Agenda for Culture, Tourism & Enterprise Overview & Scrutiny Committee on Thursday, 1st March, 2012, 4.00pm
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Agenda and minutes
PDF 193 KBContact: Julia Riches, Scrutiny Support Officer
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Minutes: Declarations of substitutes
Cllr Graham Cox for Cllr Carol Theobald.
Cllr Andrew Wealls for Lynda Hyde.
Cllr Phelim MacCafferty for Cllr Ania Kitcat.
Declarations of interest
There were none.
Declaration of party whip
There was none.
Exclusion of press and public
In accordance with section 100A(4) of the Local Government Act 1972, it was considered whether the press and public should be excluded from the meeting during the consideration of any items contained in the agenda, having regard to the nature of the proceedings and the likelihood as to whether, if members of the press and public were present, there would be disclosure to them of confidential or exempt information as defined in section 1001(1) of the said Act.
RESOLVED: that the press and public are not excluded from the meeting.
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MINUTES OF THE PREVIOUS MEETING Minutes: The minutes from 24 November 2011 were agreed. |
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CHAIRMAN'S COMMUNICATIONS Minutes: The Royal Pavilion and Museum (RP & M) services were to be congratulated on a number of fronts. The service has been successful in gaining approx £2.5m for 2012-15 through the Renaissance Programme from Arts Council England and £100k from the DCMS/Wolfson Museums and Galleries Improvement Fund for a gallery refurbishment. RP&M had successfully bid at auction for a Turner watercolour – which features the Pavilion, The Chain Pier at Brighton (1824/5). It was purchased with a significant grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund who have helped secure the picture for the city and nation, plus an award from the Art Fund and a generous donation from an anonymous RP&M Foundation Patron. Members were shown a slide of this at the meeting. An exciting exhibition of new work by three contemporary painters and printmakers called Dreams of Here had opened at the Brighton Museum and Art Gallery. The artists are all nationally recognised but at the same time have strong connections to Sussex and the exhibition was on until 10 June 2012.
There was good news on the Children’s Festival for this year which had been awarded £9k from the Arts Council. The festival – which originated from the Brighton and Hove Arts Commission was being run in partnership with Komedia for the first time.
The Brighton Festival had been launched last week, along with the Festival Fringe and both programmes looked varied and exciting. Vanessa Redgrave had been appointed as artistic director and would be leading the Children’s Parade which traditionally opened the Brighton Festival as well as featuring throughout the programme – in films and debates.
In relation to Tourism and Conferences: from April to January footfall at the Visitor Information Centre was more than 5% up on last year. VisitBrighton had for the first time achieved more than 400 Partners. VisitBrighton’s Convention Bureau recently held their major sales and networking event at the House of Lords to showcase the city to an audience of conference organisers.
The Volks Railway would be opening earlier this year to coincide with the start of the Easter school holidays. The first service will operate from 10.15am on Saturday 31st March. Newsreader Nicholas Owen who is a railway volunteer will be cutting a ribbon at Midday to commemorate the time of the very first train journey back in 1883.
The Sports Development Team had organised the Indoor Athletics Competition for primary and secondary schools on 23rd February and 368 pupils took part. The Active for Life Team delivered half term fun and free physical activity sessions in areas of deprivation in the City to over 300 people. Two Soup and Stomp events in Portslade and Hollingdean saw over 120 families get involved in tree planting, healthwalks and soup making. The Street Games Festival took place at Stanley Deason Leisure centre andhad 56 young people taking part in activities ranging from climbing, Basketball and Street Dance. The day was a great success as the team had worked in partnership with the Youth Offending Service and the Youth Team. Brighton Sea Swimming Club have secured with support from the council£50,000 from Sport England to relocate and refurbish the clubs facility and £1030 to deliver ‘Girls Get Active’ sessions for 14 – 19 year olds at King Alfred, Stanley Deason and Moulsecoomb Leisure Centres.
