided details on event expenditure and outcome measures

In the absence of Councillor Whitehead, Councillor Vanessa Alexander introduced the report, as follows:

Culture and heritage was a new portfolio area in May, brought in by the current Cabinet to reflect the importance it could play in shaping the future of the Borough, helping people to thrive and express themselves.  The report showed how the work aligned with Council’s broader priorities, such as town centre regeneration and community engagement.  It provided an overview of the different and extensive areas of work which, taken in combination, supported arts, culture, and heritage in Hyndburn, including the wide-ranging cultural and economic contribution that the Haworth Art Gallery made.

The report outlined the wide-ranging events programme and included some data on spend and attendance for Council-funded events, offering a clearer picture of their reach and impact.  Officers were being requested to continue to improve how this could be measured, to help the Council to make informed decisions about future investment.

The report also updated Cabinet on the development of the Council’s draft Culture and Heritage Strategy.  This strategy would be a vital step in shaping how the Council enhanced cultural participation, developed local talent, and made heritage relevant and accessible to all residents.

One recommendation was to acknowledge the need for a robust business plan to be developed as part of the Market Chambers development stage, and for additional funding bids to be explored to support the running of the venue in its early years.  This would reduce the need for any future reliance on Council funding once the venue was operational.

A number of officers across the Council were involved in this work, and the authority also benefitted from external expertise on the Culture and Heritage Investment Panel, including people who voluntarily gave their time to steer this work.  On behalf of the Portfolio Holder, Councillor Alexander acknowledged those efforts and thanked all concerned.  In particular, she thanked Kirsten Burnett, Head of Policy and Organisational Development who was present at the meeting today.

Councillor Aziz noted that the draft Strategy recognised diversity and the different cultures which prevailed across the Borough.  Councillor Khan asked a number of questions which are summarised below, together with any responses provided:

• The Council had been very successful in attracting funding for its arts and cultural offer, but would it be able to attract sufficient funding in the future and how could it encourage private investment?
• The future of Mercer Hall and Oswaldtwistle Civic Theatre had not been mentioned.  Could an update be provided?
• Membership of the Culture and Heritage Investment Panel (CHIP) was Council-centric.  Could a broader membership be considered?
• There were numerous events taking place, but was value for money being monitored?

Mrs Burnett confirmed that the CHIP had met last week and had identified the need to review its membership. This would be discussed at an away day in January or February 2025.  The intention was to reduce the number of officers serving on the Panel.  The Panel’s role in fundraising would also be considered at the away day.  Officers were currently looking at how to better use data to support decisions about commissioning future events.  Councillor Dad indicated that he supported this value for money approach.  Councillor Alexander confirmed that the controlling group was considering how Mercer Hall and the Civic Theatre fit into its future plans.  Information on this would be shared on this at the appropriate time.

Approval of the report was not considered to be a key decision.

Reasons for Decision

Hyndburn Council’s culture and heritage activity had traditionally centred predominantly around Haworth Art Gallery and Artists’ Studios, alongside an annual events programme.

Additional funding streams in recent years had supported new initiatives to strengthen Hyndburn’s cultural identity, complementing key strategic regeneration projects, particularly those based around Accrington Town Square.  This approach recognised that investing in culture and heritage was a powerful way to support place-making, as it helped to create vibrant, distinctive and appealing spaces that would foster a sense of community and identity, and improve quality of life.

Through continued targeted work, and ensuring arts and heritage were accessible to all residents, the Council had a real opportunity to enhance social inclusion and community pride, and to promote economic vitality.  Balancing ambitious goals with funding constraints and ensuring long-term sustainability would be a challenge.  The Council would continue to strengthen partnerships, seek new funding opportunities, and refine its approach based on continuous feedback and evaluation.

The report included detailed information under the following headings:-

• Resources and Staffing;
• Funding;
• UK Shared Prosperity Fund;
• Culture and Heritage Strategy Development;
• Governance and Oversight;
• Culture and Heritage Investment Panel (CHIP);
• Other partnerships / key organisations;
• Evaluation and performance measures;
• Accrington Market Chambers;
• Haworth Art Gallery;
• Physical Assets;
• Links to other priorities; and
• Marketing / audience reach.

There were no alternative options for consideration or reasons

Resolved                                  (1)   That Cabinet notes the report and the wide range of activity within the Borough.

(2)   That Cabinet notes that work is ongoing on the draft Culture and Heritage Strategy and that this will be brought to a future Cabinet meeting for approval.

(3)   That Cabinet continues to support the priority, set out in the Corporate Strategy, to transform Market Chambers into a new heritage, culture and arts space, as part of the wider town centre regeneration work.

(4)   That Cabinet:

·           acknowledges the need for a robust business plan to be developed as part of the Market Chambers development stage, and additional funding bids made to support the running of the venue in its early years; and

·           recognises that there may be a need to consider future budget provision to support operational costs during the post-opening period.

(5)   That Cabinet asks officers to consider how the Council can use additional data and feedback to assess the social and economic value of its investments in culture and heritage activity, and to support future decisions.