Weaving us together Ready
leeds2023.co.uk [email protected] Ready for the challenge Twitter @Leeds_2023 Ready to take risks Facebook /2023Leeds Phoenix Dance Theatre Triple Bill, Bill, TheatrePhoenix Dance Triple Ready to connect Richard Moran Instagram @leeds2023 1 We also have our challenges. Whilst people We’ll explore our heritage and ask honest, Whilst in the past Europe has been defined Q.1 have made room here to enjoy their own searching questions about our place in the by empires and nations we believe the future cultures, we have struggled as a city to world, and specifically in a new Europe. As well dialogue and connections will be made WHY DOES YOUR CITY WISH articulate our identity, and therefore have as the economic benefits, we think culture can by cities like ours. We think it is the Free TO TAKE PART IN THE COMPETITION the confidence to shout about ourselves. help weave us together as people. Movement of Ideas that can be at the heart FOR THE TITLE OF EUROPEAN There’s heartfelt pride in our civic, business of a new connected Europe and that Leeds CAPITAL OF CULTURE? and sporting achievements and yet we’ve But the changes in the world in the last couple has the scale, ambition and partnerships to rarely celebrated our cultural successes. of years have made us realise our bid can, and test that theory with other European cities. must, be about even more. Jo Cox MP, in her The city has accomplished cultural institutions maiden speech to the UK Parliament said: Leeds is at a tipping point. Culture is poised, and strong independent traditions too, but our through our new Culture Strategy, to be at Hello! collective achievements are under the radar, the heart of our next 20 years of development. nationally and internationally. We want to be ‘We are far more united Being European Capital of Culture could We are Leeds. recognised as a progressive international city guarantee the role of culture in defining with a radical history, and perhaps, if our bid and have far more in the next 100 years of our history. It could is successful, a radical future. also provide a model for how the UK will be A European city. connected in Europe, four years after it has Leeds, like other European cities, is a city common with each exited the European Union. of contrasts and extremes, good and bad. We are a city that began from a small Today in Leeds some people will eat at Michelin other than things that Our bid has been almost four years in the settlement on the banks of the River Aire and starred restaurants, others will eat at food making. Our vision for Leeds 2023 is to provide then we built a canal to connect us to Europe. banks. Some people will sleep in penthouses, a physical and virtual environment to explore whilst others will sleep on streets. We want divide us.’ the place of culture in transforming the mood, We have grown and grown and grown since – and need to tackle this inequality within our well-being and mental health of a diverse adding towns, villages, and suburbs. We are sometimes disconnected, two tier city, where modern European city. However, things have divided us. Jo’s murder, right in the centre of the UK. our multitude of cultures live side-by-side, the Brexit referendum and political turmoil but don’t always meet. In 1866 French inventor Louis Le Prince came have sparked additional debate and reflection There are over three quarters of a million of us to Leeds and found it provided him with the in the city. We are more nervous about the now, speaking 170 different languages, 38,000 The past five years has seen successful ideal location, people and environment to future and we need to reassess how to build a of us are non-UK Europeans. We are diverse growth in our city’s retail and business create the world’s first moving picture - from city and a world where our children will thrive. in other ways too with a strong LGBTQIA+ districts. More importantly, a new tone which today’s global film industry was born. community and a real strength in disability and depth has developed in the relationships Leeds is ready to welcome Europe and to offer Brexit was seismic and it revealed more arts. We want to be the first truly diverse city in between our civic, educational, cultural its resources once again. division than we realised existed. Leeds voted the UK to host the title, with all the advantages and business sectors. We now have the basis to remain – but only just. We had already that brings. and the confidence to rise to our challenges. Ready for the challenge. planned conversations about the European Ready to take risks. Capital of Culture at events across the city We have always said our bid is for the whole Ready to connect. following the referendum and wondered if our city. We intend to deliver on that promise. public support would have waned. It had not, Being European Capital of Culture would mean and the need to bid just became more urgent. art and artists thriving in every ward in the city, giving voice to what makes us different and what unites us.
All our figures are shown in £ and €, using an exchange rate of £1 : €1.13, as at 12.07.2017
2 3 Although in the past, Local Authority MUSEUMS Q.2 neighbours saw themselves as rivals, Q.3 With 17 museums Leeds has more than any we have more recently fostered an other UK city outside of London. These include: DOES YOUR CITY PLAN TO ethos of mutual co-operation. EXPLAIN BRIEFLY THE OVERALL The Royal Armouries and Thackray Medical INVOLVE ITS SURROUNDING AREA? CULTURAL PROFILE OF YOUR CITY. Museum and two of Britain’s greatest country EXPLAIN THIS CHOICE. Hosting the Grand Départ of the Tour de France houses at Temple Newsam and Harewood 2014 also allowed our joined-up approach to House. The city also runs the largest local be tested, with Leeds taking the co-ordination Leeds has a tradition of robust independence. authority museums and galleries service This is a Leeds bid but we will work closely role for the 22 Local Authorities in the region. We are a city shaped by immigration: many in the UK operating nine sites. with our neighbours. newcomers have made Leeds their home, We have a Local Economic Partnership enriching our city by bringing faith, culture, SCULPTURE Leeds’ residents identify themselves in a centred on West Yorkshire and cross-northern food and new ideas. Leeds Art Gallery and the Henry Moore Institute variety of ways. We see ourselves as being collaboration on tourism and transport, have built one of the strongest public collections from Yorkshire, being Northern, part of our working with cities such as Hull, Manchester In many ways, Leeds is an accomplished of British sculpture in the UK and are part of local community, part of Leeds. This mix of and Newcastle. In the run up to 2023, we cultural city, but our reticence to promote the Yorkshire Sculpture Triangle, along with our identities gives us an authentic reason for will work with adjacent authorities on visitor ourselves and to celebrate the role of neighbours Yorkshire Sculpture Park and The engaging with the wider region in our bid. hosting, tourism and accommodation as well arts in society have left the city, nationally Hepworth Wakefield. as their contribution to the programme. and internationally, underrated and under There are 109,000 jobs in Leeds City Centre - the radar. DANCE tens of thousands of people commute daily. The UK Government has recently established Leeds is an international centre for dance. Seven million people live within an hour’s the concept of ’The Northern Powerhouse’, We are home to world-class arts organisations Dancers train and perform with RJC, Balbir drive of Leeds. which has led to much stronger relationships like Opera North and Northern Ballet, yet Singh, South Asian Arts UK, Phoenix Dance across the North of England. Between now a common feature is how many of our Theatre and Northern Ballet. Yorkshire Dance Leeds has a significant rural area, and towns and 2023, there is the prospect of devolution organisations began as small independents is headquartered in Leeds, while community such as Morley, Wetherby, Kippax and Otley of further powers from central government or individuals. West Yorkshire Playhouse, the dance groups like DAZL offer opportunities are part of Leeds but separated from the to the region. We will use this broader region largest regional producing theatre outside for our young people. urban centre by a green belt of fields, farms to collaborate on the promotion of culture, London, was established in 1964 following a and woodland. These are towns with strong tourism and capital investment. successful local campaign. The Northern School MUSIC identities and they sometimes connect more of Contemporary Dance was founded by Nadine Leeds International Piano Competition extends strongly (and in travel time more quickly) with Our support from higher education partners, Senior, a deputy headmistress teaching sports its reach next year with heats in Berlin, New York Harrogate, Bradford or Wakefield than they Chambers of Commerce and business in the local communities of Harehills. The Leeds and Singapore, and Leeds International Concert do with Leeds. networks in the region covers the whole of International Piano Competition was started in Season promotes 200 concerts per year, Yorkshire, three of our private sector sponsors 1963 by Leeds piano teacher Fanny Waterman, including an international orchestral season have regional and national roles, and two of the daughter of a Russian immigrant. Leeds at Leeds’ Victorian Town Hall. Brass bands are them are based in Bradford. West Indian Carnival, Europe’s longest-running a key part of our musical heritage and continue carnival, was founded by Arthur France to train the musicians of the future through their in Chapeltown. It is the energy of Leeds’ youth music programmes in local communities. grassroots scene which fuels much of In 2017 Leeds will welcome the MOBO Awards the cultural activity in the city. for a second year, and our strong DIY scene sees club nights paying homage to the city QUARRY HILL that created the legendary Back2Basics. The cultural hub known as Quarry Hill houses several performance spaces, the BBC and Leeds College of Music. The area is also home to a range of independent galleries, restaurants, music venues and creative businesses. Leeds West Indian Carnival
4 5 CULTURE AND SPORT the independent music sector. There are many In Leeds, there is economic and social division, Leeds draws strong links between the arts independent venues like Belgrave Music Hall, Q.4 but the city also exhibits a remarkable unity and sport, as demonstrated by the Yorkshire Duke Studios, Left Bank, Live Art Bistro, Seven and pride in celebrating our shared identity, Festival staged alongside the Tour de France in Arts Centre, and Basement Arts, a gallery in the EXPLAIN THE CONCEPT OF THE cultural and sporting achievements and when 2014. International cricket and rugby league are cellar of a terraced house in Beeston. PROGRAMME WHICH WOULD BE responding to crises, such as the 2015 floods. played at Headingley. Leeds Rhinos Rugby and LAUNCHED IF THE CITY IS DESIGNATED Despite its size as the UK’s third largest city, Leeds United Football Club have a history CULTURE AND COMMUNITIES AS EUROPEAN CAPITAL OF CULTURE. Leeds acts on a human level. Our scale makes of cultural collaborations. Leeds’ ‘city of villages’ becomes evident every us the ideal lens through which to examine summer, when over 50 different local galas, identity and belonging in an increasingly CULTURE AND ECONOMY festivals, and food and produce shows take to The fabric of citizenship in Europe has been fractured Europe, and debate the issues Leeds is a creative and digital hub with the parks and streets. Bramley Baths, Armley torn, characterised by widespread fear and the facing all of our cities. clusters of TV and radio in the west of the Mills, Gipton Fire Station and Otley Courthouse loss of voice, both individual and collective. A city and advertising, design and web agencies form more unusual venues alongside the Leeds continent that has historically created space for The challenge for Leeds 2023 is to create in the south. True North is one of the largest Donut group of community venues hosting equality and debate is now facing new pressures a new sense of community which does independent TV producers outside London thriving programmes in neighbourhoods. on the free movement of culture and ideas. not involve stepping away from openness and Screen Yorkshire is at the forefront of and internationalism. Leeds will prioritise championing the film, TV, games and digital FESTIVALS Leeds is a microcosm of Europe’s wider tackling inequality and the disconnection industries. Leeds West Indian Carnival, the oldest Caribbean predicament – a city of belonging but also of a two tier city. carnival in Europe, attracts over 85,000 people of fear; of racism and multiculturalism; of LEARNING AND LITERATURE and Leeds Pride draws in over 30,000. The Leeds conspicuous consumption and poverty; of Our vision is to provide a physical and virtual Leeds is strong in art and cultural education and International Film Festival is European BAFTA isolation but also of strong communities, environment to explore the role of culture in many artists, dancers, designers and cultural and Academy Awards accredited. Light Night woven into the city we call home. tackling inequalities, connecting communities producers launch their careers in our city. 18,000 Leeds attracts over 80,000 visitors and other and transforming the physical and mental students study creative and cultural industries festivals include Thought Bubble International health of a diverse, modern European city. subjects at the city’s universities and colleges Comic Art Convention, Love Arts Festival We will do this through four themes: Fabric, each year. Leeds has two Conservatoires: the and the annual BAFTA awards for young Fear & Belonging, Voice and Room. Northern School of Contemporary Dance and filmmakers. Compass, Juncture and Transform Leeds College of Music, which established festivals showcase trailblazing international Europe’s first ever jazz qualification. Leeds has programmes. a rich history of literature and spoken word and a network of university, public and subscription HOSPITALITY AND FOOD libraries, alongside the British Library which In Leeds you can eat in Jewish or Jamaican houses collections of national importance. restaurants, Persian, Ethiopian or Greek, Michelin-starred or ‘greasy spoon’. We have THE INDEPENDENT SCENE food festivals, farmers’ markets and beer A long tradition of radical and political activism festivals. Leeds is the home of the original Junk in Leeds has influenced a socially-engaged Food Café, pioneered by Adam Smith, a Leeds practice developed in the 1960s to 1980s through chef, who led the now international movement companies such as Red Ladder Theatre, Slung for recycling unwanted food through ‘Pay What Low, Interplay Theatre and Pavilion. You Can’ cafés.
