Agenda item

To receive a report from the Corporate Director, Place.

The Chairman invited Cllr Richard Clewer, Leader of the Council, to introduce the report and recommendation. It was explained the strategy would sit alongside the public arts policy, and was intended to act as a framework for the county and supportive of the wide array of cultural activities and organisations. The strategy was designed to be sustainable and facilitate actions, rather than having an extensive budget allocation, though it was stated that Wiltshire was continuing to support arts and culture, unlike many other authorities, due to their weaker financial positions.

Cllr Clewer moved that the strategy be adopted, confirmed as a policy framework item, and to authorise the Leader to make changes if appropriate in response to comments made by the Environment Select Committee. This was seconded by Cllr Ian Blair-Pilling.

Other Group Leaders were then given the opportunity to comment.

Cllr Ian Thorn, Leader of the Liberal Democrat Group, agreed with the Leader that cultural activity was very important, and expressed support for the commitment of the council to cultural activities. However, he stated he could not support the strategy as it currently stood. He also raised criticisms of the Wiltshire Towns App in relation to Calne.

Cllr Ricky Rogers, Leader of the Labour Group, supported the strategy, and also raised the ongoing issue of Salisbury City Hall and ongoing efforts to enable it to operate once again as an entertainment venue.

The item was then opened to wider debate.

Comments in support of the motion included that the strategy was a positive documentation of the cultural situation in Wiltshire, that the purpose of the document was not to fund specifics but act as an enabling framework for voluntary and other organisations, and asking where specific funding would be taken from if that was proposed, welcomed provision of officers to support the strategy, and noting the outcome of the scrutiny meeting which had discussed the strategy.

Comments in opposition to the motion included that the strategy lacked tangible deliverables or a dedicated budget, did not specifically reference young people sufficiently, and that without additional funding the strategy would be ineffective

Other comments included raising the ongoing work related to Salisbury City Hall and a proposed cultural quarter for Salisbury, how Area Boards and communities could engage with arts and culture, and potential of S.106 agreement funding.

At the conclusion of debate Cllr Clewer responded to comments made, stating the strategy would help develop a long-term model to support culture, that the council was investing significant funding in various ways, and that City Hall, Salisbury needed to be sustainable in the long term without being reliant on public funding.

It was then,

Resolved:

That Council

1)    Adopt the Cultural Strategy.

2)    Include the Cultural Strategy at Part 3B Paragraph 1.2 of the Constitution as a Policy Framework item.

3)    Delegate authority to the Leader to make a decision to, if appropriate, amend the strategy in response to the resolutions of Environment Select Committee on 18 July 2024.

In accordance with the Constitution there was a recorded vote.

Votes for the motion (54)

Votes against the motion (9)

Votes in abstention (14)

Details of the recorded vote are attached to these minutes.