The public are being asked to help to shape the next stage of a strategy to promote arts, heritage and culture across North Yorkshire.
Culture, such as museums, heritage and the creative arts, enriches lives, increases health and wellbeing, supports skills and employment development, and can be the catalyst for regeneration.
North Yorkshire Council is working with community organisations, partners, visitors, participants, and colleagues to create the strategy, the next phase of which is a public survey that has now been launched.
The introduction of the York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority earlier this year is bringing new opportunities for arts and culture and the chance to attract more funding and follows other recent developments, including:
- The Arts Council’s designation for the Selby area as a priority place and funding of £1m for two years of community-led redevelopment work.
- The Long-Term Plan for Towns investment in Scarborough.
Working with communities and partners in the health sector to progress Creative Health initiatives which recognise they say brings wellbeing benefits.
North Yorkshire Council’s executive member for culture and the arts, Cllr Simon Myers, said:
North Yorkshire has a rich cultural heritage which is not only important to the people who come from far and wide to visit, but also those who call the county home.
But it is not all about the past. As England’s largest county, we also have an incredibly diverse arts and cultural sector behind some of the most imaginative and thought-provoking projects around.
The importance of arts and culture in terms of wellbeing for all our residents, unlocking creative talent in our young people and building on a vibrant and diverse creative sector with well-paid jobs cannot be understated, which is why I believe the implementation of a coordinated strategy will be a significant development.
Last year, a government report following a question in the House of Lords to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, stated that music and the performing and visual arts added £11.2 billion to the national economy in 2022, with further contributions from museums, galleries and libraries totalling £1 billion and crafts a further £0.4 billion.
Recently, North Yorkshire Council was awarded an Arts Council England grant of £1.2 million as part of an ambitious national programme to provide high-quality music education for all children and young people.
In May, executive members unanimously accepted £947,000 in funding to subsidise partial or full discounts in music lessons and other musical experiences for children as well as £311,000 to buy new musical instruments after being announced as the winning bidder to work with partners to provide music education across York and North Yorkshire.
In another boost for the county, Craven Museum at Skipton Town Hall was awarded £15,000 as one of five finalists for the National Art Fund Museum of the Year 2024, the largest museum prize in the world.
Other finalists were Dundee Contemporary Arts, Manchester Museum and National Portrait Gallery in London along with the winner, Young V&A – Victoria and Albert Museum in London.
The coast has also been the focus of several cultural festivals, including a revitalised Scarborough Fair which has seen events such as Scarborough Lights, Scarborough Art and Scarborough Fringe staged in recent months.
The public survey, which runs until August 15, is asking people such things as what they believe are the priorities for cultural services in North Yorkshire, what should be included in the strategy, and how success should be measured.
Recollections of memorable cultural experiences, such as visits to a gallery, involvement in a workshop or taking part in a public art programme will also be used to provide case studies of best practice for the final document.
Cllr Myers said:
By taking part in the consultation you can ensure your voice is heard and the things that are important to you are represented.
People can take part in the survey by visiting https://online1.snapsurveys.com/vfq714.
Alternatively, paper versions of the questionnaire are available at Skipton Town Hall, The Mercer Art Gallery in Harrogate and the County Record Office in Northallerton.
Why do they ask our opinions and then totally disregard Them.
The council treats the general public with total disrespect.