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Decision details

Westminster Cultural Fund

Decision Maker: Cabinet Member for Young People, Learning and Leisure

Decision status: Recommendations Approved

Is Key decision?: Yes

Is subject to call in?: Yes

Purpose:

A dedicated cultural fund to support the delivery of the Cultural Strategy and enable more effective and meaningful partnershipswith the cultural sector.

 

Decision:

Recommendations

It is proposed that existing unallocated MyWestminster Funds totalling £1.873m are used to fund cultural initiatives over the next four years.

The fund would support the delivery of Fairer Westminster ambitions to widen opportunities for participation in culture, improve the wellbeing of our residents and enhance the local visitor offer. It would underpin the council’s work to animate the city in partnership with cultural and community stakeholders by funding content and promoting it effectively to residents, businesses, and visitors to widen access and increase participation.

 

The table and project descriptions below detail an indicative range of activities a dedicated cultural budget would support.

 

Project

2022/23

2023/24

2024/25

2025/26

Total expenditure

Extension of Culture post (PCPO) (inc on-costs/headroom)

-

-

-

£85,000

£85,000

Extension of City Lions programme

-

-

-

£250,000

£250,000

Commissioning budget

£125,000

£125,000

£125,000

£125,000

£500,000

Inside Out funding

-

£100,000

£100,000

£100,000

£300,000

Culture and Community Grants Programme

£150,000

£150,000

£150,000

£150,000

£600,000

Exhibition Road Cultural Group membership

£10,000

£10,000

£10,000

£10,000

£40,000

Public art: heritage trails, walking tours and digital commissions

£10,000

10,000

£10,000

£10,000

£40,000

Local Cultural Education Partnership development

£10,000

£10,000

£10,000

£10,000

£40,000

Open House participation

£4,500

£4,500

£4,500

£4,500

£18,000

OVERALL TOTAL

£309,500

£409,500

£409,500

£744,500

£1,873,000

 

Reasons for Decision 

 

By investing in collaborations with arts and community partners the council can enable opportunities to extend free cultural opportunities into public spaces and community settings to enable access and engagement for the economically deprived, as well as schoolchildren, 16-25s, over 65s, ethnic minority groups, and those experiencing disabilities and social isolation.

 

A new dedicated culture budget will enable the delivery of the council’s cultural objectives towards a Fairer Westminster, nurturing the wellbeing of local residents while enabling both the visitor economy and local cultural organisations to thrive.

 

Publication date: 12/10/2022

Date of decision: 12/10/2022

Effective from: 20/10/2022

Accompanying Documents: