Agenda and minutes

RESOLVED: That all items should be webcast.

It was noted that apologies were received from Councillors Barned, Cox and Stockell.

Apologies were also received from Luke Bendall of The Social Festival and Karen Franek, Principal Economic Development Officer.

Councillor Butler was substituting for Councillor Stockell.

Councillor Joy was substituting for Councillor Cox.

Councillor Vizzard was in attendance as a visiting member.

There were no disclosures.

RESOLVED: That all the items on the agenda be taken in public as proposed.

RESOLVED: That the minutes of the meeting of the meeting of 28^th January 2014 be approved as a correct record and signed, subject to the following changes:

·  The removal of the bullet point discussing ‘sweating the assets’; and

·  Further clarification of roles and responsibilities within the Commercial and Economic Development Department, particularly around the posts that had been recruited to.

Interview with Luke Bendall, The Social Festival.

RESOLVED: That this item be deferred to the next meeting as Luke Bendall, of The Social Festival, was unable to attend.

Interview with Ken Scott, Chair of Maidstone Area Arts Partnership.

Ken Scott, Chair of the Maidstone Area Arts Partnership, was invited to speak on item 9:- Events Review- Maidstone Area Arts Partnership.

Ken Scott explained that Maidstone Area Arts Partnership was an organisation that represented 30 different arts communities. Over 1000 artists were represented through the organisation.

Ken Scott informed the committee he felt that arts activities were important to Maidstone for the following reasons:

·  They brought visitors to Maidstone;

·  They contributed to quality of life, making Maidstone an attractive place for employers to locate their businesses; and

·  They had positive wellbeing effects for participants, visitors and volunteers.

Ken Scott reported to the committee that his experience of working with the council regarding events in the past was that:

·  There was no overall plan or strategy for events;

·  Communication between departments within the council around events was not good enough; and

·  Many activities and events were not thought through quick enough, and funds were not being allocated and made available in a timely manner for events to go ahead.

Ken Scott conveyed that most events in the borough were not run or supported by Maidstone Borough Council. Therefore it was important to look beyond the Council when considering events.

Ken Scott believed that there were three roles for Maidstone Borough Council in terms of events:

·  Passive support;

·  Providing facilities; and

·  Active support.

Passive support offered by the council included:

·  Visit-maidstone.com website which was a free resource available to publicise any event; and

·  A leaflet produced 3 times a year, with a leaflet run of 4000, which was left in prominent locations around the town.

Ken Scott emphasised the increasing importance of this free publicity for small groups putting on events. Often their budgets were low and promotion could be a significant strain on these budgets.

Ken Scott highlighted that support provided by Maidstone Borough Council in terms of facilities included:

·  The Leisure Centre- Ken Scott believed this was a high quality, well run facility and the booking process was straightforward. However it was expensive and not well suited for arts events as it was primarily a sporting venue.

·  Hazlitt Theatre- Ken Scott felt that the venue was used extensively in the past, and when run by Maidstone Borough Council there was a good relationship between the theatre and groups using the theatre. However there were concerns emerging since Parkwood Theatres have taken over, particularly around ticket sales and increasing charges to small groups.

·  Jubilee Square- Ken Scott gave his opinion that this was an excellent venue for outdoor events. Support from Maidstone Borough Council staff had been excellent. The Council had allowed use of the square free of charge and provided free electricity. However the event planning process, and the final legal agreement that has to be signed can be daunting, especially for small organisations.

Ken Scott emphasised that the legal agreement that had to be signed before using Jubilee Square was particularly daunting, as many of the organisations that used the square for events were unincorporated. This meant that  ...  view the full minutes text for item 77.

Interview with Karen Franek, Principal Economic Development Officer.

RESOLVED: That this item be deferred to a future meeting as Karen Franek, Principal Economic Development Officer, was unable to attend.

The Committee considered the future work programme.

The Committee considered which witnesses would be helpful to invite to assist with their ongoing review of events in the borough. The Committee requested that the following witnesses be invited to the next meeting on the 25^th March 2014:

·  Verne Sanderson from Medway Council

·  Luke Bendall from The Social Festival

·  A representative from the Museum of Kent Life

·  A representative from Maidstone Town Team

·  A representative from Parkwood Theatres

·  The officer responsible for renting Jubilee Square to event organisers

The Committee were informed that there had so far been no responses to the call for evidence on events in the borough that had been publicised in the press.

The Committee considered the forthcoming Cabinet Member Decision on the Museum’s collections policy. At the meeting held on the 28^th January the Committee asked to arrange a viewing of the museum’s current collection. The Committee confirmed that they wished to see a general overview of the collection during the visit; and requested that Laura Case, Culture and Leisure Manager, be present during the visit. The following four dates were proposed:

·  Monday 3^rd March 5.30-6.30

·  Tuesday 4^th March 5.30-6.30

·  Tuesday 11^th March 2.00-3.00

·  Friday 14^th March 2.00-3.00

The committee were asked to inform the Research and Performance Officer of their availability on these dates by Friday 28^th February 2014.

RESOLVED: That

a)  The following witnesses be invited to the meeting of 25^th March 2014 in order to assist with the ongoing review of events in the borough:

·  Verne Sanderson of Medway Council

·  Luke Bendall of The Social Festival

·  A representative from the Museum of Kent Life

·  A representative from Maidstone Town Team

·  A representative from Parkwood Theatres

·  The officer responsible for renting Jubilee Square to event organisers

b)  The visit to the museum should cover a general overview of the collection and that Laura Case, Cultural Services Manager, should be present during the visit.

c)  The work programme should be updated by officers in consultation with the Chairman of the committee