In July 2014 the newly elected Labour Council held a Culture Seminar to discuss its vision for culture. There had already been discussions in the Croydon Arts Network in response to the debate initiated by South Croydon Community Association on the future of Fairfield Halls.
I produced a discussion paper
A New Future for
Culture in Croydon. Nine years
later we have the Borough of Culture programme. In it I argued that ‘Of
course no one should be under any illusions that the Council will be able to
provide money from a stretched budget which will get tighter and tighter under further
central government cut backs from 2015/16. It
is the change of attitude towards culture that is important. Labour
will need to convince cultural activists that a shift in attitude will
contribute to creating a greater sense of cultural activities being valued, genuinely
encouraging community groups and representatives to collaborate, and finding
creative ways to support their initiatives.’
The basis of the Borough of Culture was created by
the Labour Council and inherited by the Executive Mayor who had been a member
of the pre-2014 Conversative administration. None of the measures I suggested
for reversing the Tory damage were implemented by Labour.
I suggested that two
very important aspects of culture should be reflected in any overarching Vision
statement.
·
development
of people's skills and talents to their fullest potential
·
broadening
people's intellectual and creative horizons.
If any of this has any continuing validity, it may be helpful is assessing whether the Borough of Culture programme has met the challenges.
The
Discussion Paper
|
“We're
ambitious for Croydon with a vision to see the borough established as a
genuine destination for both visual and performing arts. We have some great
spaces for exhibitions, theatre, music and dance and we have a wealth of
local talent plus the opportunity to build on what we already have to ensure
we have a vibrant, exciting and diverse cultural offering that is attractive
to people from across Croydon and further afield. Nobody is pretending this
will be an easy task to achieve, but we're absolutely determined to unlock
Croydon’s potential over the next few years.’ - Councillor Timothy Godfrey, Cabinet
member for Culture, Leisure and Sport - June 2014. |
The future of culture in Croydon is much brighter now that Labour is in control of the Council. It brings to an end the Tory ‘Know the Price of Everything and the Value of Nothing’ cultural vandalism approach in which for 2013/14 they deliberately planned to disengage from cultural activities.
Meanwhile a range of cultural initiatives have been
taken by community groups and cultural practitioners, inc. the establishment of
the Croydon Arts Network, the Croydon Fun Palace Project, Matthews Yard as a
commercial venue, the David Lean Cinema Campaign, the Stanley People’s
Initiative, the resurrection of Warehouse Theatre at Fairfield Halls, the
Croydon Heritage Festival, with supporting debate through Croydon Citizen and Croydon Radio. 2012 saw a year long festival to
commemorate the death of Croydon’s black composer Samuel Coleridge-Taylor.
There are the community festivals such as those in South Norwood, Purley and
Thornton Heath.
Cabinet Culture, Leisure and Sport member Timothy
Godfrey’s initiative in holding the seminar on Tuesday 8 July is an important
first step in allowing people across the whole cultural (inc. heritage) scene
in Croydon to engage in constructive dialogue on the way forward.
Councillor Godfrey and his deputy, Oliver Lewis,
will use the evening to encourage those attending to share their own views and
generate new ideas. These will be built into a plan which is being developed
with a view to boosting the range and quality of cultural events staged in the Borough.
There will be presentations from speakers representing the existing diverse
cultural offer in the borough in addition to a frank and open opportunity to
listen to Croydon residents and organisations.
Financial
Realities
It
is the change of attitude towards culture that is important.
Labour
will need to convince cultural activists that a shift in attitude will
contribute to creating a greater sense of cultural activities being valued, genuinely
encouraging community groups and representatives to collaborate, and finding
creative ways to support their initiatives.
Reversing
the Tory Damage
There are several things that need to be done to
reverse some of the damage caused by the former Tory administration.
- · The adoption of a resolution stating the Council will not sell any more Riesco Collection items, will re-think the way the Collection is displayed, and re-open the former investigation into setting up a trust for the Collection.
- · Renegotiation of the Section 106 money taken over by the Council to invest back in Warehouse Theatre.
- · Reversal of the cut to the Schools Music budget.
- · Reversal of the decision to build on part of Queens Gardens.
- · Re-negotiation of the library service contract to ensure that libraries develop improved cultural activities programmes.
- · Re-enabling public access to all the materials on open shelves in the former Local Studies room.