Artist-led East Street Arts provides managed PUBLIC REALM workspaces to visual artists and recently Leeds does not have a good track record opened Art Hostel, the first artist-run hotel in on public art and public realm. During the the UK. The Brudenell Social Club, Old Chapel 1960s when Leeds was proud to call itself the Music Studios, East Leeds FM and Wharf ‘Motorway City’, entire communities were carved Chambers all play an active role in supporting up by highways and motorway connections. Royal ArmouriesRoyal
6 7 Weav e Phoenix Theatre Dance production Phoenix in Flight, Richard Moran Flight, Phoenix in
Fabric Fear & Belonging Voice Room
The city’s history in the manufacturing of There is fear in any society, but war, economic We will dedicate the theme of Voice to children Leeds is both a physical and virtual Room textiles and clothing offers a rich metaphor uncertainty, mass migration and challenges to and young people in this city and across within Europe, giving us room to breathe, when tackling the issue of disconnection. citizenship and identity in Europe have fuelled Europe. We will amplify and broadcast the making room to creatively stretch our legs Leeds 2023 will explore the very fibre new levels of anxiety and unhappiness, giving wants and needs of those who will inherit and room for the world to come play with us. of European citizenship and how to knit rise to a new wave of populism. a world that they played little or no part in We will make room for ambitious experiences communities together through art and culture. making, placing their ideas, hopes and dreams to be realised. We will make space for us to Fear & Belonging acknowledges and for the future at the core of what we all do. rethink our daily actions, how we interact Fabric will bring to the fore the experiences recognises the daily violence and challenges within a city, how we care for one another, of those marginalised by the mainstream. faced by people across Europe. Leeds will The voice of a city is articulated by its and how we might live together in the future. We will ask the question ‘Whose City, Whose become a beacon of refuge, a place of individuals and as a collective through its Culture?’ to embrace Leeds’ industrial heritage, welcome and safety for this need: from culture. But it is the voice of children and young We want to see our year as European Capital the fabric of our cities, our networks across older people, the grieving and the homeless people which is often left unheard. Voice will of Culture bring change to Leeds and Europe, Europe, and the individuals whose stories to the silenced and oppressed. be devoted to young people helping them to transforming how we interact with our shared were written out of our collective histories. retrieve their heritage, to celebrate our present culture on both a local and global scale. and imagine an even richer cultural future.
