Contact your Parish Council
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Communities, Leisure & Arts Policy Advisory Committee |
5 March 2024 |
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Events Programme for 2024-25 |
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Will this be a Key Decision? |
No |
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Urgency |
Not Applicable |
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Final Decision-Maker |
Not applicable, report for noting by the Communities, Leisure & Arts Policy Advisory Committee |
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Lead Head of Service |
Angela Woodhouse, Director of Strategy, Insight & Governance |
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Lead Officer and Report Author |
Ann-Marie Langley, Arts & Culture Officer |
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Classification |
Public |
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Wards affected |
ALL |
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Executive Summary |
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This report sets out the 2024/25 Events Programme.
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Purpose of Report
Noting
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This report makes the following recommendation to the Committee (CLA)
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1. That this report be noted. |
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2024/25 Events Programme |
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1. CROSS-CUTTING ISSUES AND IMPLICATIONS
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Issue |
Implications |
Sign-off |
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Impact on Corporate Priorities |
The Events Programme will materially improve the Council’s ability to achieve ‘A Thriving Place’ through delivering a variety of high quality arts and cultural events. The event plan is also linked to the Council’s UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) Local Investment Plan. |
Director of Strategy, Insight & Governance |
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Cross Cutting Objectives |
The event programme supports the achievement of the ‘Heritage is Respected’ cross-cutting objective by raising awareness of the town’s history and heritage through specific events. The report recommendation supports the achievement of the ‘Health Inequalities are Addressed and Reduced’ cross-cutting objective by helping to reduce social isolation and delivering improvements in physical and mental health for target groups through participation in arts events and activities. |
Director of Strategy, Insight & Governance |
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Risk Management |
Risks associated with individual events will be addressed as part of Council procedures. |
Director of Strategy, Insight & Governance |
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Financial |
The Plan can be delivered within existing budgets and UKSPF funding as already approved |
Section 151 Officer & Finance Team |
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Staffing |
No specific implications |
Director of Strategy, Insight & Governance |
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Legal |
No specific implications – report just for noting. |
Team Leader (Contentious and Corporate Governance) |
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Information Governance |
The recommendations do not impact personal information (as defined in UK GDPR and Data Protection Act 2018) the Council processes. |
Information Governance Team |
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Equalities |
The report is for noting and contains no recommendations that would propose a change in service, therefore no equalities impact assessment will be required.
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Equalities & Communities Officer |
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Public Health
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Participating in events is generally likely to have a generally positive implication for population health. |
Senior Public Health Officer |
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Crime and Disorder |
No specific implications |
Director of Strategy, Insight & Governance |
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Procurement |
No specific implications |
Director of Strategy, Insight & Governance |
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Biodiversity and Climate Change |
It has been noted that action should be taken to ensure events are plastic free and minimise single use products, utilise sustainable vendors, consider public transportation options to access events, and encourage recycling and reuse. |
Biodiversity and Climate Change Manager |
2. INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND
2.1 As part of the Council’s strategic priority to make Maidstone a thriving place and the commitments made in our local investment plan to deliver the levelling up agenda, an annual events programme has been developed, comprising both events run by the Council itself and those where the Council partners with other organisations.
2.2 A programme of events has been planned for the 2024-25 financial year, as outlined in the appendices to this report. There are three categories of event, those being fully funded by MBC (through base budget or grant); those being funded through other sources but where MBC officers are providing support; and commercial events being delivered by third parties
Enc.1 lists only events being planned or supported by MBC
Enc.2 lists all known events being planned in the borough, including those being delivered by third parties/commercial
2.3 Sculpture Trail launch event, Wednesday 3rd April
This will be a two-centred event starting in Brenchley Gardens with a walkabout by a giant T-Rex and some baby dinosaurs. They will start in the Gardens then head into Week Street and Fremlin Walk to engage with visitors.
The team will then move to Lockmeadow to deliver 2 x ‘How to train your dinosaur’ interactive sessions in the afternoon. The new digital app will be promoted via QR codes throughout the day.
2.4 Medieval Fayre, Saturday 6th April
This will include a variety of re-enactors demonstrating traditional crafts and skills, alongside knight and princess training, crime and punishment trials, storytelling and medieval music and dance. Costumed characters will walkabout in Week Street and Fremlin Walk to promote the event on the day.
2.5 Maidstone Summer Series, 20th July – 24th August
This will be a weekly event, every Saturday from 10am – 2pm in the town centre. It will include a number of acts, normally seen at Covent Garden, as well as local bands and musicians. Acts will include jugglers, magicians and acrobats but the full line-up is still to be confirmed.
2.6 Brenchley Bandstand Concerts, 21st July – 1st September
There will be a series of 7 bandstand concerts in Brenchley Gardens this year including Invicta Jazz Orchestra, BAE Systems Brass Band and other big band/brass bands from the local area.
2.7 Outdoor Theatre, 17th – 25th August
Hazlitt Theatre will be delivering an outdoor touring production of ‘The Three Musketeers’ this summer, starting at the Amphitheatre and including Lenham, Bearsted, Staplehurst, Marden, Cobtree Manor Park, South Park, Bredhurst, Stockbury, East Farleigh and Dandelion Time. Tickets will be subsidised to ensure they are affordable for families.
2.8 Maidstone Literary Festival, 5th – 12th October
Building on the success of last year’s inaugural event, we will be delivering another Literary Festival this year. This is in the early planning stages so no further details are available at this time.
2.9 At this relatively early stage, events continue to be developed, so further events are likely to be added to the programme shown in the appendices.
3. AVAILABLE OPTIONS
3.1 There are no matters for decision in this report.