BIG CITY CULTURE 2010-15

Birmingham’s Cultural Strategy

-1-
Contents

Introduction 3

Culture on your doorstep 5

Next Generation 9

Stronger Cultural and Creative Industries 12

A Great International City of the Future 14

Contact Details 18

Appendices 19

-2-
Introduction

Our vision is for Birmingham to be a continually surprising city where the vibrancy
and diversity of culture inspire the people who live, work in and visit the city, and
bring economic success and international recognition.

This strategy is owned by the Birmingham Cultural Partnership and articulates the
shared priorities of the members of the partnership for the development of services
and initiatives in the cultural sector. For the purposes of the strategy, we define
culture as including arts, museums, heritage, sport, sporting events, libraries,
archives, creative industries, film and tourism1.

Participation in culture is inherently a good thing – it challenges perceptions, prompts

feelings of happiness, sadness, anger and excitement, creates moments of personal
reflection and enables people to understand the world they live in, its possibilities
and the cultures of others more profoundly. Cultural activities encourage self and
group expression and provoke reactions at an emotional, spiritual and intellectual
level, improving the quality of life in the city and a sense of identity and belonging.
Cultural activities can also be the tool to deliver a range of other outcomes including
health and wellbeing, social and community cohesion, civic engagement, economic
impact, development of transferable skills and improved environment.

Following from Culture at the Heart 2007-2010, Big City Culture has been developed
as the cultural component of Birmingham 2026, the Sustainable Community Strategy
for the city and sits alongside other key documents, including the Big City Plan
(Birmingham masterplan). We believe it has the potential to set a new standard for
the planning, delivery and promotion of culture in a global, post-industrial,
multicultural city. Big City Culture is a concept that captures both the outward
looking – seeking to promote Birmingham’s cultural credentials nationally and around
the world, and inward facing – building better connections within the community and
between the local population and culture.

This strategy enables effective strategic planning at citywide, local and sector
specific levels to support the development of the cultural sector and address the
needs of local people. The strategy is organised under four chapters and is
deliberately high level. Members of the Birmingham Cultural Partnership and other
organisations in the city will develop actions within these strategic themes.

1. Culture On Your Doorstep

2. Next Generation
3. Stronger Cultural and Creative Industries
4. A Great International City of the Future

1
For the purposes of this strategy, unless stated otherwise, the term “culture” is inclusive of sport.

-3-
The strategy will ensure that culture is at the heart of the continued development of
Birmingham and will improve engagement with people who live and work in the city
and increase participation by residents in the full range of cultural opportunities on
offer. It will enable the city’s young and diverse population to flourish and at the
same time make the city one of Europe’s most attractive tourist destinations.
Birmingham represents the future face of cities, not just in the UK, but across the
continent. The city has the youngest profile of any in Europe and it is also the
second most diverse, after Amsterdam. The Birmingham Cultural Partnership (BCP)
will demonstrate a way forward in cultural provision for a modern multicultural urban
centre. During the life of this strategy we will develop a new measure for
participation, fit for purpose in a modern multicultural city and able to influence
evaluation and service planning in other cities into the future.

-4-
CULTURE ON YOUR DOORSTEP

Birmingham’s demography makes it the youngest of any major city in Europe and
within twenty years it may cease to have a single ethnic majority. These factors
make it an exceptionally exciting place to live. Consultation and research shows that
Birmingham’s diversity is vitally important to the people who live and work here2.
Birmingham has a range of world class cultural institutions and programmes which
residents can enjoy. Many residents would like to engage more in cultural activity
but encounter a range of barriers including time, transport, price, availability of
information and familiarity. In a young and diverse city, access to forms of culture
relevant to the local population is also important. Consultation has shown us that
residents would like more localised facilities and activities, that apprehension can
best be addressed by working with trusted partners in the community, and that black-
led and young people-led activities need to be increased. It is essential that we
target what we do effectively, and that we review our cultural provision to ensure it
does not stagnate.

Our ten constituencies serve 100,000 people each but do not have the venues and
facilities which would be associated with towns of a similar size eg. swimming pools
and arts centres. In order to improve access to cultural activities, we need to improve
cultural facilities in the outer city and, where there are no fixed cultural centres, to
deliver programmes at a neighbourhood level, using non-cultural facilities such as
schools and community centres.

Our participation levels are currently low, reflecting both the socio-economic status of
our resident population and the paucity of cultural infrastructure outside of the city
centre. Our “Culture on Your Doorstep” programme will help to drive up participation
by providing relevant and localised activities in a range of traditional and non-
traditional cultural spaces and developing the capacity of our participatory arts and
voluntary sports sectors.

We must also communicate the range of cultural activities available so that everyone
knows what is on offer. The youthful and diverse population are known to be
enthusiastic users of digital technology and this can be exploited in new delivery and
engagement mechanisms (for example through “hyper local” blogging). Statistics
show that the number of people using social networking sites has doubled in the last
two years. Technology can also be used to cross fertilise and to build cohesion
between micro-communities. Contemporary audiences want active engagement in
creating and shaping events and are no longer satisfied with passive consumption.
Birmingham has identified 31 Priority Neighbourhoods for the purposes of planning
and delivery of a wide range of services. These are coincident with low levels of
cultural participation which has implications for the wellbeing, employment and

2
Consultation findings from The Birmingham City Centre Masterplan: The Visioning Study European
Institute for Urban Affairs, Liverpool John Moores University 2007

-5-
cohesion of these communities. They are also the areas with the largest
concentration of young people. Given the levels of socio-economic deprivation in
these areas (Hodge Hill and Ladywood are the sixth and tenth most deprived
constituencies nationally), the Priority Neighbourhoods will require additional
attention and resources, and a long-term approach.