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PUBLIC QUESTIONS No public questions have been received.
Minutes: There were none. |
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WRITTEN QUESTIONS AND LETTERS FROM COUNCILLORS No written questions or letters have been received. Minutes: There were none. |
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Presentation from Frank Gray on filming in Brighton
Minutes: The Chair welcomed Frank Gray, the Director of Screen Archive South East who has also lectured on art and film history at the University of Brighton for many years. Dr Gray gave a presentation then took questions (for copy see minute book).
Brighton & Hove should become a ‘film city’ because it had a powerful cluster of film related activities and organisations but they have yet to be brought into an effective whole. The cluster included:
Up until now there had not been a concerted effect to bring all these activities and resources in a strategic way and develop Brighton & Hove as a city of film. Such a film cluster could bring the following benefits:
· Create a new, dynamic identity for the city · Make the best use of existing resources · Attract new inward investment
Dr Gray hoped that the Council and the Arts Commission would support this initiative, so that the cluster could take shape as soon as possible. The first phase of developing this cluster, using the agencies of the Council and the Arts Commission (AC), could include:
It could be an aspiration to apply to UNESCO to become a City of Film. The criteria for this would be met very well by Brighton & Hove, these include:
Dr Gray finished his presentation by saying he would welcome endorsement from BHCC and the AC.
In response to questions, Dr Gray replied that rather than introduce a further festival in the city it would be most productive to use existing ones and look to their adaptability. For example developing the relationship between Cinecity and the Brighton Festival, including Vanessa Redgrave this year’s Director. He believed that the city could engage in the whole range of issues relating to film-making, not just encouraging film-makers to film here. The breadth of potential platform was illustrated by the Oska Bright festival and the digital revolution which meant that all could make films. Now there was such a range of opportunities, rather than just cinema, from expensive productions to something made by a child on a phone. He felt that people were becoming more visual, which placed a greater onus on schools and universities to get the balance between being visual and the older skills of reading and writing. ‘Cine literacy’ was a key part of film education.
The cluster would encourage the synergy of sectors as film making included diverse areas such as:
When asked if there was an example of a cluster elsewhere to learn from, Dr Gray told the committee that the Department for Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS) commissioned a film review chaired by Lord Smith which produced a set of recommendations this January. Their report had a separate chapter on each activity, so was not a good model to draw on. Dr Gray believed that in the lean times it was important to have cross-sectoral approaches and work well with public funders such as the AC. He also believed that it was most important to invest in individual, such as encouraging new writers to write new scripts. One should invest in films that say something about the city and its people, to encourage films that grow out of the city rather than just visit it. For example, Peter James wants the films of his novels to be made in Brighton.
The Chair thanked Dr Gray for his enthusiasm and was sure that all the Councillors would welcome the idea of a cluster. |
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Update on Scrutiny Panel on the Retail Industry
Verbal Update. Minutes: Cheryl Finella, Economic Development Manager, provided a verbal update on the scrutiny panel which is being run on the retail industry drawing on the first public meeting of the panel and the use of the internet and Twitter to engage stakeholders in a ‘live chat’ on the issues relating to this sector. Retailers were feeling the effect of the economic downturn, although Brighton & Hove was faring better than nationally in terms of vacancy rates. A cross party panel had been established and was holding three public sessions to hear evidence from retailers and organisations supporting them such as the Chamber of Commerce. The witnesses had been asked the following questions in advance:
The first session raised the following issues:
Ms Finella agreed to provide members with further information on the ‘live chat’ element of the scrutiny panel.