Labour’s
Cultural Strategy 2006
|
‘Concentrating cultural
activities housed within historic buildings, attractive open space along with restaurants,
cafes, bars and shops is seen as a way of reinforcing Croydon’s popular
appeal – balancing commercial and architectural
progress with entertainment and public participation.’ – Tony Newman, Council
Leader up to May 2006; and now Leader again
commenting the ‘Be inspired’ cultural strategy 2005-2008. |
How much of the previous Labour administration’s ‘Be inspired’ cultural strategy 2005-2008 is still relevant and feasible to implement:
- · More facilities for young people such as
multi-use games areas and children’s entertainment in parks
- · More traditional pubs, outdoor cafés and
family-friendly restaurants
- · Safer, cleaner parks and open spaces
- · Improved borough-wide sports and
exercise facilities for all ages
- · Opportunities for a more varied
programme of entertainment including theatre, live music, classical concerts
and cultural activities helping to celebrate cultural diversity
- · Encouraging open-air markets, small
independent shops and creative businesses
- · New studio/exhibition space in the
borough, supporting local artists
- · A new jazz café in Surrey Street
- · Investigating funding sources to
redevelop Ashburton and Thornton Heath libraries
The
Tory Years
Has Labour tracked what happened to its plan during
the Tory years?
How much of the above has been achieved by the
Tories, made irrelevant for the future, and will Labour still wish to continue endorse?
Have the Tories achieved anything positive? After all large scale cuts were not
required in their first two years because the world recession caused by the
banking system had not happened. What elements of the Labour plan did the
Tories decide not to implement and for what reason, or did they absorb some
aspects into their changing plans?
Tracking what happened and the changing approach is difficult.
For example the Croydon Cultural Partnership group within the Local Strategic
Partnership (the LSP) was renamed the Croydon Development and Cultural
Partnership by the Tories. Although it is listed on the Croydon On-line website
there is no link to detail about it, unlike with the three other themed sub-partnerships
of the LSP. www.croydononline.org/get_involved/local_strategic_partnership.
In fact it appears that the Strategic Partnership and its themed partnerships are
held behind closed doors.
A Vision for Culture
Two very important
aspects of culture should be reflected in any overarching Vision statement.
- development of people's skills and talents to their fullest potential
- broadening people's intellectual and creative horizons.
A Draft Vision Statement We would like everyone to have the opportunity to participate in a variety of cultural activities which will: help them develop their skills and talents to their fullest, broaden their intellectual and creative horizon; increase their well being; promote community engagement and cohesion through an appreciation of Croydon’s diversity, and; foster a sense of place and belonging within the neighbourhoods and communities of the borough, and contribute to protecting and celebrating the past as reflected in the local built and open space environment. |
Heritage as Culture
Croydon’s development has been a
complex process of social, economic, cultural and political engagement,
including conflict, compromise and consensus.
Town and Local Centres
Promotion of an individual identity and sense of
place in the Borough’s town and local centres can provide a foundation for
future vitality and viability. This concept seems to be increasingly recognised
as of growing importance. However, whether people want to take advantage of
cultural activities in the centres will depend on what is on offer, the ease of
public transport and car parking and the feeling of safety especially at night.
The quality of the built environment can play an important role here, with the
need to preserve the best of the historic environment, the improvement of
run-down buildings, and the replacement of redundant buildings by good quality
human-scale new developments. The need for a mixed economy of residential,
small and larger businesses and leisure facilities will require the Council's
planners to ensure that no centre becomes over dominant by one type of
activity.
Educational and Training Institutions
These institutions can
be 'ghettoes' only catering for their students
without vibrant interaction with the local communities around them.
Discussion is needed with each institution to see what more they can do to open
up activities to the wider public, including use and hire of facilities,
courses, exhibitions, dramatic and music performances, and taking their
cultural 'products' around the Borough.
Community Cohesion and Diversity
One of the most difficult aspects of cultural strategy relates to its contribution to community cohesion and diversity. The cultural diversity of the Borough's residents from different national and ethnic backgrounds is showcased in various ways throughout the year. However, events do not necessarily attract large audiences from other national or ethnic groups. A good diverse attendance, however, does not mean that people attending will talk with each other, as most people find interacting with strangers difficult. There are no easy answers to how to encourage people to meet each other across different national and ethnic divides. It needs the small core of event organisers to make the effort to introduce people to each other and facilitate conversation. The occasions which offer the most potential are:
- Festival events, especially those based in parks and open spaces.
- Street festivals serving a small number of streets or an estate are excellent ways of beginning to encourage neighbours to meet and get to know each other better.
- Multi-faith cultural activities, especially as many faith groups have diverse national and ethnic congregations.
- Community Centres putting on events in which different user groups showcase their activity.
- Re-packaging School Fetes and Bazaars as Neighbourhood Festivals to attract non-parents.
Festival organisation is not easy and requires a reasonable level of funding for core organisational costs, as well as meeting all the costs relating to venue and equipment hire, health and safety, licences, as well as paying for performers.
