Agenda item

Briefing Note of the Director of Regeneration and Economy

The Scrutiny Co-ordination Committee considered a Briefing Note of the Director of Business and Investment which provided an update on the delivery of the Coventry Cultural Strategy 2017-2027, including progress on new governance arrangements and the development of a new Strategy Action plan 2025-2027.

The Cultural Strategy set out a ten year-vision for the cultural life of Coventry, building on the existing heritage and culture of the city.  The Strategy was structured around the following Five Goals for cultural growth in the city, each of which was under-pinned by ‘Seven Big Ideas’ that support the transformation of the cultural life of the City:-

·  Partnership

·  Lifelong Learning

·  Diversity

·  Health and Well-Being

·   Economic Growth

The Seven Big Ideas outlined in the Strategy are:

·  Place Partnership

·  Creative Production Hubs

·  City is a Festival

·  Seven Years Younger

·  Nation in Coventry

·  Diverse City

·  Getting Coventry Moving 

Work to refresh the implementation of the Strategy in 2022 identified the need for an enhanced focus on climate change and Coventry’s Green Future, creating a greater alignment for the Strategy with Coventry’s Climate Strategy objectives. A further refresh is now required to respond to subsequent and evolving changes in the operating environment for the sector. This includes the impact for the sector of the City of Culture Trust going into administration in 2023; the cost-of-living crisis and other societal changes; and the appointment in July 2024 of a new Head of Culture and Creative Economy at Coventry City Council (a post jointly funded by the City Council, Coventry University and the University of Warwick – to support delivery of the Strategy and sector development). The need for new governance aligned to this required refresh has also been a central consideration – specifically in relation to the forming of a Coventry Cultural Compact through close collaboration between the city’s cultural sector and wider partners.

Cultural Compacts are partnerships designed to support the local cultural sector and enhance its contribution to development and delivery of City outcomes, with a special emphasis on cross-sector engagement beyond the cultural sector itself and the local authority. The Briefing Note outlined events led by local creatives, focussing on the future of culture in Coventry and which aimed to secure a mandate from the cultural sector and key stakeholders for the next steps, including:-

·  Testing that the aims of the Cultural Strategy were still relevant, and seeking sector input to future delivery plans, with the Council playing a convening and enabling role. 

·  Putting forward a refreshed governance model for the Culture Works cultural compact, with feedback being gathered and taken into consideration in terms of next steps. 

·  Introducing a new piece of work to develop a culture-specific communications strategy for Culture Works and wider Strategy implementation. 

Following these events and the refresh, it is proposed that “Cultural Engagement and Opportunity” is added as an overt Strategy Goal in the refresh. This will support increased focus on cultural participation and the infrastructure required to support this. To ensure both diversity and partnership are established as central to the delivery plan (particularly given the joint ownership of the partnership Strategy), it is further proposed that these areas of focus are both positioned as Foundations for the Strategy, cutting across the other focus areas.

The Briefing Note also detailed work undertaken to create a more democratically representative body, ensuring that the Cultural Strategy is held as a joint responsibility between stakeholders, organisations and residents. It is proposed that the Culture Works Collective will have shared, delegated responsibility for overseeing the delivery of the partnership Coventry Cultural Strategy and the proposed membership of the Collective, with people representing the interests of different stakeholder groups, ranging from residents to private businesses and the cultural sector was outlined in the Briefing Note.  Following recruitment of the representatives, the group will recruit a Chair from within the existing membership, develop its formal Terms of Reference and sub-group governance structures.

Funding from the Commonwealth Games Legacy Enhancement Funding, via the West Midlands Combined Authority Cultural Pillars programme, has supported the commissioning of specific co-created cultural programming, along with key elements of strategic research and planning, in support of future sector development. The work commissioned includes:-

·  Cultural Programming

·  Cultural Infrastructure mapping

·  A Joint Cultural Needs Assessment

·  Development of a Communications Strategy and Delivery Plan

·  A Cultural Sector Skills Development Programme

·  The delivery of a Community and Culture Mixer event

Other additional development work was also outlined in the Briefing Note, including further potential grant applications to Arts Council England.

The Committee asked question, received answers and made statements on a number of issues, including:-

·  How the knowledge and experience of local people, including Councillors, can add value to the Strategy.

·  The importance role that culture can play in community cohesion.

·  How Councillors can be made aware and informed of cultural matters and events, particularly within Wards, and how this knowledge can be utilised.

·  How Coventry is a centre of excellence for co-creation and has a recognised wealth of data, experience and skills in this area, which had been recognised by UNESCO. Information in relation to mapping data was sought and it was noted that this would be circulated to the Committee.

·  The importance of ensuring Coventry’s expertise in music production is included and that local artists and experts, both established and emerging, are involved in future developments.

·  How Coventry’s food and drink culture can be included.

·  The importance of including more Coventry residents and groups, including Councillors, in all consultation exercises, to ensure a broader reach of, and collaboration with, Coventry’s population. Councillors were encouraged to identify interested persons to Officers.

·  Consultation work currently being undertaken was noted.

·  Information regarding how the £307k Commonwealth Games Legacy Enhancement Funding was spent was sought.

RESOLVED that the Scrutiny Co-ordination Committee:-

1)  Notes progress on delivery of the Coventry Cultural Strategy and the revised focus area.

2)  Notes progress on delivery of the Culture Works Collective governance arrangements.

3)  Requests that, going forward, work is undertaken and put in place to ensure that Councillors are involved in and keep informed of cultural matters/events and that the local knowledge Ward Councillors have is utilised.

4)  Requests that the Committee receive a further progress report on this issue in 3 months.