Agenda item

          The Board received a report and accompanying presentation which introduced Culture 26; Made In Halton. Halton will be delivering borough of Culture in 2026 titled Culture 26; Made In Halton; this is being developed in partnership with Cultivate Halton. Culture is defined as literature, music, theatre and performance, visual arts, dance and digital media. Culture 26 has been funded by the UKSPF (UK Shared Prosperity Fund). Halton’s first cultural event was in 2021, and officers were keen to have collaborative work with culture.

          There are four elements of Culture 26, or ‘Crucible of Culture’: Leadership, Communication, Diversity and Dynamism. Halton’s creative consultation was held at Norton Priory and Widnes Market and showed the Council’s commitment to inclusive cultural engagement through Cultivate Halton’s growing network of artists, organisations, and communities. Culture 26 will link in with Visit Halton which was a successful tourism project that was funded with CIF money. Visit Halton was deemed the best tourism project in the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority (LCR) and won national awards. A physical music trail was planned to highlight when famous musicians preformed in Halton. Day trips were suggested as ‘post cards’ which highlighted historical areas in Halton.

          Reconnecting Runcorn delivered eight projects with £23.6m Towns Fund investment to boost skills, transport, housing, environment, and visitor attractions. Partnership opportunities were made as part of this project and more would surface as the project continues. In September 2024, two internationally renowned muralists were commissioned create four Runcorn historical events as murals. Local stories were promoted and sought through the project. Aspire Grants were available for residents who wanted funded to produce a cultural project.

          Cultivate Halton will invest locally through inclusive programmes, festivals, and community hubs after it was granted £200,000 from the LCR. A Cultural Officer will aim to unite sectors to co-create an inclusive cultural offer to transform Halton into a tourism destination. Cultivate Halton will include a wide region of topics including arts, technology and sciences. Festivals that have happened in the borough will be built upon like Halton Fest and Eco Fest. An independent Panel will look at grants to ensure the right thing is being achieved, grants should be allocated at the end of December 2025. A Film Fest was planned, and promotional work was planned with Halton Castle.

          The new Place Strategy will be a longer-term strategy for the borough to strengthen collaboration between the Council and external cultural participants.

          In response to questions raised by the Board, the additional information was provided:

• Historically, LCR expressed an interest in partnership bid but they were keen for the boroughs to collaborate amongst themselves. Halton planned to bring artwork in from artists from neighbouring boroughs.
• Halton had good professional relationships with the LCR boroughs, but Halton was sometimes overlooked despite its successes.
• LCR wanted to stop the culture programme after St Helens and the Wirral’s second year of culture but Halton did not have a second year so Halton and Sefton will have their culture year in 2026, and Knowsley will have theirs in 2027 which will be the last one. Its replacement was still being worked on. The Board requested that this comes to a future meeting.
• The Market Studio was an active studio venue, and it was run by a charity. It will be part of Culture 26 and it was somewhere tourists could visit.
• Promotion for these events was done by
• The Panel who awarded the Aspire Grants consisted of   the Deputy Leftenant of Cheshire, the relevant Executive Board member, the Director of Liverpool Independents Biennial, a culture officer from LCR and Halton officers advising the Panel. All Panel members were uninvolved in the grant process. 
• A promotional stall for Culture 26 will be held at Widnes Market during the Christmas light switch on.
• The Arts Council funded the ‘Light Up Halton’ project which will connect more rural areas and their communities and get them to these events.
• Six schools with the lowest literacy rates were being worked with to promote Lewis Carrol as he was born in Halton.
• The funding from LCR will be spent by the end of 2026 and was allocated to the grants, officer roles and culture projects like Halton Fest. Officers agreed to share a list of what the money was allocated to.
• For the ‘Crucible of Culture’ and body like the Council or NHS can be ‘commissioning bodies’; these bodies need to be in the commissioning network. 
• The old art space in the Brindley will become part of the new library. The art space will be moved to the ground floor of the Brindley and in the new library.
• Artists have a month to hang their pictures for free in these spaces.
• Unique places to host art could be considered as this was something that Liverpool successfully did previously.
• Conversations will be had regarding bus trips to get residents to these art hubs.
• Sport, food, and faith were consciously left out of Culture 26 in favour of different art mediums. Sport, food and faith stories could be told if they were done through the medium of art. Art was focussed on so Culture Halton would be as inclusive as possible.

          RESOLVED: That the report be noted.