Blackpool Council sets up cultural partnership to help Covid-hit arts sector

A "cultural partnership" is being set up in a resort to help its arts sector recover from the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, the local council has said.

Blackpool Council will support the establishment of the scheme, but it will be run independently, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

An assessment of the arts scene was carried out by the council earlier.

Several initiatives, including opening a town centre creative hub on Topping Street, have already begun.

A scheme to open up live-in studios for artists is also being explored.

A survey carried out as part of the town's Heritage Action Zone programme in March found "a wealth of creative talent currently working in Blackpool, from amateur enthusiasts and community groups to professional artists and creative businesses".

In total, £2.3m was received by organisations in Blackpool from the government's Cultural Recovery Fund, while the council has given £300,000 to 73 cultural-led businesses through its own Business Recovery Fund.

Kath Benson, cabinet member for community engagement, aspiration and community assets, told a meeting of the council's executive that "culture and art are not something we always associate with Blackpool, but we have a wealth of talent which we should be extremely proud of".

The council said it hoped setting up Blackpool Cultural Partnership would play a key role "in developing a vision and maximising investment in the sector".

In September, Arts Council England (ACE) named Blackpool as one of 54 priority places across the country where it wanted to develop new opportunities for investment.

ACE's chief executive Darren Henley said artists, arts organisations, museums and libraries had "found creative new ways to serve their audiences and communities since the start of the pandemic" and the body's new plan showed "how we'll work with them to build on that spirit of imagination and innovation as our society reopens".

"We're looking forward to nurturing dynamic new partnerships with local people and organisations in each of these locations," he added.

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