Decision details

Executive Board will be requested to:

- Note the findings of the Council’s research and confirmed by the current call for evidence; and

- Approve the decision to use the Creative and Digital workspace fund to support projects which enable not-for-profit organisations to refurbish and secure the long term future of affordable workspace for creative industries in City Centre/ City fringe locations.

The Director of City Development submitted a report regarding the results of independent market research which had been undertaken into the provision of workspace for the creative and digital sector in the city centre/city fringe. The report sought approval for a number of investments which would look to sustain and enhance the provision of creative workspace in locations where this provision was considered to be at risk.

Responding to a Member’s enquiry, the Board received further information on the ways in which those creative businesses identified in the report would encourage Inclusive Growth within the communities where they were located in line with the Council’s Inclusive Growth Strategy.

Following consideration of Appendix 2 to the submitted report designated as being exempt from publication under the provisions of Access to Information Procedure Rule 10.4(3), which was considered in private at the conclusion of the meeting, it was

RESOLVED –

(a)  That the findings of the Council’s research together with the feedback received from the recent ‘call for evidence’, which had been undertaken, be noted;

(b)  That approval be given for the decision to use the Creative and Digital Workspace Fund to support projects which enable the not-for-profit sector to refurbish and secure the long term future of affordable workspace for creative industries in city centre / city fringe locations;

(c)  That subject to the information contained within exempt Appendix 2 to the submitted report, approval in principle be given for the Council’s support for the first three projects: namely, Leeds Media Centre; the Leeds Arts Hostel and Hope House, as follows:-

(i) Leeds Media Centre: To provide a grant of £800,000 to the Council’s operator, Unity Property Services Limited, (with £300,000 allocated from the Creative and Digital Workspace Fund and £500,000 funded directly by the Council), which will be offset by an increase to the rent paid to the Council by the Unity Property Services Limited. Unity Property Services Limited will then use this £800,000 capital contribution as match funding to deliver a £1.6m refurbishment and reconfiguration of the premises;

(ii) Leeds Arts Hostel: To provide up to £150,000 grant to East Street Arts to support the strategic relocation of the Leeds Arts Hostel to Mabgate;

(iii) Hope House: To provide up to £450,000 grant to Music and Arts Production Leeds in order to secure the long term future of Hope House as a creative workspace and as a contribution towards the proposed refurbishment;

(d)  That it be noted that the Director for City Development will be responsible for the implementation of the resolutions, as detailed above;

(e)  That based on resolution (c)(i-iii) above, approval be given for the necessary authority to be delegated to the Director of City Development to enable the Director to finalise the detailed terms before entering into the new contracts and funding agreements associated with Leeds Media Centre, the Leeds Arts Hostel and Hope House;

(f)  That it be noted that the Director for City Development will seek to support further requests for assistance to sustain and improve the provision of creative workspace through the remaining £100,000 in the Creative and Digital Workspace Fund and the remaining funds in the Tech Hub Fund;

(g)  That approval be given for the decisions taken by Executive Board in respect of resolutions (c)(i) and (c)(iii) above, to be exempted from the Call In process, for the reasons of urgency, as set out in paragraphs 4.5.5 - 4.5.8 of the submitted report, with it being noted that resolution (c)(ii) (above) will remain eligible for Call In.

(The Council’s Executive and Decision Making Procedure Rules state that a decision may be declared as being exempt from the Call In process by the decision taker if it is considered that any delay would seriously prejudice the Council’s, or the public’s interests. In line with this, resolutions (c)(i) and (c)(iii) (above) were exempted from the Call In process, as per resolution (g) above, and for the reasons as detailed within sections 4.5.5 – 4.5.8 of the submitted report)

Briefings

Executive Member for Inclusive Growth and Culture

Ward Members