The Cultures of Health, Physical
Activity and Sports
Most adults will not be
interested in participating in hard and elite sports. Many more may be
encouraged into soft sports and games. For many walking may be more inviting,
which can also involve families and people in wheelchairs. More attention could
be given to supporting 'healthy walking' through heritage and open space walks
with a learning component. e.g. local history, ecology. This may need the
development of a programme for the payment of experienced heritage and ecology
leaders for walks.
Sports are a part of
cultural activity. A wider cultural interest in sport can be encouraged through
the Borough's rich sports heritage especially those activities run by the large
number of mutual, community and voluntary groups over the last two hundred
years, the amateur sports organisations, and the role of sport and games
activities in parks.
Musical and Arts Heritage
Similarly work on the
history of music and music making and arts and arts manufacturing in the
Borough can add a new dimension to understanding local cultural heritage. It
can also inspire the production of new cultural works. The Croydon Samuel
Coleridge-Taylor Festival in 2012 showed what can be achieved.
Culture and Recession
It is difficult to
assess what effect the economic recession has been having on cultural activities.
Certainly there has been:
- reduced funding from local and central government, cultural agencies and charitable trusts
- reduced surplus income meaning fewer people can afford to take part in cultural activities as audiences
- increased entertainment and leisure activities in the home.
- for involvement in cultural activities to ensure increased levels of enjoyment
- to develop skills in cultural activities to give people an interesting hobby or to develop income generation or to increase chances in job prospects when the economy improves.
Cultural strategy can be linked in with regeneration and neighbourhood
renewal strategies. Such strategies talk about ‘social’, economic’, ‘environmental’
and ‘social exclusion’, and ‘social’, economic’ and ‘environmental’ capital.
Yet the fear of crime, the general decay of the state of the local environment,
the lack of prospects, can all have adverse effects on individuals’ sense of
well-being and mental health. The experience of social exclusion or the onset
of sudden crises, whether economic or health, can adversely affect the way
people feel. The constant experience of negative material conditions has an
adverse effect on the human spirit. We should also be talking about ‘spiritual
capital’. This not the same as the religious concept of ‘spirituality’. A
non-religious example is the conclusion of longitudinal historical medical
research from the United States that the more intellectually stimulated very
old people remain, the healthier they remain.
The sections of the population most likely to be adversely affected by a
general low level of 'spiritual capital’ and be particularly further
disadvantaged by the economic recession, the cuts to benefits, the lack of a
London Living Wage, and the no guaranteed hours work contracts, are those in
lower and fixed income groups, and those who are socially isolated because of
economic and cultural reasons. Therefore an important element in developing a
Cultural Strategy may be encouraging cultural activities which enable
participation on a free or very low cost basis. To identify those most likely
to benefit will require careful discussion with a range of other organisations,
especially community and voluntary groups.
Heritage and Culture of
BME and Newer Settlers
Many of the newer communities settling in the
Borough are comprised of children, teenagers and young adults. The Strategy
should include a statement about ‘working with people from all communities',
and that ‘work with older people is particularly important to ensure their
reminiscences are recorded and not lost.'
One of the important ways
in which different communities and groups can be engaged more in the Borough's
heritage is by ensuring that there is an emphasis on exploring what are called
'hidden histories': working class, women, religious minorities, Welsh, Scots
and Irish, and Black, Asian and other ethnic and national minorities in
Britain. It takes a lot of research and advocacy to uncover ‘hidden histories’.
In respect of the history of Black and Asian peoples in Britain, the door has
being opening. The Croydon Radical History Network has begun to build on the
previous good work undertaken in Croydon several years ago. The talks I give on
Samuel Coleridge-Taylor introduce listeners to the contribution of Black
visitors and residents in Britain and their networks, as well as the influence
of Black music.
Racism
Part of the social glue
function of community organisations should be to build a common sense of
justice, understanding, and positive interaction between all the different
sub-groups and interests within neighbourhood communities. There needs to be
activity that brings people together, especially in those areas adversely affected
by racism and ethnic segregation. One way is through cultural diversity and
heritage activity.
Across different
curricular areas the education system as a whole has failed to fully reflect
the contribution that Black and Asian and other ethnic minorities have made to
Britain's development.
A key element in
fostering community cohesion, tackling existing racism, and trying to reduce
the number of racists who develop in their childhood and youth, should be to
improve the degree of knowledge and understanding of the Black and Asian
historical presence and contribution to the development of British society over
the last five hundred years. This needs to be celebrated in its own right, as
well as be an integral part of the way in which people understand British
history. The growing hostility to new arrivals, especially East Europeans,
shows the need to undertake similar work on Britain’s past interactions with,
and the contribution made by previous settlers, from that part of the world.