In response to questions Ms Finella told the Committee that her team recognised the need to look at retail across the whole city and is working with the sector to develop a new support programme. (This is one of the suggestions that arose at the retail scrutiny session)Sharing premises has been suggested, but this could present some challenges partly because the lease arrangements have to be entered into with private sector landlords. The council was working with partners on how to use empty properties creatively, which was important as empty premises presented the biggest threat to the city as a tourism centre. There had been a decrease in the share of independents from a 73% share to 70% in the city centre, but the BID has seen an increase in the share of independents from 68% to 69%. The city had a large independent business sector. There was a good balance, but the issue of the retail mix can become became problematic when an area ends up with low value retail such as, pound shops and betting shops which can dissuade other high value retailers. Once the panel has heard all of the evidence it will consider recommendations for relevant committees; some of the recommendations may have fiscal implications for the council and for retailers; others may be able to be incorporated into future policy.
The Business Improvement District (BID) covers
over 500 businesses and Gavin Stewart the BID manager visits every
shop to ensure that members are aware of the benefits of the BID
and to address any concerns relating to the BID. He provides
quarterly reports on vacancies and footfall The Council’s
Property Services Team had also purchased information on vacant
properties and Local trader associations are beginning to gather
their own vacancy details. The Economic Partnership feels that
retailers need to share the budgetary challenges. The Business
Rates are the biggest chunk of business expenduture but are unavoidable. The role of the council was to work with the
business community to help create the conditions for business
growth and sustainability. The budget for decorating empty shops is no longer available, but this issue will form part of the review, along with how to make retailers leave shops in a better state. Members asked if there might be more flexibility in the new planning strategies, e.g. use classes. Ms Finella said that Brighton & Hove Business Forum were encouraging retailers to diversity their markets at a time when 16% of last year’s Christmas shopping had been done on-line. Workshops would encourage retailers to think of E-commerce.
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Libraries Scrutiny Workshop feedback Minutes: The Chair thanked officers and members for attending this workshop. Sally McMahon, Head of Libraries and Information Services, confirmed how successful this workshop had been and the report today captured the key issues raised there. It then set out the values and priorities for the future of the service. The next step would be to produce a draft Libraries Plan, which would be put out to public consultation for 13 weeks, then be presented to Committee and Full Council.
Issues raised by Councillors included welcoming the priority placed on the book stock, querying why the report did not refer to Kindles or shelving. Members were concerned that following the budget, there was a gap in funding for mobile libraries but wanted to thank Alan Issler for the work done in Woodingdean. A significant number of residents had come to a meeting about the new library and medical centre and they would like to discussions with them to continue. The Children’s Library was vital, but there were restrictions on opening hours due to budgetary restrictions. This represented an opportunity to make it a flagship community library. It was seen as a dramatic decision to continue the mobile library service, but Members wanted to know if the service could be overhauled to get extra use out of it, for example to cover at Woodingdean.
David Murray, Strategic Director: Communities, stressed that he was keen to keep the dialogue going. The team was examining the impact of the budget amendments on the service, for example if the vehicles were not used they would decay. It may be possible to update members after the Culture CMM meeting next week.
Members asked if it would be possible to use other suppliers for books in order to build up the stock. Ms McMahon confirmed that there had always been the facility to source from elsewhere and they were trying to identify the gaps in the stock.
RESOLVED: to note the report and endorse the development of a new Libraries Plan for 2012-15. |
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Seafront Strategy Workshop Update
Minutes: Ian Shurrock, Commissioner for Sport and Leisure thanked the officers and councillors for the very productive workshop and the Strategy was intended to be reported to Committee in June. Issues raised included:
In response to
questions, Adam Bates (Head of Tourism & Leisure) confirmed
that there had been a number of metal theft incidents. Where these
are council premises the metal had been replaced, otherwise the
owners were being chased. There was good CCTV coverage, but this
was a real issue. Where possible and appropriate the council was
exploring suitable alternative materials which were of less value.
