Agenda item

To provide comment and inform the development of the Culture Plan and a Libraries Plan for Croydon Council.

The Committee received a report, set out on pages 59 to 64 of the agenda, together with a supplemental presentation, that set out information on proposals for a Cultural Plan for Croydon. The Committee was asked for its comments, which would be used to inform the final strategy that would be considered by the Cabinet later in the year.

During the introduction of the report, which was presented by the Cabinet Member for Culture, Leisure and Sport, Councillor Oliver Lewis the following points were noted:-

·      The Cultural Strengths in the borough included a good cultural calendar of events such as Mela and the Pride Festival, the recent successful bid for Cultural Enterprise Zone status which had resulted in funding of £1m, the Cultural Partnership Fund and the strong musical heritage of the borough.

·      Weaknesses included the boroughs reputation which effected investment and a historical lack of investment in culture in the borough.

·      Potential opportunities included the population of Croydon which was young and diverse, culture should be seen as a means to delivering on other priorities such as the work on Prevention, the newly refurbished Fairfield Halls and the Music City project.

·      Challenges included ongoing budget constraints and having to find an approach for Croydon that was distinct from other London Boroughs.

Following the introduction the Committee was given the opportunity to question the Cabinet Member on the emerging Cultural Plan. It was highlighted that there had been a number of previous Cultural Strategies that had met with varying degrees of success and as such it was questioned what would help to ensure that the forthcoming Plan would be more successful. In response it was highlighted that the profile of culture had changed within the Council over the past five years with its importance being prioritised by the Administration. Evidence of this could be seen through the investment made in the refurbishment of Fairfield Halls and the Cultural Enterprise Zone.

A number of Members emphasised that it was important that the Plan reflected the different district centres within the borough. This was felt to be particularly significant with the forthcoming redevelopment of the town centre in Croydon. It was also agreed that although the report highlighted the large proportion of young people in the borough, it was essential that the strategy was reflective of the diverse age range in the population of the borough as well.

As it had been highlighted during the presentation that there had been initial success with the Cultural Partnership sponsorship Fund, it was questioned how much had been raised through the scheme. It was advised that at present £100,000 had been raised. The scheme offered a tiered package to contributors which was based upon the amount donated.   It was early days for the development of corporate sponsorship for cultural events in Croydon and there was no set percentage being aimed for.

The Mayor of London’s Cultural Strategy was highlighted and in particular that there was little mention of Croydon within the document, which had a predominantly central London focus. As such it was questioned what could be done to attract wider investment in Croydon. In response it was advised that while it would be beneficial if the Mayor’s strategy had a greater Outer London focus, Croydon did make a good case to the Mayor, which could be evidenced through the Council being awarded funding for the Cultural Enterprise Zone.

In response to a comment that there needed to be sufficient big events arranged throughout the year to raise awareness of the cultural offer in the borough, it was advised that there would be more big events in Croydon over the next few years. With festivals such as Mela and Pride continuing to grow and the Ends Festival in Lloyd Park. The reopening of the Fairfield Halls also presented the opportunity to host high class musical events. 

It was acknowledged that Croydon’s reputation would be a risk to the success of the strategy and that this risk could be exacerbated by the redevelopment of a large part of the town centre over the next few years. As such it was highlighted that managing visitor expectations would be key, with a need for wayfinding to connect the different cultural elements in the town being essential.

In response to a question about plans for non-performance art it was highlighted that the Clock Tower redevelopment would increase gallery space in the borough. It was confirmed that there would be plans such for non-performance art and other forms of cultural heritage in the strategy. It was also highlighted that it would be important to ensure that support was given for more rehearsal and performance space within the borough.

It was agreed that it was essential for the strategy to outline what success would look like and how it would be achieved. The Cabinet Member advised that there would be key indicators set out within the strategy which would be aligned with the intended outcomes over the next four years.

The Committee agreed that there were many areas, such as the public realm maintenance and public transport, which would be key to the success of the strategy, which were also outside its remit. As such there was a need within the strategy to outline how it would interact with other strategies and plans to achieve its aims.

Conclusions

Following the discussion of this item, the Committee reached the following conclusions:

1.  The Committee concluded that the biggest risks to the success of the Cultural Plan lay outside of the control of the Cabinet Member for Culture, Sport & Leisure.

2.  The Committee accepted that the Council was in a different situation to when the previous strategy was developed in 2010, but reiterated that the factors outside the control of the Plan remained.

3.  The Committee agreed that the redevelopment of the town centre represented a major risk to the Plan and as such there was a need to focus upon culture in district centres.

4.  It was acknowledged that many of the actions set out in the Cultural Plan would not be new, but would need to be clear on aspirations and constraints.

Recommendations

The Committee RESOLVED to recommend to the Cabinet Member for Culture, Sport and Leisure:-

1.  The Cultural Plan needed to take into account the Council’s aspirations for the borough on a wider level and ensure that its own aims were aligned with these.

2.  It was essential that the Cultural Plan clearly set out how it will interact with the other key strategies and plans of the Council and external partners to achieve its aims.

3.  The Cultural Plan should be a three to five year plan to cover the period of major redevelopment in the Town Centre.

4.  Actions in the Cultural Plan should cover the whole of the borough and be a reflection of the diverse population in Croydon.

5.  That all actions should include SMART objectives to define how they will be achieved.

6.  The Cultural Plan should be signed off by the Cabinet as a whole, with actions allocated to those Cabinet Members who will have a role in delivering it.