Our Strategy

The government has asked all local authorities to produce a cultural strategy this year to ensure that the main local issues about leisure and cultural services are identified and priorities are clearly set out. Without a cultural strategy to refer to, local organisations may have difficulty in obtaining funding from sources such as the National Lottery.

What is a 'cultural strategy'?
We want to ensure that people have the best opportunities to take part in activities that are practical.

The purpose of the strategy is to set out the priorities for using time and money to improve opportunities and improve quality. It should help to ensure that all our resources are used wisely.

The City Council consulted widely during 2002 and the final version of the strategy was approved on 18 December 2002.

What is 'culture'?
The government uses the word 'culture' to cover all forms of leisure and recreation activities including:

• arts and crafts
• museums and heritage
• community development
• countryside
• libraries
• parks
• children's play

A worthwhile effort or a waste of time?
Producing the Cultural Strategy has taken quite a lot of effort by the City Council and the many other people who have made a contribution.

But a good strategy will help to ensure that we all work on resolving the most important problems and tackling things together, rather than spending time and effort on issues which aren't of the most significance.

The object of the exercise is not to produce a flashy publication, but to identify ways and means to provide better opportunities for everyone in the community.