Proposed support for arts and culture in Lewisham

Overview

This consultation is about the proposed priorities for Lewisham Council support to the arts and culture sector in Lewisham 2022-25. We want to seek views on these proposals.

Why your views matter

Proposals for significant changes to the Main Grants Programme are currently being considered, including a reduction of approximately one third to the overall budget - £800,000 in total. For a number of years, funding to arts organisations has been included in the Main Grants budget, primarily through the Widening Access to Arts and Sports theme but also through Communities That Care. However, in the context of Lewisham’s Borough of Culture year, the time seems right to separate the funding out and consider how it might be used within a wider package of support for arts and culture that also makes best use of other resources available and responds to the current and emerging needs of the sector.

This consultation is about the proposed priorities for Lewisham Council support to the arts and culture sector in Lewisham 2022-25.  We want to seek views on these proposals.

The consultation takes place in the context of a reduction to the main grants budget which has been agreed as part of a major review of the council’s budget in order to make cuts of at least £40m for the next three years (to April 2024) with up to £24m being cut in 2021/22 alone. It has been agreed by Mayor and Cabinet that the budget for the main grants (excluding contribution from the Better Care Fund) will be cut by £800,000 from 1 April 2022. However, with an increase BCF element the overall budget will still remain at £2,361,308 per annum.

The consultation is aimed at arts and culture organisations that provide services in the borough but also all individual artists and other residents. We want their views on our proposals. We would also welcome the views of other public or private sector partners who work with the arts and culture sector in Lewisham.

The consultation will be open for 6 weeks from 29 June to 10 August. The length of this consultation is shorter than the usual 12 weeks but has been shaped by the on-going impact of COVID, the pre-election restrictions relating to the Mayor of London election and the need to ensure that provisional allocations are made before Christmas 2021 to ensure that current grant recipients receive a full 3 months’ notice to the changes in funding.

There are several ways to respond to this consultation:

• Via this online survey (preferred option). See link in orange box below.
• By post to: Culture Team, 3rd Floor, Laurence House, 1 Catford Road, London SE6 4RU             

We want to ensure that this consultation is accessible to all organisations and individuals who want to take part. We will therefore ensure that any residents or representatives of the arts and culture sector who need support to fill in the responses can do so by speaking directly with a member of our team. Please e-mail us at cultural.development@lewisham.gov.uk and we will get back to you to arrange a suitable time.

Once the consultation has closed all responses will be considered and a summary of responses collated and included in a report to Mayor and Cabinet on 15^th September 2021.  This report will seek approval for the main grants programme 2022 - 2025 criteria and approach and to invite applications for funding. 

Please read the following supplementary document alongside the wider consultation document Consultation on priorities for, and approach to, the main grants programme, BEFORE answering the 'Online Survey' as this will provide you with all of the necessary background information. For ease of reference these documents are attached at the bottom of the screen as  downloadable PDF.