This section shows examples of how councils and their local cultural sector partners can help bring life back to high streets and town centres, support growth in wider creative industries and levelling up, and contribute to sustainable and inclusive economic growth.
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Barnsley Council developed a cultural events programme to draw shoppers to its new town centre retail and leisure development, repurposing empty retail units, including to set up a pop-up extension of Barnsley Museums as part of its ambitious programme of retail and town centre recovery.
The Glass Works – combining retail and leisure with culture and events
This is a story of how the Bradford Council thought innovatively to support businesses, culture and communities throughout the pandemic.
#Response: Bradford Council’s cultural response to Coronavirus
The Cultural Development Fund (CDF) Network is the national collective that shares best practice and generates knowledge to capture and celebrate the success of the DCMS CDF investment.
Celebrating the area’s rich history of innovation, the Museum of Making in the Derwent Valley Mills UNESCO World Heritage Site opened in May 2021 as a contemporary space telling Derby’s 300-year history of making.
Pioneering Places was a partnership between cultural organisations and multiple councils across Canterbury, Dover, Folkestone and Ramsgate.
In lockdown, when Arts Centres in Stamford, Grantham and Bourne had to suddenly close their doors, it meant that many self-employed artists and performers lost their bookings/work and so were no longer able to generate an income.
This case study demonstrates the economic and cultural value of a portfolio of creative business support programmes delivered by Goldsmiths, University of London in partnership with (and funded by) Lewisham Council.
Creative sector support and cultural activation in Lewisham-based businesses
Culture Liverpool has utilised and supported its creative and cultural sector to regenerate Liverpool’s community, neighbourhoods and creative industry in light of the global pandemic.
On 10 May 2021, Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, launched Let’s Do London. It was the biggest ever domestic tourism campaign to support the reopening of central London, protect jobs and kickstart growth.
During the pandemic, Reading Borough Council’s Arts & Venues service championed theatre, by staging live and digital performances, and maximised opportunities to improve our customers’ experience.
Championing access to theatre in Reading's Arts and Venues service
As a High Street Heritage Action Zone (HSHAZ), Reading Borough Council was awarded a £85,000 grant from Historic England to create and deliver community-led cultural activities on the high street over the next three years.
Oxford Road, Reading: Re-imagining the High Street Through Your Stories
Sheffield’s diverse freelance artists and creatives were seriously impacted by Covid lockdowns and the cancellation of arts events. National government support was often not available to them.
Stevenage’s 10-year Arts & Heritage Strategy is centred on a co-production approach between the council and community, responding to community needs and ensuring sustainable cultural growth. A particular focus on working with and developing marginalised communities also ensures cultural growth addresses socio-economic inequalities, including disproportionate impact of COVID-19.
Radio Chopwell was an innovative partnership project to empower the community of Chopwell, Gateshead to collect and share digital sound that interpreted theirs lives and community and create a regular online radio broadcast and in-person social events to showcases the lives and work of Chopwell residents.
After a substantial review of grant processes, following two years of highly responsive and dynamic grant giving, due largely to the impact of the Covid-19, the refreshed vision of cultural investment now supports the sector, individuals, organisations, and community groups to develop high quality culture and creativity in Wakefield.
This case study provides an overview of the West of England and its cultural and creative economy, and the role of the West of England Cultural Compact in this context. It also summarises the new West of England Cultural Plan, including reference to some early initiatives.
York Life is a new, free music festival for York. Funded by City of York Council (CYC) through the UK Government’s Additional Restrictions Grants and organised by a partnership between Make It York and York Music Venues Network.
The North Yorkshire authorities have submitted a live case study, capturing their work so far to bring together the culture, leisure and sport provisions and strategies of their eight authorities as part of local government reorganisation.
North Yorkshire – Culture and Local Government Reorganisation
Luton's Hat District: short film
Sam Javid:
Culture, I think has proved to be vital over the last few years. It's something that you can't take away. You can't put on lockdown, it's always gonna be there. And whether culture means for you community, whether culture means something your children do the weekends, or whether culture is something you sit at home and work on in your bedroom.
