Agenda and minutes

The Chair welcomed Members, officers, and guests to the meeting.

Apologies for absence had been received from Cllr Peter Golds.

Cllr David Jeffels attended the meeting as a substitute.

Cllrs Neil Jory, Guy Nicholson, Jonathan Simpson, MBE, and Natalie McVey attended the meeting as observers.

Cllr Barry Lewis declared an interest as he was a Board Member for the Midlands Regional Board Arts Council.

The minutes of the meeting held on 22 September 2021 were agreed as an accurate record, subject to the following amendment:

·       Cllr German requested that the Terms of Reference be amended to include more information related to Equalities and Climate Change.

The Chair welcomed Paul Bristow, Director, Helen Parrott, Senior Manager, and Laura Dyer, MBE, Deputy Chief Executive, to the meeting and invited Laura to present a series of slides to Members of the Board. The slides set out the following:

·       Background information related to the role of Arts Council England (ACE), current priorities and the effect that the unprecedented Covid-19 pandemic had had on ACE and the cultural sector.

·       ACE’s ‘Let’s Create’ ten-year strategy which had been published in January 2020 and the strategy’s vision: “by 2030, we want England to be a country in which the creativity of each of us is valued and given the chance to flourish, and where every one of us has access to a remarkable range of high-quality cultural experiences”.

·       ACE’s delivery plan for 2021-24 and it’s five themes:

-        Building a ‘fit for the future’ cultural sector

-        Strengthening place-based approaches and supporting levelling-up

-        Increasing support for individuals

-        Helping the cultural sector to work internationally

-        How the Arts Council will change

·       ACE’s new strategy

·       Strengthening partnership working arrangements between ACE and local government and the LGA

·       ACE’s future plans

Board Members made the following comments:

• A question was asked which related to the availability of grants from the Arts Council to community libraries to broaden their appeal as community hubs and in turn, make them more viable financially.
• A question was asked which related to the support that councillors could offer to the Arts Council.
• Board Members commended the excellent joint-working relationship between the LGA and the Arts Council and the positive senior representation from the Arts Council at CTS Board meetings.
• A question was asked which related to ACE’s ‘Let’s Create’ strategy and Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) measures.
• In light of the upcoming meeting between CTS Lead Members and Lord Parkinson, a Lead Member asked whether there were any reflections on the relationship between the Arts Council and DCMS and anything that could be fed back to Lord Parkinson.
• The enhanced relationship between the LGA, ACE, local government and DCMS was supported, as well as the review of the joint statement. A Board Member suggested strengthening the joint statement in relation to the approach to national policy.
• A Board Member referred to the ACE’s delivery plan for 2021-24 and it’s five themes and suggested that the review around governance, the role of Boards and of trustees in mobilising and enabling the sector itself, be emphasised.
• A Board Member requested a conversation with ACE’s officers offline in relation to targeting underfunded areas.
• Board Members requested that the presentation slides be circulated.

Laura and Paul responded to Board Members’ comments:

• In relation to the availability of grants from the Arts Council to community libraries, Laura confirmed that grants could be offered at a lower level whereby individual services could think about how best to develop the programmes and deliver a wider cultural offer.
• With regards to the help and support that councillors could provide to the Arts Council, Laura  ...  view the full minutes text for item 3.

The Chair invited Samantha Ramanah, Adviser, to introduce the report. Sam introduced the report which provided an update on planning of the Culture and Tourism conference 2022.

Board Members made the following comments:

• A number of Board Members raised concerns in relation to the high price of the webinars and said that they should be free if virtual.
• Concerns were raised in relation to the webinars not being hybrid and the subsequent lack of participation and engagement, and media interest.
• A Board Member expressed interest in receiving comparative pre-Covid-19 pandemic data (2019) in terms of conference delegate numbers, attendance figures and quality of engagement.
• A Board Member asked a question which related to the calculation of pricing for the webinars.

Ian Leete, Senior Adviser, and Sam responded to Board Members’ comments:

• In relation to the conference’s pricing structure, Sam said that whilst the event would be held virtually, an associated cost for the conference generally was not unusual. Ian confirmed that the pricing structure per webinar had been agreed as a corporate decision.
• Board Members’ comments could be fed back through the corporate conference structures.
• Delegate numbers at in person conferences in 2019 and 2020 were significantly lower than the online 2021 conference.
• Sam would update the Board in the near future in relation to Lead Members agreeing to hold two walk-in tours in the summer of 2022 to enable Board Members to network and engage with one another and provide strategic oversight of the LGA’s policy and improvement activity in relation to tourism.
• In relation to media opportunities, Sam confirmed that officers would continue to engage with media colleagues to highlight as much as possible during the conference period, including press releases and social media activity.
• Sam talked about the costs associated with a potential hybrid conference at 18 Smith Square, particularly in relation to ICT equipment.

Decision:

• Members of the Board noted the report.

Action:

• Officers to liaise with corporate colleagues in relation to hosting the conference in a hybrid way, and if this was not possible, to re-evaluate the pricing structure. Officers would then feedback to Board Members.

The Chair invited Rebecca Cox, Principal Policy Adviser, to introduce the report. Rebecca introduced the report which updated the Board on the Government’s Levelling Up agenda and suggested the way in which the CTS Board work programme would contribute to the LGA’s work within the area.

Board Members made the following comments:

• The Chair suggested that an informal discussion take place in the New Year, once the Levelling-Up White Paper had been published.
• A Board Member referred to the Levelling-Up Fund’s first round of bids and said that Civil Servants had assigned some of the bids to the incorrect categories.
• A Board Member emphasised the importance in seizing opportunities to shape the government’s levelling-up agenda and county deals.