We are already working with the neighbourhood management structure to help

create a genuine and accessible dialogue with local people to inform the delivery of
activities in their locality. We will develop partnerships and links where they will help
support and broaden cultural access at a local level eg Building Schools for the
Future (BSF), the Total Place initiative. We will seek to sustain good practice which
can demonstrate impact, such as Be Active, which for example has increased
regular use of public gyms in Ladywood from 90 to 6500 people per month.
The scale of the city puts many residents outside the normal drive-time for our major
cultural attractions. In addition, it is important that we connect city centre cultural
resources with neighbourhoods and work with the public transport sector so that
more people access this high quality offer. We will build on the proven model of the
Arts Champions, and use of mobile provision, to increase access to our world class
cultural flagships for all.

Our residents play an invaluable part in the running of cultural venues, sporting
organisations and activities through voluntary work and memberships. Local people
value this opportunity to make a contribution and research shows that engaging in
cultural opportunities is beneficial in developing individuals’ confidence and
transferable skills as well as creating stronger communities. There has been a
growth in volunteering in the City linked to arts activity where more than 110,000
volunteer hours support the sector each year

People who actively participate in cultural activity are more likely to take a role in
shaping their communities in other spheres too3. More people could benefit if
volunteering opportunities, and the chance to shape local areas and local cultural
activity, were formalised and widely promoted.

Collective endeavour is key to cohesion. People need to feel they belong in their
neighbourhood and that they get along with their neighbours. Culture has a unique
role to play in providing opportunities for people to have fun together, to reflect on
their heritage and their future, and to get to know one another in a non-threatening
environment. We will participate in the Total Community demonstrator (part of the
Total Place project), to learn how culture can support the development of new
communities in housing growth areas, in terms of the creation of a sense of local
identity and sense of belonging. We will also integrate our cultural planning with the
shared services agenda element of this project.

3
Institute of Public Policy Research, Culture and Civic Renewal, 2006.

-6-
Aims
Culture on Your Doorstep will provide and promote good quality cultural facilities and
activities, relevant to residents and accessible in local neighbourhoods, in order to
increase participation. It will enable local people to make a difference in their
community and develop transferable skills through engagement in amateur and
community activity and by supporting the third sector as volunteers.
It will bring local people together with their neighbours to experience cultural
activities, creating bonds between residents and improving cohesion in the
community.

Key Actions
1. Improve cultural infrastructure (including local organisational capacity) to
ensure all residents have access to good quality and relevant cultural
opportunities in their neighbourhood

Promote unique heritage sites located in local neighbourhoods (eg
Community Museums) and develop their use as venues for a wide
range of cultural activities

Build on proven models for connecting city-centre based resources to
local neighbourhoods, eg Champions, and develop new models

Build on proven models of participation, eg Be Active, and develop new
models

2. Capitalise on use of technology to enhance and widen participation and

engage a variety of audiences
3. Improve communication of full range of opportunities for cultural participation
at neighbourhood level
4. Promote the membership of Friends groups and constituency networks,
culturally based social enterprises, and volunteering at cultural events
5. Support events which bring local residents together to share cultural
experiences
6. Build capacity amongst local people to develop and deliver projects linked to
the USA and Jamaican Olympic teams, as part of the Cultural Olympiad
7. Embed culture in the Total Place/Shared Services agenda and in the Building
Schools for the Future and Extended Services programmes

Current Position 2010

The Active People Survey 2009 shows that Birmingham is in line with the English
average for library usage. It is in the bottom 25% of local authorities for museum
and gallery attendance, for engagement in the arts and participation in sport and
active recreation. In particular, non-white attendance at museums and galleries and
engagement in the arts are significantly below average (-12% and -11.8%
respectively). 16-34 year olds are also less likely to engage than elsewhere in

-7-
England (-11% and -11.2%) although this age group’s use of libraries is above the
national average (+4.6%).

By 2015
We will have reduced the gap between the constituencies with the highest and
lowest participation rates across the city (measured by the Birmingham Opinion
Survey).
We will have increased participation across the city measured by National Indicators
for Sport (NI8), Libraries (NI9), Museums & Galleries (NI10) and Arts (NI11) and
through volunteering levels4.

We will have increased the number of cultural volunteering hours in the city
We will have helped increase resident satisfaction with their local area (BCC Tracker
Survey)

4
Measured by the Annual Birmingham Arts Survey

-8-
NEXT GENERATION

Birmingham’s youthful profile means that nurturing the 0-19 population is extremely
important to the city’s future success. With more students than any other UK city
outside London and more under-15s than any other major European city,
Birmingham is young at heart, and young in outlook. 37% of the population is under
24 years old, children in the city outnumber pensioners. As a result, our vitality,
exuberance and energy are in evidence everywhere you look. Birmingham is proud
of its young people.

Participation in culture plays an important part in providing young people with

positive activities and transferable skills. It also enriches their quality of life, provides
enjoyment and self-fulfilment, and offers opportunities for them to share their
experiences with others, helping to build a cohesive society for the future.
Participation in culture is vital in ensuring the health and wellbeing of our young
people.

Birmingham has developed a strategy for cultural entitlement – A Creative Future II

(this does not include sports activities which are covered by the Birmingham Sport &
Physical Activity Strategy and the Five Hour Sport Offer). The Creative Future
strategy has grown through consultation with artists, professionals working in a
range of settings, and young people themselves. It identifies four key roles in which
young people engage with culture – as creators, participants, audiences and leaders.
The Creative Future roles are broken down into core elements which 0-19 year olds
in Birmingham should be able to experience. The strategy seeks to provide
opportunities in each role, linked to progression routes, so that children and young
people can develop their skills, knowledge and understanding from a wide range of
first time experiences, through a choice of organised activities and into independent
engagement5.

To provide this entitlement, a wide-ranging partnership between the relevant parts of

the public, private and third sectors, as well as residents themselves, is required.
The basic entitlement will be through the provision of school and college based
services, with additional programmes for those who do not or cannot access culture
in these settings, and further support for children and young people with identified
talent.

