Agenda item

8.1

Members considered a report of the Executive Director of City Futures which asked the Economic Development and Skills Policy Committee to approve the Sheffield Culture Strategy for publication and dissemination; and to support the Council Culture Team in their ongoing work to activate and deliver the strategy in partnership with the sector.

8.2

RESOLVED UNANIMOUSLY: That the Economic Development and Skills Policy Committee:-

-       Approve the Culture Strategy for adoption and publication

8.3

Reasons for Decision

8.3.1

The recommendation for the Committee to approve the Culture Strategy for adoption and publication follows previous Committee reports in September 2022, February 2023, September 2023, February 2024 and July 2024.

Throughout the process of developing a new Culture Strategy for Sheffield, the Committee have taken a leadership role in endorsing a new strategic approach to culture in 2022, commissioning the work to complete this Strategy in 2023, reviewing progress over the last 12 months and providing feedback on an earlier draft before reviewing the final version of the Strategy being brought to this Committee.

Having a strong, robust and evidence based Cultural Strategy is central to growing investment and funding for the sector across the city. We will use it to develop and bid for funding, develop strategic partnerships, to strengthen Sheffield’s relationship with South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority (SYMCA), Arts Council England and private and public funders.

By establishing a clear and agreed set of priorities for the sector, the Strategy will provide a clarity of focus which will enable a coordinated city-wide approach to bidding for limited public resources, reducing unhelpful competition and provide confidence to funders, public and private, of a sector wider response to growing the sector.

The Strategy is ambitious in its creative missions and outcomes, and these will only be achieved through a joined-up approach to leverage more investment into the city. There is a pipeline of capital cultural projects in Sheffield which are seeking funding, a number of cultural organisations looking for improved or permanent physical spaces, a wide range of Page 38 programmes and services which will deliver high quality creative and cultural outcomes for people in Sheffield. These would all benefit from greater financial resources and a redressing of the balance in national funding for Sheffield compared to other Core Cities; and this is something that the Strategy will support the Council to achieve by raising the profile and position of culture in Sheffield and advocating for support to aid growth.

There will be a need for financial support to deliver the Culture Strategy and the team are already looking at a number of areas of work / relationships / applications to kickstart the activation of the Strategy:

• Making a Place Partnership application to the Arts Council (with match funding required from the Council / SYMCA)

• Working with SYMCA to unlock funding and support for culture as one seven regional priorities for growth across South Yorkshire

• Continuing to work with the Culture Collective on mechanisms and models for private sector support for culture

• Sharing details of the pipeline of heritage and cultural projects in the City with the Heritage Fund

• Making use of UK Shared Prosperity Fund funding (in the short term to boost capacity in the Culture Team and deliver some activation events and activity)

• Reviewing the UK Shared Prosperity Fund funded Cultural Pipeline Fund which has provided seed funding to cultural organisations in the City

• Leveraging funding by connecting culture to other city priorities as part of a joined-up approach, including health, skills, education, and regeneration.

8.4

Alternatives Considered and Rejected

8.4.1

Alternative Option 1: Sheffield continues to use the previous strategy developed by the Culture Collective. It was recognised that there was a need for further engagement with the culture sector to create a strategic approach and a framework that was representative of the whole sector. The content of the Culture Collective’s strategy was embedded into the new Culture Strategy.

8.4.2

Alternative Option 2: The Committee does not approve the Culture Strategy for adoption and publication. The likely result of such a decision would be that the Council would suffer significant reputational damage in its credibility and cultural leadership regionally and nationally. The Culture Strategy has been co-funded by Arts Council England and the University of Sheffield and has had significant support and engagement with the cultural sector in Sheffield. Any rejection of the findings or lack of commitment to the adoption would likely result in future relationships with key funders and stakeholders being damaged.

34.1

Members considered a report of the Executive Director of City Futures which asked the Economic Development and Skills Policy Committee to approve the Sheffield Culture Strategy for publication and dissemination; and to support the Council Culture Team in their ongoing work to activate and deliver the strategy in partnership with the sector.

34.2

RESOLVED UNANIMOUSLY: That the Economic Development and Skills Policy Committee:-

-       Approve the Culture Strategy for adoption and publication

34.3

Reasons for Decision

34.3.1

The recommendation for the Committee to approve the Culture Strategy for adoption and publication follows previous Committee reports in September 2022, February 2023, September 2023, February 2024 and July 2024.

Throughout the process of developing a new Culture Strategy for Sheffield, the Committee have taken a leadership role in endorsing a new strategic approach to culture in 2022, commissioning the work to complete this Strategy in 2023, reviewing progress over the last 12 months and providing feedback on an earlier draft before reviewing the final version of the Strategy being brought to this Committee.

Having a strong, robust and evidence based Cultural Strategy is central to growing investment and funding for the sector across the city. We will use it to develop and bid for funding, develop strategic partnerships, to strengthen Sheffield’s relationship with South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority (SYMCA), Arts Council England and private and public funders.

By establishing a clear and agreed set of priorities for the sector, the Strategy will provide a clarity of focus which will enable a coordinated city-wide approach to bidding for limited public resources, reducing unhelpful competition and provide confidence to funders, public and private, of a sector wider response to growing the sector.

The Strategy is ambitious in its creative missions and outcomes, and these will only be achieved through a joined-up approach to leverage more investment into the city. There is a pipeline of capital cultural projects in Sheffield which are seeking funding, a number of cultural organisations looking for improved or permanent physical spaces, a wide range of Page 38 programmes and services which will deliver high quality creative and cultural outcomes for people in Sheffield. These would all benefit from greater financial resources and a redressing of the balance in national funding for Sheffield compared to other Core Cities; and this is something that the Strategy will support the Council to achieve by raising the profile and position of culture in Sheffield and advocating for support to aid growth.

There will be a need for financial support to deliver the Culture Strategy and the team are already looking at a number of areas of work / relationships / applications to kickstart the activation of the Strategy:

• Making a Place Partnership application to the Arts Council (with match funding required from the Council / SYMCA)

• Working with SYMCA to unlock funding and support for culture as one seven regional priorities for growth across South Yorkshire

• Continuing to work with the Culture Collective on mechanisms and models for private sector support for culture

• Sharing details of the pipeline of heritage and cultural projects in the City with the Heritage Fund

• Making use of UK Shared Prosperity Fund funding (in the short term to boost capacity in the Culture Team and deliver some activation events and activity)

• Reviewing the UK Shared Prosperity Fund funded Cultural Pipeline Fund which has provided seed funding to cultural organisations in the City

• Leveraging funding by connecting culture to other city priorities as part of a joined-up approach, including health, skills, education, and regeneration.

34.4

Alternatives Considered and Rejected

34.4.1

Alternative Option 1: Sheffield continues to use the previous strategy developed by the Culture Collective. It was recognised that there was a need for further engagement with the culture sector to create a strategic approach and a framework that was representative of the whole sector. The content of the Culture Collective’s strategy was embedded into the new Culture Strategy.

34.4.2

Alternative Option 2: The Committee does not approve the Culture Strategy for adoption and publication. The likely result of such a decision would be that the Council would suffer significant reputational damage in its credibility and cultural leadership regionally and nationally. The Culture Strategy has been co-funded by Arts Council England and the University of Sheffield and has had significant support and engagement with the cultural sector in Sheffield. Any rejection of the findings or lack of commitment to the adoption would likely result in future relationships with key funders and stakeholders being damaged.