Agenda item

Presentation and Briefing Note of the Director of Place

Councillor Khan, Cabinet Member for Culture, Leisure, Sports and Parks has been invited to the meeting for the consideration of this item along with Gary Hall, Culture Coventry and Joanne Reid, Belgrade Theatre.

The Committee considered a briefing note of the Director of Place which provided a summary of the performance and the operating context for the Belgrade Theatre Trust and Culture Coventry in 2014/15. Hamish Glenn, Chief Executive of the Belgrade Trust and Gary Hall, Chief Executive and Roger Medway, Culture Coventry attended the meeting for the consideration of this item and the Chief Executives provided further details on the performance of their Trusts.

The briefing note referred to 2012 Cultural Review undertaken in response to the need to generate savings arising from the Comprehensive Spending Review to ensure a viable future for the cultural attractions managed by three trusts. The review recommended the merger of the Coventry Heritage Arts Trust and the Coventry Transport Museum which led to the launch on Culture Coventry in August 2013, with the Belgrade Theatre continuing as a separate trust. These measures aimed to save £665,000 per annum for the Council. Reference was made to the Council’s mid-term financial strategy and the further saving now required, which were the subject of a consultation exercise at the current time.

Belgrade Theatre

The Belgrade Theatre was an Arts Council England (ACE) National Portfolio Organisation and was a producing theatre with specific objectives relating to its ACE grant. The Belgrade had seen a phased reduction in its grant from the Council of £272,000 per annum from 2014/15. In response the theatre had worked towards a greater emphasis on earned income to secure sustainability with a 62% turnover from earned income in 2014/15, up from 30% then 46% in previous years. In 2014/15 151,000 people experienced a live performance across 113 productions with an average ticket price of £13.28. The theatre had successfully widened its audience base whilst maintaining levels at over 40% of tickets being sold at concessionary prices. In 2015 the theatre celebrated the 50^th Anniversary of Theatre in Education, a movement started at the Belgrade.

Hamish Glen referred to the £6.6m contribution to the local economy generated by the Belgrade, highlighting that for every £1 of Council funding £4.98 was generated. He also raised concerns regarding the Council’s mid-term financial strategy which required further saving by the cultural trusts from 2017 and outlined the implications which could include the loss of ACE funding if objectives couldn’t be met.

Members raised a number of issues and responses were provided, matters raised included:

·  If there was capacity to increase the level of earned income

·  Further information about the £6.6m contribution to the local economy

·  If there were potential saving to be had from joint working between the two trusts

·  Further details about the interaction with other theatres in the city

·  The potential change from a producing theatre to a presenting theatre as a consequence of future financial cuts

·  The likelihood that Arts Council grants would be reduced in any case due to the current public spending cuts

·  Further details about the £5m turnover of business and future plans.

Culture Coventry

The Culture Coventry Trust supported the Coventry Transport Museum, the Herbert Art Gallery and Museum, the Priory Visitor Centre, the Lunt Roman Fort and the Old Grammar School. The development of this new Trust had progressed concurrently with the £9.5m development and refurbishment programme at the Coventry Transport Museum and the 12^th Century Old Grammar School, which was completed in June 2015. Reference was made to the complexities of the scheme which resulted in the closure of the museum for four weeks in total and the closure of the conference space which impacted on income generation in 2014/15.

Since 2013 the Culture Coventry Board had focused on securing an attractive visitor offer and a balanced budget to ensure the successful delivery of the required savings of £393,000 per annum. As both the Transport Museum and the Herbert remained free to visitors, improvements had been made to the shops and product lines at both locations. Also, in 2014/15 Culture Coventry had secured an additional £50,000 funding from ACE to create a new interactive exhibition space at the Lunt Roman Fort. The Committee were informed that over 24,000 students had visited the museum sites between 2012 and 2015. Following some previous fluctuations, visitor numbers at the Herbert were up by 11% in 2014/15. Visitor numbers had consistently increased at the Transport Museum since 2007 but fell by 30% in 2014/15 due to the development works.

Gary Hall referred to the recent reductions in staffing numbers and to the aim to attract half a million visitors to both the Transport Museum and the Herbert. He also raised concerns about the Council’s future savings targets which could result in the closure of the Herbert Art Gallery and Museum.

Members raised a number of issues and responses were provided, matters raised included:

·  The plans to close the Priory Visitor Centre which had been earmarked for closure to save £100,000 per annum

·  Had consideration been given to charging visitors to the Transport Museum and the Herbert

·  Whether there were proposals for income generation for the Lunt Fort

·  The potential benefits for joint working so reducing back office costs

·  The marketing of the Herbert Art Gallery and Museum

Councillor Lucas drew attention to the 50% cut in Council funding, emphasised that savings had to be made and future decisions would be taken based on what was best for Coventry residents.

RESOLVED that:

(1) The performance and current operating contexts of the Belgrade Theatre Trust and Culture Coventry be noted.

(2) A briefing note be circulated to the Committee and to the members of the Finance and Corporate Services Scrutiny Board (1) providing a detailed explanation of the £6.6m contribution to the local economy generated by the Belgrade Theatre.