Mapping has been undertaken to show where the role components are found in the
curriculum. Additional activities will be commissioned to fill gaps in provision, across
cultural sectors, age groups, geographical areas and role elements.
Opportunities for young people to develop as cultural leaders need to be developed.
We will continue to promote the Arts Award and Sports Leaders Award for young

5
See Creative Future II for more detail showing the definitions used, the roles and their component
elements, and the progression based model.

-9-
people, as a way of recognising their achievements. We will increase opportunities
to lead, manage and curate cultural activity, and promote the inclusion of young
people on the boards and management committees of cultural organisations to
ensure their voice is clear and powerful.

Young people will be entitled to 5 hours of quality sport and physical activity within
and beyond the school curriculum. By developing after school activity and supporting
community sports organisations we will increase access to a range of programmes
intended to increase participation and sporting success.

Aims
To provide access for young people to high quality opportunities to experience the
Creative Future roles, within a framework which is quality-assured. To provide and
signpost progression routes so that young people develop their skills, knowledge and
understanding of culture. To ensure the voices of young people are heard effectively
in cultural planning. To provide a Sports Offer with partners that secures a lasting
legacy from 2012 with more young people enjoying and excelling in sport and
physical activity.

Key Actions
1. Work with partners, providers, community groups and families to ensure an
entitlement to cultural provision for 0-19s in keeping with the Creative Future II
model and commission activities to fill gaps in the entitlement
2. Develop ways of mapping the uptake of cultural programmes by 0-19s as well
as continuing to map provision
3. Improve links between schools and accredited community sports clubs and
target 16-24 year olds’ engagement of in sport
4. Support the delivery of the PE and Schools sport strategy and the 5 hour offer
by helping to develop community sports organisations and co-ordinating after
school activity for young people
5. Ensure young people’s voices are central to cultural planning and delivery in
Birmingham through increased representation of young people on boards of
cultural and sporting organisations and encouragement of youth panels
6. Support programmes designed, led and curated by young people
7. Improve information for young people about where and how to access culture
and sport and how to remain safe while participating
8. Develop the workforce, especially those new to working with children and
young people, those pursuing specialisms in shortage areas and those at the
leading edge of practice
9. Build confidence and improve understanding of culture amongst gatekeepers
to children and young people’s engagement (families, children’s services and
third sector organisations)

- 10 -
 10. Capitalise on the 2012 Olympic & Paralympic Games in London to inspire
young people to take part in physical activity and to build a legacy of
volunteering, coaching and club development

Current Position 2010

In 2010 78% of 5-16 year olds participated in at least 3 hours/week of high quality
PE and Sport at school during curriculum time (NI57)

By 2015
We will have increased the percentage of young people receiving three hours of high
quality Physical Education, measuring our achievements through the national
indicator NI57. We will improve the recognition of the achievement of young people
through the number of Arts Awards and the representation of the voices of young
people in cultural planning and delivery by the number of young people U25
registered as directors of cultural organisations. We will monitor the provision of the
entitlement and address gaps in provision.

- 11 -
STRONGER CULTURAL AND CREATIVE INDUSTRIES

Birmingham has mapped its creative industries and like other cities globally they
have a tendency to cluster and form “cultural quarters” close to the city centre. This
concentration of creative businesses has provided added value to Birmingham
because it has increased the visibility of the cultural product and encouraged the
growth of the visitor and experience economies eg visitors can enjoy exhibitions,
festivals and performances in the city’s two creative quarters (Jewellery Quarter and
Eastside). Birmingham is also driving innovation and excellence in content creation
and cross-media collaboration.

Our primary strengths are in partnerships and organisational capacity. The creative
and cultural sector in Birmingham is underpinned by a strong partnership designed
to maximise resources and build capacity in a sector that is nationally recognised as
being fragmented and difficult to nurture. The Birmingham Cultural Partnership is a
cross-sectoral body comprising representatives from public, private and not-for-profit
cultural organisations. It shares responsibility for supporting the Creative Industries
with the Birmingham Economic Development Partnership. This enables resources
and expertise to be pooled strategically to support creative businesses in their
development, industry relevance and business growth.

Partnership support goes beyond single-issue, single agency engagement to support

individual and industry growth, infrastructure, audience and market development. In
2010 we will establish a new Creative Birmingham Board, linking Birmingham
Cultural Partnership and Birmingham Economic Development Partnership. This
Board will develop a new Creative Industries strategy for the City, to include
development plans for the identified growth sub-sectors, Visual Arts and Design
(including jewellery), Music and Film.

Aims
To support the continued development of the cultural and creative industries sector.

Key Actions
1. Establish Creative Birmingham Board, linked to Birmingham Cultural
Partnership and Birmingham Economic Development Partnership
2. Develop a new Creative Industries joint investment strategy through Creative
Birmingham Board and draw up action plans to progress the development of
key growth sectors.

Current Position 2010

An analysis of Birmingham’s creative economy compared to the other English “Core
Cities” ( Bristol, Manchester, Leeds, Newcastle, Sheffield, Liverpool and Nottingham)

- 12 -
revealed that, in 2007, Birmingham had the second-largest absolute number of
creative jobs, behind Leeds. Birmingham has launched a number of policy initiatives
in recent years aimed at micro-creative businesses. This has strengthened the
creative economy in two specific sub-sectors: Audio Visual and Visual Arts and
Design which, between 2003 and 2007 saw increases in number of businesses of
9% and 68% respectively. In terms of employment there was growth of 10% in Audio
Visual and 40% in Visual Arts and Design for the same period.
The city has a significant existing creative economy on which to build. This
economic sector and the latest report captures performance in 2007. The headline
figures show 3,450 Creative Businesses (10% of the city’s total number of firms) and
18,720 employed. The Creative Industries employ more than either construction or
the manufacture, sale and repair of cars and similar numbers to the legal,
accountancy and management consultancy professions combined. Creative industry
employment as a share of total employment is 3.9% and Creative Industries produce
more than £660 million of GVA. The city produces the greatest number of creative
graduates, through higher education institutions such as Birmingham City University,
outside of London.