There's a place for it in the community and in the economy. Here, we're in the heart of the hat district, it's full of creative entrepreneurs. There could be business entrepreneurs but they're not they're creatives because they know that that's gonna drive forward their business.
And it's gonna be a values led business for them. It's gonna have art and then, it's gonna have culture. It's gonna have creativity. And it's important that here, they can finesse those ideas and work with us, the Culture Trust, to kind of bring them alive and take them to that next space.
Marie Kirbyshaw:
The Culture Trust operate from four buildings here that used to be hat factories and they now form a cluster
of creative industry, creative workspace, animation space, galleries, cafes and the four buildings connect through a real vibrant program of cultural activities year round.
Sinead McNamara:
So arts and culture is a big part of our Luton 2040 vision in our town where we are aiming to have a thriving town centre economy but also a thriving arts and culture and heritage ecology across Luton of which the Culture Trust is a big part of that through the hat district.
Mavi Tzaig:
To be perfectly honest, we couldn't have found a better landlord because what we have here is a collaboration between Luton Culture Trust and ourselves. And it's just been a very helpful relationship to have a supportive
culture focused organisation wanting us to be part of the art scene in this area. It's been fantastic. We've helped train one particular member of our staff into to learn skills that previously he never had in hat making.
Ehioze Freckleton:
Before and I was doing college work in fashion, fashion industry. And basically I was working with Vitality and they referred me to this place, Hat Company. I'm so lucky to be here, actually doing stuff that I love.
Sinead McNamara:
So in Luton, we're really able to demonstrate that strong program, that strong partnership support, right through from our schools, right through to the university. And then they can come into this fantastic space, get the support they need, then hopefully move their company into Hat House. So actually the role of the Hat District and the Culture Trust in terms of growing our creative and cultural ecology is fundamental to success of our town centre.
Jacub Rokita:
Luton Culture Trust has been essential in helping myself and other creatives, helping us to become entrepreneurs not just artists. That has been a massive help. What they have done for example is allowed us contact with local and national organisations, businesses who helped us understand our role and our position and what we need to do, how to establish ourselves as businesses. And that sort of guidance with various specialists was really vital for myself and for other creatives here.
Sam Javid:
Culture is embedded in Luton, it's talked about in various different ways but it now sits as part of several different strategies. It aligns across people's business priorities, whether it's a vegan cafe down the road, it's a jazz club behind me or the Hat Factory Theatre. We all know that culture is key to driving the social interactions between people here and that's gonna drive the economy, whether it's the nighttime economy, it might be people coming out in the day and shopping in the mall, it's important that the culture is there and bringing them to the space.
Luton's Hat District: audio described version
Narrator (00:01):
Welcome to the introduction to this four minute film from the Commission on Culture and Local Government about the thriving culture in Luton's Hat District and its contribution to the economy of the local area. The Culture Trust Luton operates from fore sites, including the Hat Factory Art Center, and the Hat District. A collection of restored hat factories in Luton's Cultural Quarter, which now form a cluster of creative industry. You will hear from several cultural leaders in Luton. Sam Javid, Creative Director of the Culture Trust, Luton Marie Kirby Haw, Chief Executive Culture Trust, Leeton and Sheen McNamara. Interim Service director of Inclusive Growth Luton Council. You will also hear from a local business owner who has benefited from the project. Ma Sag, Managing director of the Panama Hat Company and her employee, a Hoy Freckleton, a hat blocker, who is filmed making the hats. Yca Barita artist and activist also shares his experience of the Hat District and the support he has received during the interviews.