Public History
‘Public
History’ at local level encompasses such activities as:
- the celebration by the residents of an anniversary of the building of their estate
- the anniversary of an important building or neighbourhood
- the fight to save built environment heritage
- an emphasis on the lives of ordinary people
- an emphasis on the role ordinary people and their organisations have played in shaping their area
- a re-imaging of British history to include women, the working class, black and ethnic minorities and other excluded groups
'Public
history’ is a development on from work on separate 'hidden histories' enabling
connections to be made between them. All historical specialisms and approaches
are useful routes into the historical picture. The challenge is to integrate
them so that a more holistic and inclusive story of the past is told.
Work on
‘Public History’ is important because it helps to inform ordinary people, and
community organisations struggling to obtain improvements in their
neighbourhoods today, that they are heirs of a long tradition of ordinary
working people creating organisations to meet particular needs, and engaging in
collective activity to influence their lives and lobby for economic, political
and social inclusion and justice.
The History of Mutuality
Another area of 'hidden
history' are the mutual collective organisations for political, social and
economic inclusion, justice and improvement: the fraternal, friendly, loan,
building and co-operative societies, trade unions, and today’s community and
voluntary groups. Fraternal and mutual organisations:
- provided
a glue that linked people together at work, and because work and home were
often close, between work and community
- built
an infrastructure of social welfare and income support in the absence of a
Welfare State
- were
seedbeds for building experience in running organisations and in
participative and representative democracy
- forced
a response that made Britain more inclusive in electoral politics, and
moderated the worst effect of economic forces through social and
employment reform
Protecting
the Built Environment
Large
numbers of people wish to protect and celebrate the past as reflected in their
local built and open space environment. The work of amenity societies and other
organisations in popularising and campaigning on this should be acknowledged. The
loss of pubs in recent years, especially to local supermarket retailers’
stores, has raised the question of what more the Council can do to use a wide
range of powers to protect those that are valued by their local communities.
Other ways to protect valued and interesting components of the built
environment may need to be examined though the listing of buildings of local
interest, assessing whether Conservation Area policies are being properly
adhered to, and seeking Grade II listing status for buildings. A further way to
mark the important of particular buildings is through a programme of plaques to
commemorate interesting people, organisations and businesses by the Council and
community and specialist organisations.
The
Limits of the Digital World
A lot of cultural activity depends on publicity through digital means: email, Facebook, Twitter and websites. But this is dependent on people knowing about them in the first place. Many people I have spoken to at my history stalls do not know about the web based Croydon Citizen (CC), Inside Croydon (IC) or Croydon Radio (CR). This means that the information and debates on them are not reaching everyone who is potentially interested. This is only in relation to people with access to the web. There are large numbers of people who do not have home or mobile access to the web and have to use their local library or internet café.
This digital divide between the connected and the unconnected has been a challenge for Government and the regulator Oftel/Ofcom for nearly 15 years. It is an issue that can have solutions at local level. For example, when local authorities installed entry-phone systems it was possible to have provided phone and internet access at the same time, but this usually did not happen. I hope that Croydon Tech City will explore how local digital businesses can help come up with local solutions. Perhaps the Council should consider funding overcoming digital divide projects using Community Infrastructure Levy monies paid by developers.
Heritage Objectives for Cultural Strategy
As well as stating a vision (see above) a Cultural Strategy will need to set out key objectives. These could be ones related to the heritage component.
- Promote the histories of working class people, children, women, the disabled, religious minorities, Welsh, Scots and Irish, and Black, Asian and other ethnic and national minorities in Croydon.
- Promote the Borough’s historical connections with different European nationalities, especially those from Eastern Europe and the Balkans.
- Develop ways in which teachers and pupils can be supported to use cultural, local history and heritage material to illustrate topics they are exploring, including Citizenship, English Literature, Religious Studies, History, music and art, and Geography.
- Provide support to schools to increase their ability to undertake activities in the classroom related to special cultural and historical commemorations.
This
discussion paper is a contribution to the debate that has already been going on
among Croydon culture activists, and which will heat up as a result of the 8
July seminar called by Councillor Timothy Godfrey. A draft cultural strategy
will emerge and go through the Council decision making system. Hopefully the
draft will be looked at by the revised Scrutiny and Oversight Committee
procedures, giving cultural activists the chance to submit verbal and written
comments. Because of the importance of linking culture to regeneration and to
‘spiritual capital’ cultural strategy will need to be looked at by the Fairness
Commission Labour is setting up. The existence of a new Council Cultural
Strategy does not mean that there is no need for an independent community
cultural strategy as has been discussed in debates in the formation of the
Croydon Arts Network. The whole range of independent cultural activists need their own joint perspective which will
strengthen their interaction with the development and implementation of the
Council strategy.
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