Decision details

•To seek approval to submit a full application to Arts Council England for Selby Place Partnership funding of £350,000
•To outline a proposed package of funding, including previously committed Selby District Council Cultural Development funding (£350,000) and an allocation of the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (up to £300,000)
Recommendations:
i)Approval to submit full application to Arts Council England Place Partnership for £350,000
ii)Approval to submit a further funding application to the North Yorkshire Shared Prosperity Fund programme for up to £300,000

Approval to authorise the submission of an application for grant funding in the amount of £350,000 to Arts Council England.

If successful, the application for funding will enable the delivery of an ambitious cultural programme over a three-year period. This will deliver a step-change in cultural provision whilst offering a model for similar work to be developed for other market towns in North Yorkshire. External funding will increase the value of the existing commitment and enable a more sustained approach to delivery.

Submitting a North Yorkshire-wide application to Arts Council England (ACE) for a Place Partnership grant was considered. This alternative was discussed with ACE, but not pursued because:

• Selby district is an Arts Council Priority Place.
• A county-wide application would require a much larger grant in order to achieve the required step-change and the Place Partnership Fund is limited and likely to be over-subscribed. The ask for Selby is relatively modest in comparison.
• The focus on such an ambitious programme across the whole County was considered likely to be difficult to deliver at a time when NYC’s culture service was newly formed and the structure not yet confirmed.
• Some areas of North Yorkshire do not have the needs analysis and evidence base to enable such an application to be successful currently.
• It will be possible to use the learning and evidence-base created by the Selby Place Partnership to replicate appropriate elements of the process/programming across other North Yorkshire market towns using funding through ACE’s Project Grants scheme and other opportunities such as UKSPF.