By 2015
We will have increased the turnover of the creative and cultural sector and increased
the numbers of people working in the sector.

- 13 -
A GREAT INTERNATIONAL CITY OF THE FUTURE

Birmingham is a global city, playing its part on the international stage. It is an

exciting, thriving cultural centre, with modern architecture sitting alongside gems of
the Victorian era like the newly restored Town Hall and a year round programme of
world class quality. Birmingham boasts the busiest theatre outside London, and one
of the best concert halls in the world, and it has an international reputation for its
digital development. The city has hosted more world, international and European
sports events than any other European city. Birmingham continues to improve its
status, and was the highest climber in the Cushman & Wakefield European Cities
Monitor 20096. However, it is often still regarded as the poor relation of British cities
(especially amongst people who have not recently visited) and its national and
international image needs to be improved so that it is not just a great place to live,
but is seen as one of the world’s most attractive cities for living, working and visiting.
We therefore need to focus on promoting the city and raising its profile, for example
by competing for the title of UK City of Culture 2013 and pursuing UNESCO status
for the Jewellery Quarter.

Birmingham is the UK city most affected by the current economic downturn with has
the highest unemployment rate. Our remaining manufacturing industry, which had
withstood the 1980s recession, has now been significantly reduced. Key to the
future prosperity of the city are changes to the economic fabric, continuing our move
from manufacturing to a knowledge based economy.
Birmingham has always been a city of innovation, at the heart of industrial
revolutions through the ages. We need now to become a location of choice for the
new business sectors.

A key factor in the decision-making process for businesses when they are
considering relocation, is the perception/image of a place, which includes
perceptions about the quality of life offer. The West Midlands Regional Observatory7
surveyed 1,800 businesses across England about their perception of investing in the
different English regions. The three most important elements that formed business
perceptions of the English regions were transport and accessibility, quality of life and
reputation and availability of facilities.

6
European Cities Monitor 2009 Cushman & Wakefield http://www.europeancitiesmonitor.eu/
7
Regional perceptions indicator West Midlands, West Midlands Regional Observatory, November
2009
- 14 -
Connected to business perceptions are the perceptions of the graduate workforce
forming the highly-skilled talent pool vital for the knowledge economy. The
graduates surveyed equally felt standard of living was very important to them, in
addition to salary levels, safety and having a ‘buzz’ about the place. As this
demographic group tends to display a higher interest in culture and since a lively arts
scene generates the vibrant ‘buzz’ they are looking for in deciding where they live
and work, culture is a vital determinant to our future success.

The importance placed on the attractiveness of local environment, including culture,

places it amongst the most important factors in business location decisions. The
West Midlands priority sectors (business and professional services and the creative
industries) rate the attractiveness of the local environment and lifestyle as being
even more important to them than the average business.

Iconic buildings, unique quarters, green and public spaces are part of the public
realm and are the assets that shape the city’s identity. The trend for uniformity of
city centres is at odds with attracting visitors and retaining residents. There is a
range of distinctive opportunities for Birmingham’s residents to enjoy the public
realm, from jogging on the paths of the city’s canal network to visiting historic
buildings. However research8 has identified the need for better animation of public
spaces. It is essential that our unique built heritage and open spaces are maintained
and used inventively so that they can act as venues for cultural activities such as the
screening of film. Installing public art and inventive lighting also transforms these
spaces.

Our reliance on the visitor economy makes it vital that we also improve perceptions
of Birmingham as a leisure and business tourism destination. In the 1980s and
1990s, Birmingham led the UK in culturally driven regeneration, reinventing itself as
a business tourism destination and building key cultural infrastructure including the
National Exhibition Centre, National Indoor Arena and the International Convention
Centre, including Symphony Hall (which is still one of the top concert halls in the
world). It also opened the Gas Hall exhibition space which is one of the largest
venues of its kind outside London. We are therefore convinced of the value of
culture in delivering regeneration through capital schemes. In 2013, our magnificent
new Library of Birmingham, which will adjoin the Birmingham Rep, will open to the
public and we anticipate will be the catalyst for further City Centre regeneration. We
are also currently engaged, with Ikon Gallery, in feasibility work for a contemporary
art collection and gallery in the City.

We are, in the Big City Plan (City Centre Masterplan), creating a city centre which
can better serve our cultural offer and help identify new places for culture to grow
and change. New Street Station is being rebuilt to provide a fabulous arrival point for

8
The Birmingham City Centre Masterplan: The Visioning Study European Institute for Urban Affairs,
Liverpool John Moores University 2007

- 15 -
visitors at the heart of the city. The Library of Birmingham conjoined with the Rep will
be a magnificent new cultural place in Westside.

Eastside is the City’s major regeneration focus and is the home of our creative
sector. The Ormiston Academy, a unique 14-19 academy school for the performing
arts and digital media (along the lines of the Brit school) opens in 2011. Digbeth
Institute, a listed building on Digbeth High Street, will be reopened as a revived
music venue. Our science museum, ThinkTank, and Imax cinema at Millennium
Point have helped regenerate Eastside. Our award-winning Big City Plan will act to
amplify the Creative cluster in Digbeth, to help it thrive and shout out its successes.
Our historic Jewellery Quarter is a truly unique asset and one which adds character
and depth to the visitor offer. The enlarged and enhanced Museum of the Jewellery
Quarter is already open and was recently placed in the top three free attractions in
Europe.9 We need to complement developments in the city centre with better
promotion of these unique assets and a more effective celebration of our heritage –
telling the Birmingham story.

