Decision details

This report seeks approval from Executive Board to position the Council’s future investment in the independent cultural sector to maximise opportunities and to connect its investment and impacts firmly to the Best City Ambition. Following a period of redesign, funding programmes would operate under one umbrella – Leeds’ Cultural Investment Programme – and work to common aims, priorities and principles across the programme. Approval is sought to:

•  Approve the redesign of the current funds as the Leeds Cultural Investment Programme working to the shared aim, priorities and principles and implementation approach, as set out in this report.

•  Approve a new three-year investment programme subject to annual Council budget setting and therefore to potential change.

•  Subject to recommendation b), agree to the Director of City Development using his existing delegated powers to approve grant funding decisions for these programmes, with awards of grants made in accordance with the proposed aim, principles and priorities and in support of the Best City Ambition.

Further to Minute No. 20, 27 July 2022, the Director of City Development submitted a report setting out proposals to enable the Council to modernise its cultural investments and relationships with the independent cultural sector across the city following the review and consultation undertaken. The report summarised the headline findings from the work undertaken and presented the recommendations arising for the period April 2024 to March 2027.

In introducing the report, the Executive Member highlighted the range of economic, social and wellbeing benefits arising from a strong cultural sector in Leeds.

Responding to an enquiry regarding the impact of the LEEDS 2023 initiative, the Board received an update on the delivery of the programme to date, providing details of key events and the economic impact being realised as a result of LEEDS 2023.

RESOLVED –

(a)  That approval be given to redesignate the current grant programmes (arts@leeds and Leeds Inspired) to the ‘Leeds Cultural Investment Programme’, which will work to the shared aims, priorities, principles and implementation approach, as set out in the submitted report;

(b)  That approval be given to a new three-year investment programme for 2024/25 to 2026/2027, based upon the existing annual investment of £1,835,720 across the two present funds (arts@leeds and Leeds Inspired), and that it be noted that funding commitments will be subject to annual Council budget setting and therefore subject to potential change;

(c)  That following resolution (b) (above), agreement be given to the Director of City Development using his existing delegated powers to approve grant funding decisions for these programmes, with awards of grants being made in accordance with the proposed aims, principles and priorities, and in support of the Best City Ambition.

This report has been created through extensive consultation with the Council officers in the two grants teams and benchmarked against core cities through 1:1 conversations with cultural lead officers at Belfast, Birmingham, Bristol, Liverpool, Manchester, Newcastle, and Sheffield city councils, as well as Glasgow Life and the Northeast Community Foundation.

An online sector survey targeted at 44 arts@leeds and 199 Leeds Inspired awardees.

Three focus group sessions were delivered with a sector advisory group which included individual artists as well as the leads of small, medium and large cultural organisations in the city, mixed city centre and outer area operations and included a diversity of heritages and perspectives.

As a matter of good practice, public consultation (online survey) was also carried out on the proposed aims, priorities and principles of the refreshed programmes.

Executive Member for Economy, Culture and Education

Leeds City Council grant management officers

Core cities – Belfast, Birmingham, Bristol, Liverpool, Manchester, Newcastle, and Sheffield city councils, as well as Glasgow Life and the Northeast Community Foundation.

Leeds’ creative sector

Open public consultation