To update cabinet members on Herefordshire’s bid to be City of Culture in 2021 and to seek approval for Herefordshire Council to act as an enabler for the City of Culture.

THAT:

(a)        a contribution of £22.5k be made towards the cost of making a stage two bid, as part of a wider fundraising initative and subject to the stage 1 bid being shortlisted;

(b)        agreement be given in principle to the council acting as guarantor for the bid subject to a satisfactory business case being developed; and

(c)        subject to the above, the council provide further advice and support from within existing resources as an enabler to delivery of the project.

To ensure that Herefordshire Council supports Herefordshire Cultural Partnerships to bid for and win City of Culture 2021 and to raise awareness of the significant cultural and economic benefits that winning City of Culture could bring to Herefordshire.

That Herefordshire Council supports the bid as an enabler only; following a motion at full Council the cabinet agreed the council would be a partner in and support Herefordshire Cultural Partnership’s bid to become City of Culture in 2021, and has supported the development of the bid  process to date through officer time up to this point. Funding will however be required in order to prepare a competative stage two bid and the Department Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) are clear in their guidance that local authority support is critical to the bid process. Herefordshire Council should however, only be one of a number of investors in the stage two bidding process.

That Herefordshire Council do not act as guarantor for bid; this is not recommended as council support is critical to the bid process and the other organisations in the cultural partnership do not have the same financial capacity and systems as the council.