In response to Board Members’ comments, Rebecca said that officers continued to work closely with combined authorities to look at the way in which they were taking forward culture and strategies related to culture and creative industries.

Decision:

• Members of the Board noted the report.

Action:

·       Officers to liaise with Civil Servants in relation to the bidding process for the Levelling-Up Fund.

The Chair invited Lauren Lucas, Adviser, to introduce the report. Lauren introduced the report which outlined the details of a new report commissioned by the LGA with improvement funding to help combined authorities in their approach to the creative industries. Its purpose was to share best practice and build the LGA’s understanding of the ways in which combined authorities could better support growth in the creative economy and contribute to Levelling Up.

Board Members made the following comments:

• The Chair raised a concern in relation to the lack of comparison between other local authority areas outside of combined authorities and the way in which they interacted with the creative industries. He said that the sole focus on combined authorities should be made explicitly clear within the paper.
• A Board Member expressed the need to focus on the way in which the ecosystem traded and how it could be more symbiotic within itself.

Lauren and Rebecca responded to Board Members’ comments:

• Lauren recognised the extensive and varied agenda and said that the Creative Places guide had picked upon some of the comments and concerns raised by Board Members.
• Lauren emphasised the importance of the broader ecosystem and the exchange between areas and said that the pot of funding was limited because it had been received from the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DHLUC). The funding allocated by DHLUC was specifically related to combined authorities and therefore had to be spent on improvement work associated with combined authorities.
• Rebecca referred to county deals and said that government had focused on a bottom-up framework in terms of the models of governance. She added that the LGA did not mandate such arrangements.
• Rebecca said that a key focus would be on ensuring that culture of the arts and creative industries were front and centre within the deals.

Decision:

• Members of the Board noted the report.

The Chair invited Ian Leete, Senior Adviser, to introduce the report. Ian introduced the report which set out the key CTS-related announcements made in the Spending Review.

A Board Member emphasised the importance of funding the maintenance of current infrastructures as well as new infrastructure.

Decision:

• Members of the Board noted the report.

The Chair invited Ian Leete, Senior Adviser, to introduce the report. Ian introduced the report which identified the main aims established by the Business Plan which had been signed off by the LGA Executive Advisory Board and the CTS elements identified within it. The Board’s work programme had been developed with the business plan in mind and was aligned to deliver on its objectives, while responding to the specific needs of CTS services.

Decision:

• Members of the Board noted the report.

The Chair invited Board Members to update the Board on recent activity in relation to their outside body appointments.

Board Members made the following comments:

• Cllr Nicholson provided a verbal update in relation to the LGA’s representation regarding the National Landscape Stakeholder Reference Group (NLSRG), a Defra run and managed advisory group on National Parks, Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) etc to advise on the review of legislation. He set out the following points in his update:

-        On 9 December 2020, the LGA’s CTS Board met and appointed Cllr Nicholson as the representative to the NLSRG.

-        On 11 December 2020, Ian Leete, Senior Advisor, wrote to Alice Roberts at Defra to confirm the appointment and asked her to pick up directly and contact Cllr Nicholson about future meetings.

-        On 15 December 2020, Cllr Nicholson emailed Alice and offered to schedule an introductory meeting.

-        On 18 December 2020, Cllr Nicholson followed up on Ian's email, re-introduced himself to Alice, and asked if she could forward the current status of the Reference Group. Cllr Nicholson also requested a list of individuals who were also appointed to the Reference Group.

-        On 13 January 2021, Cllr Nicholson chased Defra contacts as no response had been received.

-        On 15 February 2021, Cllr Nicholson chased Defra contacts as still no response had been received.

-        On 25 May 2021, Cllr Nicholson wrote to Ian to confirm that despite trying to contact Defra, no response had been received in relation to joining instructions etc, suspecting that the group was no longer operational, but Cllr Nicholson confirmed that he remained happy to contribute if the group was still up and running.

-        On 1 June 2021, Ian responded to confirm that he had also not been able to get hold of Defra. Therefore, assumptions were made that the work with Defra was complete, no further activity took place on the workstream and was subsequently closed down.

• Cllr Seeva provided a brief update in relation to his representation on the Creative Industries Council (CIC) and confirmed that he had recently attended a couple of CIC meetings and had met with the Chair of CIC. He would provide a further update to the Board in the New Year once work had picked up again.

• Ian Leete, Senior Adviser, said that he had been invited to represent the Board’s Tourism Industry Council at an officer level.

• Ian said that officers had formed part of a coalition with a number of membership bodies representing grass roots sports and community activities and the leisure sector more generally through UK Active. The group would meet formally with Nigel Huddleston, MP, every other month to discuss the leisure sector and the challenges being faced.

Decision:

• Members of the Board noted the report and the updates provided.

• Cllr Ridley provided a brief update in relation to the CTS Board scheduled to be held at the Council House, Coventry, on 16 March 2022. The meeting would be a hybrid meeting (dependent on Covid-19 restrictions), although Cllr Ridley encouraged as many Board Members and officers to attend in person as possible. The draft agenda was as follows:

-                9:30-10:30am: Welcome & refreshments

-                10:30am:City Tour

-                12:00-1:00pm: Lunch (Cllr George Duggins, Leader of the Council, David Welsh, Cabinet Member, and Cllr John McNicolas, Lord Mayor, would be invited to join the group for lunch)

-                1:00-3:00pm: CTS Board meeting

• The Chair said that he and Ian had recently met with the British Legion and had mutually agreed to work together in relation to communication so that councils and British Legion branches understood their roles in relation to Remembrance week.

• Ian invited Members to provide feedback in relation to the recent informal stakeholder meetings with CIC and the Business & IP Centre (BIPC). Members of the Board said that the meetings were helpful and asked that they continue.