Issue - meetings

Medway has an aspiration to become the next City of Culture in 2025, which is supported by the Medway Place Board and Medway Cultural Partnership. This report sets out the reasons why this is a great opportunity for Medway as well as the support required for a successful bid.

Discussion:

This report provided details of Cabinet’s decision on 24 September 2019 to approve a bid for City of Culture status in 2025 for Medway as well as its recommendation to Council to approve the revenue funding of £205,000 to establish the City of Culture bid team to progress Medway’s campaign.

The report provided details regarding the background to the bid, the potential benefits of being awarded City of Culture status, the timescales for the bid process as well as the costs relating to Medway’s bid.

The Leader of the Council, Councillor Jarrett, supported by the Deputy Leader and Portfolio Holder for Housing and Community Services, Councillor Doe, proposed the recommendations set out in the report.

Decision:

a)    The Council approved the revenue funding of £205,000 to establish the City of Culture bid team to progress Medway’s campaign, to be met from the Council’s reserves.

b)    The Council agreed to formally express its support for the bid for City of Culture status for Medway.

Background:

This report set out Medway’s aspirations to become the next City of Culture in 2025, the reasons why this was a great opportunity for Medway and the support required for a successful bid, including the requirement for the funding of a core bid team, which would be managed at arm’s length from the Council in accordance with best practice for the bid to be led by community partnerships.

The Place Board, a partnership of local organisations working together to take forward the placemaking agenda for Medway, had proposed the bid for City of Culture in 2025, which was subsequently endorsed by the Medway Cultural Partnership.  A local launch had been held at the Medway Mile event on 19 July, where the Leader announced Medway’s aspiration to become the UK City of Culture in 2025.

The competition was expected to be officially announced by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport by the end of 2019.  An Expression of Interest was then expected to be submitted in February 2021, followed by the submission of an initial bid expected in April 2021.  A shortlisting process would follow, with around 4/5 cities being chosen for the last stage of the competition and a final decision was expected to be announced in December 2021.

Reasons:

The aspiration to secure City of Culture for Medway in 2025 is widely supported by our partners, businesses and our communities. The funding is required to serve as a catalyst for the bid, establishing a team to fundraise, consult and engage with Medway’s communities, undertake research on health, employment data, cultural participation levels and health inequalities, producing a compelling case for Medway to be recognised as UK City of Culture 2025.