Agenda item

Thanks P?? To receive an update on the progress made in developing a Creativity and Culture Strategy and further progress since adoption of the Strategy.

Members considered the update on the Culture Strategy. Phil Hughes, Jaime-Lea Taylor and Councillor Boden were welcomed to the meeting.

Members asked questions, made comments and received responses as follows:

• Councillor Booth raised his concern that Councillor Seaton was not present as portfolio holder. He reminded the Panel that Councillor Mrs French was absent at the last meeting and stated that it was concerning that the appropriate portfolio holders were not attending. Councillor Boden explained that Councillor Seaton had a legitimate medical reason preventing his attendance at the meeting. Councillor Booth accepted this but reiterated the need to make the appropriate efforts to attend when possible.
• Councillor Yeulett questioned where Fenland District Council stood in the Culture Strategy and asked who was responsible for the overall delivery. Phil Hughes stated that it was not Fenland’s job to deliver and that the role was to facilitate a network and link people together. Councillor Boden explained that there was not a top-down approach to imposing culture on Fenland, referring to previous comments made at the Combined Authority which described Fenland as a cultural desert and exclaimed that Fenland did not need culture imposed on the area. He stated that the aim was to encourage the growth of the current culture and for facilities to become more available. Phil Hughes informed the panel that Jaime-Lea was a local person and that the Arts Council were simply working as facilitators alongside Jaime-Lea.
• Councillor Miscandlon stated that he was encouraged by the expansion of the team and that it was heartening to see that Fenland were facilitating the growth of culture. 
• Councillor Hay stated that there had been a visit from the Arts Council and a meeting with Wisbech Town Council, with as usual all the focus being on Wisbech and asked whether the other market towns were represented. Councillor Boden explained that there had been two meetings with one focused on Wisbech and another in March which covered the other market towns and rural areas. Councillor Hay informed them that Chatteris Town Council had known nothing about this and had not been given the chance to participate. Councillor Mason noted that Jaime-Lea had stated that she would be happy to organise a meeting with Whittlesey Town Council and that this would no doubt expand to the other areas if they approached her. Phil Hughes explained that Jaime-Lea and the Cultural Steering Group were all working together and if Councillors knew of any organisations in their areas they should get in contact with that group. Councillor Mason asked how they would get in touch and Phil Hughes commented that he would provide the details after the meeting.
• Councillor Wicks asked for clarification on the way forward questioning whether Jaime-Lea would be the point of contact for all organisations wanting to organise events and asked whether she would be the focal point for details of what will be out there for them. Jaime-Lea stated that this was the intention, explaining that they currently had a group of 38 that was delivering a strategy and that they were in the early stages of building an action plan for that. She agreed that the biggest challenge was that people did not know what was going on and informed the Panel that they had just agreed funding for a website for the strategy to make it accessible and open for more people. Jaime-Lea stated that the current connections were who they had known to start with and that the group was open for more people to join and then showcase what is available on the website. She told members that she had a good relationship with the Communications Team at Fenland who had been helping share news through Fenland District Council’s online platforms. Councillor Wicks stated that he was involved with a few organisations and asked if he could put them in contact with her. Jaime-Lea replied that she would be happy to receive anything creative or cultural.
• Councillor Booth noted that a lot of the talk so far had surrounded the towns, but that Fenland had a large rural area and an issue of rural isolation making it difficult travel to the towns. Regarding the website, he stated that they had previously found a lower uptake of internet usage rurally and asked whether they were looking into other ways to get the rural community involved, making the point that they should look at what they already know about within the Council and utilise that. He reminded them about the village newsletters and stated that these were a good tool for making people aware of what is happening.
• Councillor Count asked how they were going to measure success and what the outcomes would be. Jaime-Lea explained that this was quite difficult as the project was in development so they would be looking for a change over the time-period. She stated that they would show productivity through actions and moving forward, and that success would come down to more funded projects in the future. Councillor Count summarised that they would expect the arts funding to increase and that the project would end up being standalone once she was removed from the equation at the end of the two years.
• Councillor Count made the point that members had seen versions of this strategy over the years but that the projects were always transitionary and came to an end without leaving a legacy. He asked what the views of aspiring to a heritage legacy through physical results like statues were and how this fell in and whether this was part of the networking. Jaime-Lea explained that this had been a common concern for herself and those she had spoken to. She had been thinking about this a lot and this was why she was trying to involve the communities to make sure that it was not just a two-year project.
• Councillor Purser stated that there were many hidden gems in Fenland and felt that this was what they were trying to emphasise. He noted the importance of likeminded people working together as there was so much negativity. Jaime-Lea agreed with Councillor Purser’s comments and stated that it boiled down to promotion as despite there being a lot of special things already people were not sure about how to get involved or did not know about them at all. Councillor Purser replied that if people do not know about the opportunities in Fenland, then how could they bring this to the forefront. Councillor Mason noted that one possibility was through the magazines and that Councillors can help in that sense by signposting her to these.
• Councillor Booth suggested that they could put out an article in the local newsletters to raise awareness and get more people involved. He explained that he was a member of Parson Drove Village Hall, which had received quite a lot of money from the National Lottery for an extension and had been informed that there should be a fair amount of funding from the Arts Committee to explore the possibility of touring shows and asked how they can ensure that these local facilities are used. Jaime-Lea stated that the touring idea had come up a lot, with an arts company wanting to put on an event would automatically go to the largest towns. Due to the geography of the area, she agreed that the touring idea would work well. Jaime-Lea informed members that she works closely with the Chief Executive of Babylon Arts in Ely who were currently looking at funding for rural village halls and stated that this was something she could investigate more and pass on details if she could find anything that would work in that area too. Councillor Booth stated that his issue was also around paying for these things themselves as they can be too expensive to afford. He specified that if the Arts Council was funding this, then it needs to be built into any strategy going forward.
• Councillor Yeulett asked whether they were involving schools as they did a lot culturally already. Jaime-Lea stated that they had not worked directly with schools yet but that they had worked closely with organisations such as 20-20 productions to think about what they would like to see and had worked with the Young Fenland Cultural Consortium to look at how they can have their voice as part of the strategy going forward. She emphasised the need for child and teenage engagement and the need to bring them into what is happening as they were the future. Councillor Yeulett stated that schools were underused.
• Councillor Mason asked whether the Arts Council primarily supported existing projects. Jaime-Lea informed him that there was no definition for what the money could be spent on, they were simply looking to support Fenland and help amplify what was happening already. She informed them that there was a broader project from the Arts Council than just focusing on monetary help but when it did come to that they had two relationship managers available in Fenland to give 1-1 advice for anyone wanting to make applications.
• Councillor Miscandlon noted that senior schools had good facilities for productions which could be used and should be looked into.
• Councillor Wicks reminded the panel not to forget the primary schools, stating that they all have a heavy involvement in the Straw Bear Festival and play a key part in the whole makeup.
• Councillor Booth asked whether they had any contact with Cambridgeshire County Council as there was funding available there which may be accessible.

The Culture Strategy was noted for information.