Decision Maker:

Outcome:

Is Key Decision?: Yes

Is Callable In?: Yes

Date of Decision: September 9, 2025

Purpose:

Content: Salford City Council - Record of Decision (Cabinet) I Paul Dennett, City Mayor, in exercise of the powers contained within the City Council Constitution do hereby: 1.    Note that The Lowry has been invited to make a full application for £8.5m to the Arts Council England Creative Foundations Fund, provided they meet the £1.5m match partnership funding requirement. 2.    Note the request to allocate £1.5 million from earmarked reserves as match partnership funding to enable The Lowry to submit a full application to the Arts Council England Creative Foundations Fund. 3.    Support The Lowry’s bid for £8.5 million from the Creative Foundations Fund to meet the mandatory partnership funding requirement and improve the application's chances of success 4.    Endorse investment in Lowry’s infrastructure to prevent closure through critical upgrades to the building and equipment, ensuring its continued operation, sustainability, and adaptability for all its communities and evolving audience and visitor needs. 5.    Recommend to full council that a commitment of £1.5m match funding - conditional on Lowry being successful in their application for £8.5 million of Creative Foundations Funding - is confirmed to enable Lowry to submit a full application to Arts Council England before 31st October 2025.  The Reasons are: ·         The Lowry aligns with Salford's strategic priorities in health, place-making, and economic opportunity. ·         This conditional support will enable The Lowry to apply for £8.5m toward a total £10m capital programme. ·         The proposed programme addresses critical infrastructure requirements, ensuring the Lowry can continue to operate, be more sustainable and meet the needs of all its communities. Options considered and rejected were: Not to provide match funding and support the Lowry, significantly reducing the likelihood of securing £8.5m Arts Council England funds and loss of health, place-making, and economic benefits arising from the project. Assessment of Risk: Low The source of funding is: Earmarked reserves Legal Advice obtained: Kathryn Saldanha, Shared Legal Service Commercial Team Salford City Council’s has carried out the required initial “Is it a Subsidy?” assessment of the proposed award of £1.5 million of Council grant funding to The Lowry and has determined that this Council grant to The Lowry will qualify as a “Salford City Council Subsidy” for the purpose of the Subsidy Control Act 2022.  The Council has therefore carried out a the further required Assessment of this proposed Council Subsidy against the 7 Subsidy Control Principles and has determined that this proposed Council Subsidy, which is to be used to fund essential infrastructure works (including access and safety-related infrastructure works) to The Lowry’s cultural complex complies with all the 7 Subsidy Control Principles and will be a “lawful” Council Subsidy under the Subsidy Control Act.   The Council has the general power of competence under section 1 of the Localism Act 2011 which provides a legal basis for the Council to make awards of grant funding.   The Council is being asked to agree to commit to making this award of £1.5 million of Council grant funding to The Lowry as “match funding” which would be drawn down should The Lowry’s bid for £8.5 million of Arts Council Creative Foundations Fund grant monies be successful.    The Council will enter into a formal grant funding agreement with The Lowry which will contain standard provisions in respect of The Lowry’s obligations to use the Council grant for the agreed grant purpose. Financial Advice obtained: David R Mills, Strategic Head of Finance The paper requests approval for Salford City Council to allocate £1.5 million from earmarked reserves as match partnership funding to support The Lowry’s £8.5 million bid to the Arts Council England’s Creative Foundations Fund (CFF). This funding is intended to address critical infrastructure needs at The Lowry, a 25-year-old cultural venue, ensuring its continued operation, sustainability, and adaptability for artistic communities and evolving audience demands. Financially, the Council’s contribution satisfies the CFF’s requirement for at least 15% partnership funding for bids over £1 million, thereby significantly strengthening the application’s chances of success. The financial implications include a direct draw from earmarked reserves, but the investment aligns with strategic objectives around community wellbeing, place-making, and economic growth. The assessed financial risk is low, and the investment is expected to yield long-term cultural, social, and economic benefits for Salford.   As set out in Section C – Budget and Policy Framework Procedure Rules (page 184 of the Constitution), any use of reserves above £1m in aggregate in a financial year requires the approval of full Council. The proposed allocation of £1.5m from reserves is not within the existing approved budget and exceeds the City Mayor’s delegated authority for use of reserves. Therefore, in accordance with Article 4.2(b) and (c), and the Budget and Policy Framework Procedure Rules, this decision must be referred to Full Council for approval Procurement Advice obtained: Anthony Hilton, Strategic Head of Procurement There are no procurement implications within the detail of this report.   HR Advice obtained: Daniella McKeown – Strategic HR&OD Manager As this is funding related there are no HR implications to note. Climate Change Advice obtained: Hayley Nixon, Commercial Project Manager   The Salford Corporate Plan identifies ‘responding to climate Change’ as a key priority for the city. This followed the City Council declaring a Climate Emergency in July 2019, agreeing to set a challenging target date of 2038 for carbon neutrality in Salford and to consider the climate change impact of each area of the Council’s activities.   This project includes replacing outdated boilers and chillers, reducing maintenance and energy costs and reducing CO? by 142 tonnes annually. Although this will not decarbonise the heating at the site, the reduction in carbon emissions as a result is positive. In addition, in the design and installation of the new heating system the project should take into account the potential for an expanded Heat Network to be developed in the area and the requirement to connect this in the lifetime of new boilers on the basis of imminent legislation (The Energy Act 2023). The following documents have been used to assist the decision process: ·         Suprema Lex – The Shared Strategy for Creativity, Culture and Place ·         Salford Cultural Education Partnership - Play is Powerful ·         Salford City Council Corporate Plan Contact Officer:  Darren Grice, Director of Culture                 Telephone number:  07966 532505 The appropriate scrutiny to call-in the decision is the Communities and Neighbourhoods Scrutiny Panel                        Signed:               Paul Dennett  _  Dated:               09.09.25                                                                                    City Mayor   For Democratic Services use only This decision was published on 09.09.25                                             This decision will come in force at 4.00 p.m. 16.09.25 unless it is called-in in accordance with the Decision Making Process Rules.