Aims
To mark Birmingham out through improved creation and promotion of unique assets.
To tell the Birmingham story more effectively and to celebrate the City’s heritage. To
fill gaps in the world class infrastructure and develop and promote major international
and niche events. To improve public perception of Birmingham as a great place to
visit.

Key Actions
1. Deliver the Library of Birmingham, opening in 2013
2. Promote the development of key sports and events facilities that underpin
Birmingham as the international city of sport e.g. 50m pool
3. Deliver the Birmingham History Galleries and a new permanent gallery for the
Staffordshire Hoard at Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery by 2013.
4. Ensure the plans for the redevelopment of Paradise Circus post 2013
enhance the architectural setting of Chamberlain Square and its surrounding
cultural institutions.
5. Promote the Jewellery Quarter as a significant heritage site and centre for
contemporary designer makers
6. Promote Digbeth/Eastside as a creative quarter and centre for digital
innovation
7. Establish new eight week Autumn Festival and support the development of
significant smaller “niche” events in accordance with Festivals Joint
Investment Plan

9
www.TripAdvisor.com. The museum was also named ‘Best Small Visitor Attraction’ Enjoy England
Awards for Excellence 2010

- 16 -
 8. Develop a joint investment approach for Major Events exploring the costs and
benefits of the city bidding for international events which have a significant
impact on the local economy and the profile of Birmingham
9. Explore a City endowment to support the commissioning of new works to be
premiered in Birmingham
10. Create new ways of interpreting and promoting the city’s distinctive heritage
through new trails, events, bus tours etc
11. Develop Birmingham branding which promotes the Big City Culture concept
and has maximum impact on visitors, reinforcing the quality, diversity and
reach of the cultural offer
12. Explore feasibility of a collection based contemporary art gallery.

Current Position 2010

The number of visits to the city stand at 33m (2009) and positive tourist perceptions
of the city is improving at 77%. The Mercer Index10 is used to support business
relocation decisions. Birmingham currently achieves well in most of the measures
which public policy can influence. In spite of our strong cultural offer, there is room
for improvement in the leisure sections, scoring between 7 and 9 (out of 10), and it is
therefore important that we improve on this in order to raise our overall score.

By 2015
We will have increased visitors numbers
We will have improved visitor perceptions (TNS Global Phone Bus Surveys)
We will have improved the city’s ranking in the Mercer index .

10
Mercer’s 2009 Quality of Living Survey
http://www.mercer.com/qualityofliving#Key_features_and_benefits

- 17 -
CONTACT DETAILS

Further information about Big City Culture and the Birmingham Cultural Partnership
is available from:-

Simon Bennett
Birmingham Cultural Partnership Manager
c/o Arts Service
Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery
Chamberlain Square
Birmingham B3 3DH
0121 675 3121
[email protected]
www.birminghambigcityculture.com

- 18 -
APPENDICES

APPENDIX A: BIRMINGHAM BASELINE ACTIVITIES TO BE ENHANCED

Birmingham already has an established year round cultural infrastructure and programme. It
is the only English city outside London to have its own symphony orchestra, ballet company,
repertory theatre and opera company of genuine international renown. It has one of the top
concert halls in the world (Symphony Hall) and one of the oldest (Town Hall) as well as the
UK’s busiest single theatre (The Hippodrome) and the Ikon Gallery for contemporary art.
The City has two arts centres, mac (Midlands Arts Centre) which is shortly to reopen after
major refurbishment, and The Drum which is a black led arts centre celebrating its tenth
anniversary this year.

It has established black and Asian led companies which have strong international links and
which will play a major part in the year, including African Cultural Exchange Dance
Company, Black Voices and Sampad South Asian Arts, resident at the mac. Punch Records
is a well respected local company with a long track record of promoting urban artforms
through new media channels, especially to young black and Asian people. It too has links
nationally and internationally. A programme is already taking place to build capacity
amongst BME artists and companies which will equip them to rise to the demands of 2013.
This is co-ordinated by Sampad on behalf of a consortium including The Drum, Ulfah Arts
and the Centre for Music Arts and Technology.

A range of smaller producing companies is listed in Appendix D. The companies supported

by the Council’s public revenue funding provide the following outputs in a single year.

Number of events promoted in the City 1778

Attendance by residents at events in the City 821,325
Attendance by non-residents at venues in the City 518,565
Number of new works created 309
Number of recordings made or works published 159
Number of broadcasts given 135
Number of workshops given in the City 7562
Number of residents participating in workshops 101,986
Number of days of employment for artists 93,737

Birmingham’s thriving commercial arts sector includes the Alexandra Theatre and the O2
Academy and of course we are also home to the LG Arena, National Exhibition Centre and
International Convention Centre as well as myriad small clubs promoting comedy, music and
film. These venues are keen to see the year used as a lever to bring even more exciting and
unique touring product to the City.

During 2013 we will use our experience of Urban Fusion (2005-08) to build on the core
programme by commissioning projects from our companies under the Big City Culture
Themes. It is our intention to include all of the city’s key companies in the year’s events.
Over 60 companies have already been involved in discussions and many have presented
ideas for project activity. There is not space here to detail the programmes of all of these
organisations or all of their proposals, so examples of the kinds of projects that would be
possible are given in Appx A.

Birmingham’s arts sector has a strong tradition of collaboration and innovation - companies
will work together to produce projects under themed programmes. Through the 2013
programme we anticipate that the above results would improve by 50% for adult
participation, attendance and new work created with contingent increases in work for artists
and broadcasts/recordings/publications.