Mr Shurrock confirmed that in the King Alfred, lead flashing had
been replaced with a less valuable material. He agreed to follow up
with City Parks the issue of improving planting. Members, residents
and the Hove Civic Society have asked about the possibility of
privately funded statues and water features in the area, officers
felt that issues relating to cost and
maintenance may arise. When asked about the momentum behind these
issues, Mr Murray agreed that there were a number of ongoing
seafront issues. There was a need to look at how they would fit
with major projects and make decisions on those key projects such
as Black Rock, Brighton Centre and King Alfred. Some money had been
invested in the King Alfred to make it work better. The team was
currently to identify ways forward on these complex issues which could then be shared with the
Members. Mr Shurrock said that a wide consultation on
RESOLVED: That members recognise the benefits of the seafront and the importance of the emerging Seafront Strategy.
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Minutes: The Chair began by stating how pleased she was to see the engagement of children in the programme for 2012. Paula Murray, Commission for Culture explained that the report was an update on the planned programme for 2012. It was a re-statement of the aims of the programme including raising the profile, securing economic benefits and contribute to longer term programmes such as the seafront. The new calendar would run from May to October and will be released in May. The events linked to the Torch relay include People’s Day; Big Dance and an event with the National Trust at Devil’s Dyke.
Pauline Freestone, London 2012 Co-ordinator, told the Committee that the torch route had been confirmed. LOCOG would be releasing the street level route on March 19th, when the council would communicate the details of the route and the timings of the events. Ms Murray explained that although the route could not go through all the wards in the city, a number of the other elements would be about the whole city and young residents. The final event would take place on Hove Lawns which would be very accessible for residents. Same Sky would be leading a number of events which would culminate in the torch event. There would then be a programme of events early the next morning for when the Torch left to go onto Hastings.
The remainder of the report highlighted the breadth of projects associated with 2012 including:
It was hoped that the 2012 events would give a boost to regular events in the city, encourage volunteering and participation in sporting events. Such events were also being linked to the celebrations for the Diamond Jubilee. One of the partners the council would be working with was Brighton Zocalo, the city’s growing unique annual community event. There were other events which were yet to be confirmed, such as the plans to replace the Steve Ovett Statue.
When asked if the Jubilee celebrations would bring a positive economic benefit to the city, Ms Murray replied that these events were about the community. Although the 2012 events would be contributing to raising the profile of the city and increasing the number of visitors. David Murray, Strategic Director: communities emphasised that the 2012 events were about inclusion, including making the events accessible and for the whole city. A number of Members expressed their hope that the city would play a full role in celebrating the Jubilee and involve all the communities. The council could act as a hub, to provide information about the events which were planned. Ms Murray reassured members that a number of events were planned for the Jubilee which could not be confirmed yet and agreed that the council had a role in providing information.
RESOLVED: The Committee noted the contents of the report and plans for activities. The Committee endorsed the approach to supporting a summer of community based
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Minutes: The Chair introduced the report on the work programme which described some of the key areas looked at by the Committee and highlight potential future work streams. Some of the Members expressed a strong desire to see that the issue of Access to Cultural Services for Older People should be taken forward to a new Committee. Another suggestion for the future was to look at fees and charges to gauge whether they act as a deterrent, for example sports charges. David Murray confirmed that the issue of fees and charges was on their Tracker and so would be addressed in the new committee system. Both Janita Bagshawe, Head of Royal Pavilion & Museums, and Adam Bates, Head of Tourism and Leisure tracked visitor use and compared charges with other destinations. The idea of a dedicated art Gallery in the city was also raised.
The Chair thanked all the members and said how much she had enjoyed chairing the Committee. She then thanked all the officers present and those who could not be there. Cllr Brown finished by thanking the Scrutiny officers for supporting the Committee.
RESOLVED: That the current scrutiny panel looking at the Retail Sector reports to the appropriate scrutiny committee and is monitored by that committee. That the scrutiny panel which CTEOSC agreed should be set up looking at access to cultural services for older people is put forward to any new scrutiny committee as a future panel. That CTEOSC agreed additional suggestions listed above for any future culture committee to examine.
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ITEMS TO GO FORWARD TO CABINET, THE RELEVANT CABINET MEMBER MEETING OR COUNCIL To consider items to be submitted to the next available Cabinet or Cabinet Member or Council Meeting. |