Hampshire County Council

Recreation and Heritage Policy Review Committee Item 9

23 March 2006

Executive Member - Recreation and Heritage Item 1

23 March 2006

Arts Strategy

Report of the Director of Recreation and Heritage

Contact: Janet Mein ext:5468 e-mail: [email protected]

1. Purpose

1.1 This report sets out the Draft Arts Strategy for Hampshire County Council for the period 2006 -11 and recommends that it is adopted.

2. Background

2.1 In January 2005 the Policy Review Committee and the Executive Member for Recreation and Heritage received a report on the Arts Office Review. Amongst other recommendations, the report agreed that a new Arts Strategy should be developed for the Council.

2.2 The Policy Review Committee set up a sub Panel to act as a consultative body to the review of the service and the development of the new strategy.

2.3 Work on the Strategy started in July 2005 on commencement in post of the Head of Arts Service.

3. The Strategy

3.1 The strategy is set firmly within the context of the Council's Corporate and Cultural strategies and the wider policy context which includes Government Green and White Papers on Youth and Older People, Local Area Agreements and the wider cultural policy landscape of Arts Council England, the South East England Cultural Consortium and the Regional Economic Strategy.

3.2 The Strategy also takes a Council wide view of the role that the arts play in delivering against a wide range of corporate service objectives. It builds on the work started in the Arts Service review.

3.3 Analysis of the Council's financial investment, human resources, capital resources and the range of arts use made by Directorates other than Recreation and Heritage have informed the proposed way forward.

3.4 Six objectives are proposed for the Strategy within the wider policy context:-

· To deliver the Corporate and Cultural Strategy objectives through the actions of the arts strategy by the Arts Service and other Directorates as appropriate

· To support the development of a sustainable and thriving arts and creative industries infrastructure in Hampshire

· To prioritise those areas of activity where the County Council can make a real difference

· To work in partnership with stakeholders at Parish, Town, Borough, District and regional levels to ensure that joint investments are maximised

· To lead by example by developing strategic approaches to cross departmental working

· To ensure that excellence permeates all activity whether supported or directly delivered.

3.5 The full text of the Draft Strategy is contained in Appendix 1

4. Consultation

4.1 Consultation with key partners and partner investors has taken place. This includes Arts Council England, the Unitary Authorities of Portsmouth and Southampton, the District and Borough Councils of Hampshire and the portfolio of partners as defined by the list of independent organisations which are revenue funded by Hampshire County Council. Corrections of fact have been made and some small changes to the text suggested have enriched the final document.

5. Conclusion

5.1 Having developed the strategy with the collaboration of the Policy Review Panel and taking into consideration the views of the consultees, the document as presented embodies a consensus on the way forward.

Recommendation

That the Policy Review Committee endorse the Draft Arts Strategy for consideration by the Executive Member.

Section 100 D - Local Government Act 1972 - background papers

The following documents disclose facts or matters on which this report, or an important part of it, is based and has been relied upon to a material extent in the preparation of this report.

N.B. the list excludes:

1. Published works.

2. Documents that disclose exempt or confidential information as defined in the Act.

TITLE LOCATION

Arts Files Arts Office, Mottisfont Court