Purpose

Cabinet to note progress on the development of
a Place Partnership Funding application to Arts Council England for
£750K and the strategic outcomes of the proposed 2 year
programme.

Cabinet to agree the recommendation to approve match funding of
£280K towards the project.

Cabinet to agree the recommendation to continue with the full
application process for PPF.

Cabinet is asked to grant delegated Authority to the Director of
Economy and Place, in consultation with the Portfolio Holder for
Communities and Co-operation the section 151 Officer, to accept the
award and spend the funding, should the full application be
successful.

Content

The Cabinet considered
a report of the Director of Economy and Place / Cabinet Member for
Communities and Cooperation, which sought to update on the
development of an application for funding to Arts Council England
(ACE) Place Partnership Fund (PPF). The funding would support an
ambitious two-year programme of activities to maximise the
socio-economic impact of arts and culture across the Borough of
Rochdale.
 
The Head of Culture
and Placemaking was
in attendance to present the information and to answer the
questions of the Cabinet Members.
 
Resolved:

1.   
That the progress on
the development of a PPF application to ACE for £750K and the
strategic plans of the proposed two-year programme outlined in
section 6 of the report be noted;

2.   
That the Director of
Economy and Place, in conjunction with the Director of Corporate
Services and the relevant Portfolio Holders be given delegated
authority to submit the full bid;

3.   
That
the Director of Economy and Place, in conjunction
with the Director of Corporate Services and the relevant Portfolio
Holders be given delegated authority to accept the grant if the
application is successful and match funding
confirmed;

4.   
That the
Council’s contribution of £280k from the budget
inflation reserve as match funding to support the application be
noted;

5.   
That the ongoing work
to secure additional match funding to reduce the Council’s
contribution be noted;

6.   
That it be noted that if match funding were not secured,
then the PPF application would not progress, meaning the project
would not go ahead and the Council’s match funding would not
be released.
 
Reason
for decision:
As an
ACE Priority Place, the opportunity to submit a full PPF
application for £750K would enable the Council and its partners to implement the strategic
recommendations contained with the Council’s Cultural Policy
Framework and joint Priority Place Action Plan agreed with
ACE.
 
The
potential investment from a successful PPF bid would deliver five
strategic interventions, Children and Young People, Skills and
Business Development, Audience and Market development, Inward
Investment and Placemaking maximising
the socio-economic benefits culture generates for the
borough.
 
Alternatives considered and rejected:
Do
nothing. Culture and Placemaking were
not a statutory function of the Council, however to do nothing and
not submit the full PPF application would see a potential loss of
investment from ACE of £750K to support the delivery and
implementation of the Council Cultural Policy
framework. 
 
There
were no other alternative investment programmes that had been identified that would enable the delivery
of the strategic programme of activities outlined in this
report.