(01:12):
There are images of the inviting Hat, Factory Art Center, and its wide range of cultural spaces, a trendy cafe and bar, open day and night, buzzing with life. Large white galleries with photography and art exhibitions and visitors enjoying open evenings. There are a mix of studios with people, painting and making entrepreneurs and creatives collaborating communal open plan workspaces, whilst others working independently in comfortable looking zones. With a mix of sofas, desks, and chairs outside, large, colorful graphic murals. Decorate the walls and read. If you can dream it, you must do it. And the future demands your participation. A band play at an outdoor evening concert whilst the smiling audience congregate under fast lighting. And enjoy the varied dishes of the vibrant street food market during the daytime. Luton's Town Center and Hat District is lively and diverse. Sign reads represent same town, New potential. Due to the nature of the film, audio description is kept to a minimum. The audio description was written by Emily Pollett For Vocal Eyes, white Letters read Commission on Culture and Local government. How can local culture contribute to a sustainable and inclusive economic recovery? As the camera tracks Luton's, Busy Town Center, sign reads, Welcome to Luton.
(02:45):
Sam Javid
Sam Javid (02:47):
Culture, I think, has proved to be vital over the last few years. It's something that you can't take away, you can't put on lockdown. It's always gonna be there. And whether culture means for you community, whether culture means something your children do at the weekends, or whether culture is something you sit at home and work on in your bedroom. There's a place for it in the community and in the economy. Here, we're in the heart of the Hat District. It's full of creative entrepreneurs. They could be business entrepreneurs, but they're not. They're creatives cause they know that that's gonna drive forward their business and it's gonna be a values led business for them. It's gonna have art and then it's gonna have culture. It's gonna have creativity. And it's important that here they can finesse those ideas and work with us, the culture trust, to kind of bring them alive and take them to that next space.
Narrator (03:27):
Marie
(03:27):
the Culture Trust operate from four buildings here that used to be hat factories. And they now form a cluster of creative industry, creative workspace, animation, space, galleries, cafes, and the four buildings connect through a real vibrant program of cultural activities year round.
Sinead McNamara (03:49):
So arts and culture is a big part of our Luton 2040 vision in our town where we are aiming to have a thriving town center economy, but also a thriving arts and culture and heritage ecology across Luton, of which the culture Trust is a big part of that through the Hat District. Mavi,
Mavi Tzaig (04:07):
To be perfectly honest, we couldn't have found a better landlord because what we have here is a collaboration between Luton culture, trust and ourselves. And it's just been a very helpful relationship to have supportive culture, culture focused organization wanting us to be part of the art scene in this area. It's been fantastic. We've helped train one particular member of our staff into learn skills that previously he never had in hat making
Ehoize Freckleton (04:34):
Beforehand. And I was doing CO to our in fashion, fashion industry. And basically I was working with a charity and they referred me to this place in Power, My hat company. I'm so lucky to be here actually doing stuff that I love
Sinead McNamara (04:51):
Chanel. So in Luton, we are really able to demonstrate that strong program, that strong partnership support right through from our schools, right through to the university. And then they can come into this fantastic space, get the support they need, then hopefully move their company into Hat House. So actually, the role of the Hat District and the culture trust in terms of growing our creative and cultural ecology is fundamental to success of Our Town Center.
Jacub Rokita (05:21):
Jacob. Culture Trust has been essential in helping myself and other creatives helping us to become entrepreneurs, not just artists. That has been a massive help. What they have done, for example, is allowed us contact with local and national organizations, businesses who helped us understand our role and our position and what we need to do, how to establish ourselves as businesses. And that sort of guidance with various specialists was really vital for myself and for other creatives. Here,
Sam Javid (06:01):
Sam culture is embedded in Lu It's, it's talked about in various different ways, but it now sits as part of several different strategies. It aligns across people's business priorities. Whether it's a vegan cafe down the road, it's a jazz club behind me or The Hat Factory Theater. We all know that culture is key to driving the social interactions between people here and that's going to drive the economy. Whether it's the nighttime economy, you might be people coming out in the day and shopping in the, It's, it's, it's important that the culture is there. Bring them to the space.
Narrator (06:31):
A graphic mural reads the future, demands your participation. White Letters against a Mosaic background. Read to find out more. Search LGA, Culture Commission hashtag culture commission.