Birmingham has a strong festivals sector with over 20 established festivals identified in the
research undertaken by Festivals & Events International on behalf of ACE, City Council,
Marketing Birmingham and AWM to inform their joint investment plan for this sector. The
biennial International Dance Festival Birmingham was established in 2008 and recorded
£4.8m economic impact in its first year. Through their shared approach the funders are
- 19 -
supporting the development of capacity in the independent niche festival sector with a
programme of grants, organisational development and marketing which will enable them to
contribute fully to the 2013 year. Further seed funding for new festivals will firestart new
projects which can be included in the 2013 programme. This will aim to develop festivals
which celebrate diversity and showcase particular cultural strengths. The Autumn Festival
builds directly on the strength of the existing infrastructure outlined above and will be a major
new undertaking. A full business plan and economic impact assessment for this festival is
available.

The Arts Champions scheme has been established for 4 years and supports the Culture on
your Doorstep strand of the City’s cultural strategy. The constituencies do not have
specialist arts staff and many do not have dedicated cultural spaces, or networks of artists
and arts organisations. Data, including National Indicator data, shows that many residents
never benefit directly from engagement with Birmingham’s world class cultural offer. These
residents nevertheless support the major cultural assets with their Council Tax and the
Council’s Arts Service supports the constituencies in developing strategic arts plans which
deliver arts programmes designed to meet local priorities and increases access for residents
to the flagship companies by pairing each major company with a constituency. Using the
principles of local determination, and brokered by the Arts Service, the Arts Champions work
to devise a programme suited to the needs of the constituency. This takes into account the
strengths and capacity of each company. In some constituencies, smaller companies are
paired with larger ones to provide increased capacity. In all, thirteen major arts organisations
are part of the Champions programme including Birmingham Hippodrome which is not
publicly funded.

While it is explicitly expected that funded organisations deliver the Arts Champions scheme
as part of their existing Service Level Agreement with Birmingham City Council, a small sum
is available to each constituency to support activity and help to lever other local funding. The
Arts Champions deliver work which is a mixture of participatory projects, audience
development, advocacy for the arts, advice to local groups, facilitation of local arts fora and
support to other non-arts initiatives in the constituency.

For example - Birmingham Repertory Theatre has developed and promoted “Northfield
Nights”, to offer Northfield residents specially discounted tickets for certain productions,
where they are supported to become regular attenders. A youth theatre has been set up in
the constituency and local Northfield groups have participated in the research and
development of the theatre’s community productions.

The Champions model has taken four years to become extremely effective in generating
increased ownership of arts organisations across the wider city and in engaging more people
in the constituencies in arts participation. In the past three years we have seen an increase
of 200% in the number of people volunteering in the arts (Birmingham Arts Survey) which we
believe results from this programme. City Centre venues have tracked ticket buyers and can
demonstrate the impact of this programme on diversifying their audiences using postcode
data. There is great demand for this programme to be increased, and potential for it to be
rolled out into other cultural sectors.

In 2010-11 we will pilot an approach to museums and archives which builds on our
experience to date. For 2013 we plan to extend the programme with additional investment
and increased scale of activity.

Using two custom-built mobile units, the Community Arts Team programmes delivery of arts
activities at a neighbourhood level, across the City. The units aim to complement local
events wherever possible as well as profiling the work of the Arts Section and the local arts
development agenda. The mobile units are multimedia high-tech vehicles which convert into
spaces for arts activity with drop-down walls and extending floor sections; they are equipped
with a laptop, plasma screen, PA system, DVD player, cushioned seating and have disabled
access; bringing the arts directly to Birmingham residents. As well as touring the City’s 40
wards, the units can be hired by arts companies to enable them to contribute to the Culture
on Your Doorstep programme. In 2013 we aim to programme them for use 365 days of the
year and to complement them with the History Bus (taking priority neighbourhood residents
from their doorstep to our heritage sites) and the Art Bus (shuttle from the City Centre to the
creative quarter in Eastside).

- 20 -
Since 2006 Birmingham has been delivering A Creative Future, an entitlement based
strategy for children, young people and the arts. In 2009 this has been extended across the
cultural sector and now provides a framework for planning and delivery of culture for 0-19s
across arts, museums, libraries and archives. Mapping is used to inform strategic
commissioning by the Council of delivery across the Creative Future roles and the work is
steered by a multi-agency group, chaired by the Director of Children’s Services, and
including representation from arts organisations, DCMS cultural agencies, schools, play,
youth and cultural services (BCC) and young people. In 2009-10, 9,839 young people will
take part in commissioned projects (ie in addition to the figure for “workshops” above, most
of which relates to children).

From this work we know that there are major gaps in opportunity for children and young
people of all ages to lead their own engagement with culture. We have addressed this
throughout the development of the bid by engaging a young people’s steering group to look
specifically at how the city’s youthful population can programme, curate and manage a large
part of the 2013 content. This is an extensive strand of work in Birmingham and cannot be
done justice here. Further information on the model and a full report from the Youth Steering
Group are available.

Intensive work has been undertaken across the City to improve the quality of cultural
provision for young people, and to train both artists and “gatekeepers” – adults who
determine whether or not young people have access to culture. We believe this equips
Birmingham uniquely to engage meaningfully with young people as creators, participants and
audiences, as the skills necessary to support young people are in place across a large
proportion of our cultural providers and established networks. For six years we have run
training to equip young people to become trustees of the arts organisations in the City and
this has transformed the approach of the Boards of these organisations to services for
children and young people. For young people’s participation we fully believe an increase of
100% on current levels is possible given the emphasis which will be given to this part of the
programme.

Birmingham provides many free events during the year, including the major cultural
community festivals such as Diwali, Vaisakhi, Carnival and St Patrick’s Day festival. In
addition the Council’s ArtsFest event, which is over ten years old, is the UK’s largest free arts
festival. Increasing public engagement will require free events, particularly those which
delight and surprise people through unexpected experiences in familiar surroundings (such
as the City Centre). In recent years there have been notable successes in Birmingham in
this field. For example the Fierce Festival’s Name in Lights, the Festival of Extreme Building,
the International Dance Festival’s Watch This Space and Blast, a performance art piece on
the site of Curzon Street Station and the city is part of the national Light Night network.
Through the Festival capacity building programme we are building skills locally in devising
and producing this kind of unique happening. As part of the consultation for the bid people
have asked for a major street spectacle, celebrating the City’s unique heritage. The result
could be a programme bringing together local people’s metal working and engineering skills
and local climate technology companies to build massive metal machines, powered by low
carbon engines, to “race” the streets of the City.

