Liverpool Reveals Plans for Post '08 Culture Funding

LIVERPOOL city council’s Executive Board is to consider proposals to maintain ‘08 grant funding levels for the cultural sector for the next 2 years.

In what will be a welcome boost to the city's arts scene, the proposals contained in a revamped arts and culture investment strategy also spell out a new, more open funding application process and a move from a 3 to a 2-year cycle to realign with Arts Council funding.  The budget for this investment strategy is provisionally set as £4.1m per annum, with funding split into 3 categories (see below).  The Executive Board is to meet next Friday, November 7 to approve the strategy with a final budget decision expected at the full council meeting on 28 January 2009.

In 2006, to prepare for European Capital of Culture Liverpool set out a strategy of a 3 year investment programme with a clear aim to maintain, enhance and grow the cultural infrastructure, resulted in a financial package of £12.3m over the 3 years, which is due to expire on 31 March 2009.

Councillor Warren Bradley, Leader of Liverpool City Council, said:- ‘’Financial security has enabled the city’s cultural sector to develop and grow, providing a richer and more diverse offer. The benefits of this are there for all to see: a successful Capital of Culture, a stronger cultural landscape, enhanced development, increased confidence, joint working and a more dynamic sector.  This success has set a benchmark from which to address a raft of new challenges and opportunities for the city and the way we fund the arts needs to be open and robust to ensure we build on our international reputation for excellence.  This will be a competitive process, but this report underlines the council's commitment to creating a successful legacy from 2008.‘’

The new investment strategy has 3 key aims:-

• To ensure a distinct and vibrant cultural programme is firmly placed at the heart of the city’s offer as a location and destination of choice.

• To ensure that the people and communities of Liverpool are best served by their cultural organisations.

• To develop a working, growing partnership approach to the relationship between the City Council and its cultural partners.

To meet those aims, the new proposed applications process will be split across 3 categories:

1. Cultural Drivers

Those organisations whose programme forms the backbone of the city’s annual cultural offer in terms of their performance/exhibition programme across each year; and which has a well developed, sustained participation programme that engages with the wider community as a core element of their activity.

Organisations that meet the criteria will be required to submit a proposal and deliver a presentation to a funding panel that will agree funding levels, conditions and outputs.

2. Cultural Contributors

This strand acknowledges the key contributions from a range of arts and cultural organisations towards the development of world class arts and culture infrastructure and the role that they play in creating a unique offer for the city. Successful projects will need to meet one of the following criteria: Festivals, Young People, Communities and Innovation.

3. Grass Root Innovators

This strand replaces the previous small grants programme and is open to voluntary and community groups working with arts organisations or individual artists to deliver activities and projects at a community level whilst also adding value to the wider cultural landscape. 2009 is themed Year of the Environment and projects that explore this in a creative and innovative way i.e. projects that animate the parks, streets and public spaces of the city will be welcome.

The Liverpool Culture Company will be meeting representatives from the cultural sector to got through plans for 2009 in more detail over the next few weeks.

Councillor Gary Millar, Executive Member for Enterprise and Tourism, added:- ‘’Our focus must be to embed the growth achieved over the last five years and assist the cultural sector to give the people of Liverpool a programme that befits an internationally renowned city of culture.  We must also support the continued development of a ‘world class’ sector that is diverse, innovative and unique to the city and that can play a significant role in underpinning Liverpool’s tourism offer and support the City’s economic growth.‘’

OLDER PEOPLE ‘HOME ALONE AND LONELY’

FOR the 1st time ever, more than a 3rd of older people in the UK, including half of all women aged over 65, now live alone, and new research from Help the Aged has revealed that nearly a million say they are often or always lonely. With 2.5 million pensioners currently living below the poverty line, the Charity is also warning that older people living alone and struggling financially are most likely to experience severe loneliness.

In an effort to improve these bleak statistics, Help the Aged is launching its annual fundraising campaign, ‘1 is the saddest number’ which aims to help end loneliness among older people.  Donations made to the campaign will help to fund the various services the Charity provides, including befriending programmes which are aimed at directly targeting the chronic loneliness and isolation suffered by many older people across the UK. As new Help the Aged research reveals that nearly half a million older people leave their house only once a week or less, and around 300,000 are effectively prisoners in their own homes as they need assistance to get out and about, but do not have anyone to help them on a regular basis, the Charity’s work in this area is much needed.

Christmas is a particular focus for this campaign. Although for many, it is an incredibly busy and sociable time, nearly one and a half million older people say they do not look forward to Christmas because they feel particularly lonely at that time of year. Therefore, Help the Aged is aiming to reach out to 25,000 older people across the UK by providing them each with a Christmas meal to enjoy with friends at a local day centre over the festive period. The Charity is asking the public to support the appeal by making a donation, as just £4 could buy a festive lunch for an older person who might otherwise have spent Christmas alone.

Amy Swan, Policy Manager for Social Inclusion at Help the Aged said:- “It’s such a tragic state of affairs when older people tell us that that the only person they see from week to week is the postman.   Isolation and loneliness are not inevitable side-effects of the ageing process, but the life events associated with older age can leave people vulnerable. Poverty, bereavement, far-flung families and failing health can all play a part, and while living alone is for some a preferred life choice, for others it can be one of the key risk factors leading to someone becoming isolated and also lonely, particularly for older people.

Once the clocks go back and the nights draw in, older people can feel even more cut off from society, but we know that something as simple as getting out of the house to meet and chat with other people can have a lasting effect. Therefore, please support our ‘1 is the saddest number’ campaign to help us really make a difference to the lives of hundreds of thousands of older people this winter and beyond.”

To donate to the Help the Aged ‘1 is the saddest number’ appeal please call 0207 239 1983 or visit saddestnumber.org.uk.

Southport Optician campaigns for road safety awareness

AN OPTICIANS in Southport is calling for drivers to demonstrate a real commitment to road safety during this year’s Road Safety Awareness Week (Monday 10 - Sunday 16 November) which is organised by road safety charity, Brake.

Specsavers on Eastbank Street is urging motorists to ensure their eyesight meets the legal requirement for driving which means being able to read a licence plate from a distance of 20.5 metres and having a 120 degree-wide field of vision.

Southport Specsavers store director, Stuart Roberts says:- ’With the nights drawing in and weather conditions worsening during the winter months, it is more important than ever to make sure that you are not a risk to yourself, other drivers or pedestrians when behind the wheel. 

Research published this autumn by the Department for Transport revealed that four of the five most frequently reported causes of road traffic accidents is driver error or diminished speed of driver reaction. Driver reactions can be severely affected by even slight vision impairment. 

The research also confirmed that drivers under 25 and those over 69 are more likely to have a contributory factor recorded following an accident. Younger drivers, particularly males, are more likely to have factors related to speed and behaviour, while older drivers are more likely to have factors related to vision and judgement.’

For more information on Road Safety Awareness Week please visit www.brake.org.uk.