Agenda item - Culture Strategy

Agenda item

Culture Strategy

To receive a presentation from Rebekah Polding (Head of Cultural Services Department) for discussion, on the Council’s new Culture Strategy before Cabinet approval. 

Minutes:

Councillor Margaret Greer had to leave the meeting at this point and Councillor Claire Stewart took over the chair for this item. 

 

The panel received a presentation from Rebekah Polding (Head of Culture Service Development)

 

1.            Presentation

 

Rebekah Polding highlighted the following:

 

·         A specialist team working both internally and with external organisations had been commissioned to put together a culture strategy for Enfield. 

 

·         The final strategy was due to be approved at Cabinet in November. 

 

·         The definition of culture had been taken to be broader that of the Arts Council including creativity in its widest sense and cultural identity but with arts at its centre. 

 

·         The purpose of the strategy was to obtain a clear view of Enfield’s strengths and weaknesses, to enable strategic support and planning, to harness the power of culture to support key borough agendas and to make more of the borough’s existing cultural offer. 

 

·         The overall ambition was to connect Enfield through culture providing youth opportunities and celebrating shared cultures.

 

·         Over the summer Enjoy Enfield had shown what the strategy could do in action. 

 

·         The policy framework would contain three cross cutting themes (sustainable culture, opportunity for young people, and culture every day) and five areas of focus (on the ground, right mix, celebration, supporting growth and cultural capacity).  

 

·         Ensuring sustainable culture to include financial sustainability as well as the involvement of stakeholders.  Opportunity for Young People to involve the creation of opportunities across the future work of the Council and in the economy.  Culture every day to emphasise that culture should be seen as an everyday part of everyone’s life, woven through the fabric of the borough. 

 

·         The focus, on the ground focus seeks to ensure that culture would physically visible in town centres, parks and open spaces as well as in the open spaces to the North of the borough.

 

·         The right mix focus seeks to address the culture gap - areas where Enfield has had historically less - creating spaces for artists and facilities such as music venues and independent cinemas.

 

·         The supporting growth and providing opportunities for young people focus would aim to bring more creative jobs to Enfield.  One in six jobs in London was in the creative economy.  These jobs were less prone to automation and were critical to growth. 

 

·         Increasing celebration across communities, would involve working with local people from the grass roots up to develop new activities. 

 

·         Increasing cultural capacity from the top would mean creating sustainable networks and obtaining funding.  Funds were already being directed from the Arts Council and the National Lottery Heritage Fund to help support the covid recovery. 

 

·         The next steps in the development of the strategy would involve cultural and creative sector workshops, agreeing governance arrangements and refining an action plan, following Cabinet approval.  

 

2.            Questions/Comments

 

2.1         In response to the query as to whether all ethnic groups had been involved in putting together the strategy, members were informed that a sample survey had been sent to over 60 organisations, followed up by sample interviews and attendance at workshops.  Enfield was lucky to have such an incredibly diverse community.

 

2.2         This was a five-year strategy (2020-2025) but would be subject to regular reviews.

 

2.3         The impact of the pandemic which had already led to many people losing their jobs, especially in the creative industries, had been woven into the strategy.

 

2.4         Arts and culture could help revitalise the local economy.  They were also essential to good mental health. 

 

2.5         This was an overarching strategic framework.  A detailed action plan would follow to be approved by the Cabinet member with responsibility for culture and the Executive Director Place.

 

2.6         The council would be a working partner with other organisations to encourage cultural activities. 

 

2.7         Negotiations were taking place to link up with organisations like the Troubadour drive in cinema and other film studios to develop facilities at Meridian Water and to create local jobs.  Enfield could have the largest purpose-built film studio facility in London. 

2.8         In the last 6 days the Council had received three large grants for cultural activities.  Two from the Department for Culture Media and Sport Cultural Recovery Fund and another from the National Lottery Heritage Fund.   These included £137,000 for Forty Hall to support losses and enable the business to develop to make it more resilient and for £534,000 for the Millfield and Dugdale Theatres to cover anticipated revenue gaps and enable them to run small programmes of activity including the pantomime and to keep an audience connection.  There was also a £200,000 grant to fund an officer to work with small organisations, offering small grant pots and building future resilience for arts in the community. 

 

2.9         There were events taking place as part of Black History Month, but the aim was that every month should involve black history events.  That everyone should be included and involved in bringing people together.  This could be done through festivals and building on the success of events like Live Stock and at the Drum Sheds.  The Council were also planning a Black-Lives Matter mini film festival at the Millfield theatre with the Enfield Caribbean Association. 

 

2.10      The cultural infrastructure for Enfield would not necessarily involve one of everything, but there would be a clear route through residents, from grass roots to international events.  For example Enfield had a fantastic youth music service and had held some large music festivals but there were not many pubs or clubs for emerging bands and young singers. 

 

2.11      The Council was looking to encourage not only large enterprises like the film studios but also the smaller companies that provide the supply chain to the larger businesses.  Companies of lighting contractors, carpenters, set builders and graphic designers.  These could create good jobs for young people in Enfield.  The Council needed to facilitate the spaces, people and businesses that were needed. 

 

Councillor Claire Stewart summed up all that had been raised by saying different community groups including black and ethnic minority had been involved in drawing up the strategy, the response to the Covid 19 pandemic had been embedded, culture on the ground would be in town centres and parks and open spaces, an action plan would be produced to take forward the strategy, the developments at Meridian Water would foster greater cultural activity, grants had already been received, gaps in cultural infrastructure would be identified and new facilities facilitated.  Culture was for everybody, every day. 

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