Birmingham library services have good relationships with authors, illustrators, storytellers
and publishers and Big City Culture will build on this. In 2008-09 12,426 events and
activities were held in Birmingham Libraries attended by 97,293 adults and 100,292 children.
13,552 adults and 49,665 children attended events and activities organised by library staff
outside the library. Regular provision includes 32 Reading Groups including 8 teenage
reading groups, writing groups, story sessions for schools, visits from authors illustrators and
storytellers, pre-school story times, Shake, Rattle & Rhyme Time (songs & nursery rhymes
for babies & toddlers) and Christmas and Easter craft and story times.
Special events include:
• Young Readers Birmingham – the library service’s two week festival of reading activities
for children and young people, where 10,467 children, young people and their families
attended sell-out author events in the library theatre,152 author/poet/illustrator sessions
with children and young people and the two day Book Bash in Centenary Square.
• The Birmingham Poet Laureate and the Birmingham Young Poet Laureate
announcements and poetry events such as the Poetry on Loan

- 21 -
• Global Entrepreneurship Week - 955 people attended events about enterprise education,
celebrating success and inspiring more people to turn their passions into profit or to start-
up businesses that might help address some of society’s biggest problems
• Black History Month – 280 people attended BHM events in libraries celebrating the
diverse black communities in Birmingham
• The Birmingham Book Festival Fringe - attended by 444 people
• Every library holds Summer holiday story activities to support the Summer Reading
Challenge to keep children reading during the summer holidays.

In 2008/09 Birmingham Museums & Art Gallery (BMAG) attracted 687,000 visitors in total to
its seven museums and heritage sites. BMAG delivers an annual programme of up to 12
temporary exhibitions per year, representing both contemporary and historic art, history and
world cultures. Its exhibitions programme currently attracts on average 100,000 visitors per
year. The programme consists of up to six exhibitions per year in its 1000m². Gas Hall (one
of the largest public gallery exhibition spaces outside London) and its 500m². Waterhall. The
programme also includes three community-led exhibitions per year shown in BMAG’s
Community Gallery, in addition to three exhibitions per year showcasing light sensitive
material from BMAG’s world-class Designated fine and applied art collections.

In 2008/09 BMAG’s learning services reached over 143,000 children and adults through
taught sessions in museums, adult classes, school loan boxes, family outreach sessions and
events programmes. BMAG currently provides a comprehensive events programme
throughout the year, including family workshops and activities taking place every weekend
and every day during school holidays.

BMAG’s ambitious plans for the 2013 City of Culture year will see a potential increase of
25% in its visitor numbers and a considerable raising of the profile of the Museums service
and Birmingham’s stunning collections at a national and international level. BMAG’s 2013
programme draws upon local, national and international partners in developing and
delivering an exciting and ambitious cultural programme of exhibitions and events that are
unique for both Birmingham and the UK.

Six heritage sites and their associated collections have been acquired by the City of
Birmingham over the last 140 years. The six sites [Aston Hall, Blakesley Hall, Museum of
the Jewellery Quarter (MJQ), Sarehole Mill, Soho House and Weoley Castle] welcomed
some 95,000 visitors in 2008/9, and this figure is projected to increase to 161,000 in
2009/10. The MJQ was recently placed in the top three free attractions in Europe, ahead of
Notre Dame. In addition to caring for and displaying this diverse group of historic buildings,
the different sites host some 170 public events each year, ranging from major open days to
drop-in family activities.

Additionally Birmingham has world class collections at the Barber Institute of Fine Art
(Birmingham University) and ThinkTank Science Museum. The Barber will be involved in the
Body Fantastic exhibition in 2013 and ThinkTank will open its new Made in Birmingham
collection for which it has recently received £1m from Heritage Lottery Funds.

Birmingham regularly hosts important awards and ceremonies, including the Royal
Television Society Awards, Music Video and Screen Awards (part of the Black International
Film Festival) and our own Creative City Awards. Our Gas Hall is one of few venues capable
of hosting the Turner prize. If successful we will explore a wide range of awards of the
highest level (BAFTAs, MOBOs, British Jazz Awards, Royal Variety Performance etc)
coming to the city in 2013.

- 22 -
APPENDIX B: BIRMINGHAM - SUMMARY OF EXISTING VISITOR ECONOMY, CREATIVE &
CULTURAL SECTOR

Visitor Economy in Birmingham

Analysis by Sector of Expenditure
(£'s millions) 2008 2007 % change
Accommodation 156.09 154.30 1
Food & Drink 396.36 386.89 2
Recreation 295.24 288.59 2
Shopping 1751.23 1732.93 1
Transport 331.21 326.24 2
Indirect Expenditure 1166.57 1151.42 1
VAT 512.77 505.57 1
TOTAL 4609.49 4545.94 1
Revenue by Category of Visitor
(£'s millions) 2008 2007 % change
Serviced Accommodation 435.40 407.60 7
Non-Serviced Accommodation 58.16 50.59 15
SFR 356.11 343.06 4
Day Visitors 3759.81 3744.68 0
TOTAL 4609.49 4545.94 1
Tourist Days
(Thousands) 2008 2007 % change
Serviced Accommodation 3,361.19 2,950.43 14
Non-Serviced Accommodation 550.39 466.98 18
SFR 4,002.21 3,855.45 4
Day Visitors 28,585.04 28,469.14 0
TOTAL 36,498.82 35,741.99 2
Tourist Numbers
(Thousands) 2008 2007 % change
Serviced Accommodation 1,864.77 1,828.25 2
Non-Serviced Accommodation 81.84 77.43 6
SFR 1,678.15 1,618.44 4
Day Visitors 28,585.04 28,469.14 0
TOTAL 32,209.79 31,993.26 1
Sectors in which Employment is supported
(FTEs) 2008 2007 % change
Direct Employment
Accommodation 1,932 1,836 5
Food & Drink 7,202 6,964 3
Recreation 6,510 6,304 3
Shopping 29,009 28,437 2
Transport 2,689 2,624 2
Total Direct Employment 47,341 46,165 3
Indirect Employment 13,986 13,676 2
TOTAL 61,327 59,840 2

These data are drawn from the Annual Tourism Survey conducted for the city. This uses the STEAM
model, which has been endorsed by the DCMS. It allows the city to track its visitor volume and value
over time. It is also capable of being used for benchmarking performance with other similar cities.

