City aims to step up support for culture and arts with showcase
WORK to develop a culture strategy for Sheffield aims to create far better support and development of the sector which is worth £900m to the city’s economy.
Sheffield Council’s economic skills and development committee got an update on progress with the strategy at a meeting. This involved a Sheffield Culture Showcase of events that are set to take place across the city.
Events will include a touring Cultural Caravan created by the city Roma community and workshops and performances by Sunrit Culture of South Asian dance. Other workshops and performances will come from Stand and Be Counted Theatre of Sanctuary, which involves asylum seekers and migrants, and A Mind Apart Theatre, which works with people with additional needs.
The showcase will be involved with Migration Matters and Sensoria festivals in the city and will put on its own weekend festival of performances. A bid has been submitted for £635,000 of Arts Council funding, with a decision expected in April or May. The aim is for the showcase to reach all parts of the city.
The committee launched its new culture strategy for Sheffield in September. It first adopted the Sheffield Culture Collective’s strategy before beginning to create its own strategy, which outside consultants, council teams and councillors have all been working on.
The aim is to put forward a “guiding vision for everyone involved in culture or creativity in Sheffield”. The council would start to “take a leadership role in applying for funds for culture and finding ways to direct external funding to cultural groups and activities”, said a report to the committee.
Consultation has been taking place with people and organisations.
The report said: “There is some criticism of Sheffield City Council in the feedback, mainly focused on a historic lack of leadership and investment – this is no surprise and has featured in previous engagement with the sector.
“The cultural strategy development, alongside other recent developments being led by SCC (Sheffield City Council), provides a platform to start to change those perceptions.”
An audit of the culture strategy carried out for the council showed that there are 2,255 cultural and creative businesses registered in Sheffield, employing 9,700 people, bringing in £907,741 in gross value added (GVA) – a figure that measures the contribution of businesses to an economy.
The audit also showed that, while small, the sector is showing strong growth, although it lags behind Manchester and Leeds.
Coun Kurtis Crossland, who represents Beighton ward, commented on the inequalities, adding: “But in the south-east we do have Birley Spa Bath House, which is a massive cultural asset and one of the only buildings of its kind in the country. But unfortunately it has been left to ruin.”
Rebecca Maddox, head of business development for culture, pointed to the council’s joined-up heritage strategy adopted by the strategy and resources committee. It was developed by heritage groups supported by the University of Sheffield.