- 23 -
Creative Economy in Birmingham
These data are taken from the recent Burns Owen Partnership draft final report “Why the Creative
Industries Matter to Birmingham: an analysis of the city’s creative economy”, Creative Birmingham
Partnership Board, November 2009

Creative business numbers by domain, 2003-07

Year 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 % change
Domain
Audio Visual 1,200 1,120 1,150 1,250 1,280 6.7%
Books & Press 560 540 500 480 490 -12.5%
Performance 180 160 170 170 170 -5.6%
Visual Arts & Design 920 1,010 1,190 1,270 1,510 64.1%
Total 2,860 2,830 3,010 3,170 3,450 20.6%
Source: ONS ABI/BOP Consulting (2009)

Numbers employed in creative businesses by domain, 2003-07

Year 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 % change
Domain
Audio Visual 10,280 11,330 9,850 9,810 9,250 -10.0%
Books & Press 5,540 5,610 5,430 4,800 4,290 -22.6%
Performance 900 700 1,060 1,300 1,000 11.1%
Visual Arts & Design 3,200 3,510 3,670 3,860 4,180 30.6%
Total 19,920 21,150 20,010 19,770 18,720 -6.0%
Source: ONS ABI/BOP Consulting (2009)

Creative industries’ share of overall employment in Birmingham, 2003-07

Year 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007
DET creative industry jobs 19,920 21,150 20,010 19,770 18,720
All jobs 488,262 492,107 496,150 482,178 479,821
% of total 4.1% 4.3% 4.0% 4.1% 3.9%
Source: ONS ABI/BOP Consulting (2009)

Employment in selected economic sub-sectors, Birmingham, 2003-07

Year 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007

Industry
Hotels, restaurants, bars and catering 22,320 29,380 27,160 35,220 34,240
Legal, accountancy, auditing and consultancy 15,800 16,660 17,540 18,230 20,230
Creative industries 19,920 21,150 20,010 19,770 18,720
Construction 18,490 16,780 18,760 17,250 17,660
Manufacture, sale and repair of motor vehicles 22,760 20,520 20,530 15,420 14,800
Financial intermediation 15,550 16,080 14,770 14,640 13,110
Real estate activities 6,070 6,420 6,850 5,690 6,610
Source: ONS ABI/BOP Consulting (2009)

GVA figures for Birmingham’s creative sector, 2003-07

Creative sector GVA Source: ONS ABI/BOP Consulting (2009)

Year
2003 £688.8m
2004 £853.1m
2005 £753.1m
2006 £631.3m
2007 £663.8m

- 24 -
Key city-level initiatives to assist the development of the creative industries in Birmingham:
• Business Support for the Creative Industries (BSCI) Programme
• Creative City Programme
• Creative City: Innovation and Research and Development
• Creative Route Map
• BIG Marketplace
• Creative Insight
• SRB6 Creative Industries
• Incubators
• Design space

More detail can be found in Annex 3: Key Regional and City-level CI support initiatives in From city of
a thousand trades to city of a thousand ideas. Birmingham, West Midlands UK – ACRE report 2.3
available from http://acre.socsi.uva.nl

Cultural Sector in Birmingham

Birmingham has been measuring the value and impact of its cultural sector since 1999 through the
annual arts survey. The Arts Survey was updated in 2005 to take into account improvements in
methodology in the sector, especially in measuring social impact, and to revise the survey group. The
Birmingham Arts Survey, 2005-8, (Birmingham City Council) headline statistics give a snapshot of the
cultural sector in Birmingham over the last three years. The statistics indicate that:

Attendances and Visits:

• 37% (3 year trend) increase in attendances (box office)
• 3.3m attendances in 07/08 (box office)
• Almost 1m visitors to exhibitions

Arts events:
• 38% increase in the number of arts events (3 year trend)
• Nearly 37,000 arts events in the city 07/08
• Over 500,000 attendances at participative events annually
• Nearly 2,000 free events

Finance:
• 12% increase in annual turnover (3 year trend)
• Annual turnover over £67m 07/08
• Over £30m from public sources
• 50% approx income from public sources in 07/08 (compared to 60% in 05/06)
• £¾m annual value of support in kind
• Over £11m spent with Birmingham suppliers
• £38m earned income in 07/08
• Over 50% of income earned (compared to approx 30% in 05/06)

Volunteers/Workshops/Young people
• 200% increase in volunteers
• 69% increase in number of volunteer annual hours (3 year trend)
• 20% increase in number of workshops (3 year trend)
• Nearly 10,000 workshops
• Over 50% of the organizations work with children’s/young people’s groups

Employment
• 8865 employees 07/08
• 27% increase in full time work (3 year trend)
• 20% fall in permanent full time posts (3 year trend)
• 3817 number of freelance artists contracted in 07/08
• 7348 freelance artists contracted 06/07 (including Urban Fusion programme)
• 41% increase in contracted freelance artists (3 year trend)

- 25 -
APPENDIX C: CREATIVE FUTURE

- 26 -