8 9 CULTURE STRATEGY VALUES Q.5a Q.5b Q.5c • Bravery – Having the boldness and DESCRIBE THE CULTURAL confidence to deliver on our ambitions THE CITY’S PLANS TO STRENGTHEN THE DEVELOPMENT OF LONG TERM LINKS STRATEGY IN YOUR CITY. and see our vision become a reality THE CAPACITY OF THE CULTURAL BETWEEN THESE SECTORS AND THE AND CREATIVE SECTORS. ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL SECTORS. • Curiosity – A willingness to experiment On 17th July 2017, Leeds City Council agreed a and explore new cultures and technologies new Culture Strategy for the period 2017-2030. without the fear of failure Capacity building is a high priority in Leeds is achieving some positive results and the strategy. Current weaknesses were best practice with culture embedded in its Taking inspiration from the Agenda 21 for • Generosity – The opening of networks identified as: work across social sectors. They include our Culture, the Culture Strategy imagines the city and spaces created for conversation • A lack of support for research & award-winning Migrant Access Partnership, as a place in which culture can flourish and and the time made for those around us development and cultural innovation the world’s first Theatre of Sanctuary (West be woven into all aspects of life. The Culture • A very low European and international profile Yorkshire Playhouse), and a city-wide Child Strategy is an investment in our arts and our • Respect– Acknowledging our differences • A lack of flexible and formalised support for Friendly Leeds initiative. The new Culture people to promote an inclusive and sustainable and facing, embracing and celebrating artists and creators Strategy will ensure that this cultural quality of life for residents. them while being open to outside influences engagement can also be replicated at policy and new ideas In response, one of the Strategy’s five aims level across planning, housing, transport, Over several months discussions were hosted is to ‘value and respect artists and creativity, the economy and all aspects of social care. across the city with many different groups. • Resilience – The city will build resilience considering both to be vital to the growth Levels of interest and engagement were really across our cultures and communities, and prosperity of Leeds.’ Similarly, one of the In particular, the 185-hectare regeneration strong and we saw 40,000 hits on an open supporting artists and creators in their five strategic objectives is ‘for established of Leeds South Bank over the next 15 years community blog. After this deep and broad early and career development. The cultural cultural organisations to be resilient and has embedded culture in its early plans. consultation a set of principles was created sector will do more than make great art, to create an environment in which new - a subsequent web-based survey showed it will become embedded across the city, cultural organisations can flourish.’ While The city is at a turning point, with major 90% support for them. leading change from within. the full Culture Strategy Delivery Plan is in plans for new transport systems, a further development, actions directly associated with 70,000 homes scheduled for development, The strategy comprises five overarching aims • Honesty – The ability to have difficult our 2023 bid also focused on capacity building. major changes to health and social care, and and seven objectives addressing a range conversations, building trust and integrity significant inward investment opportunities. of social and economic issues faced by the across networks, relationships and The THINK 2023 fellowship brings together city and its cultural sector. Everyone will use partnerships, a starting point for genuine a group of young people from diverse Developing our bid has already involved the agreed values opposite as our shared collaboration, and sustainable development backgrounds to support their journey to conversations with major investors and compass. become artists and cultural leaders of the stakeholders, such as the Leeds City Region future. The fellowship offers support to build Local Economic Partnership and the Chambers The next step is to develop the full delivery international networks and to meet and work of Commerce, to ensure that culture is adopted plan for the first three years of the Strategy, with some of the city’s artistic leaders. as part of their strategies for economic and 2018-21. Leeds has joined the United Cities social development. Local Government (UCLG) and Culture Action The Leeds 2023 team also funded a series of Europe (CAE) European Pilot Cities Programme artistic projects to test, develop and scale- and will develop the delivery plan with a strong up creative ideas generated by artists and focus on the role of culture in developing organisations to develop a greater international sustainable cities. This delivery plan will be dimension. available in spring 2018. The team created the Explore Fund, a targeted package of financial support to cultural practitioners from Leeds to foster international partnerships, research and project development. Henry Institute Moore
10 11 • Increased skills, training and employment Q.5d Q.6 Q.7 opportunities in the creative sector WHAT ARE THE PLANS FOR SUSTAINING HOW IS THE EUROPEAN CAPITAL IF YOUR CITY IS AWARDED THE EUROPEAN • A strong network of experienced producers THE CULTURAL ACTIVITIES BEYOND OF CULTURE ACTION INCLUDED CAPITAL OF CULTURE, WHAT DO YOU THINK supported by and collaborating with the THE YEAR OF THE TITLE? IN THIS STRATEGY? WOULD BE THE LONG-TERM CULTURAL, city’s major institutions SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC IMPACT ON THE CITY (INCLUDING IN TERMS OF URBAN • An ongoing mentoring scheme developed The Culture Strategy provides a framework The Culture Strategy values inform our bid DEVELOPMENT)? with a team of European Programme for a sustainable cultural sector from 2017 throughout. While all aims and objectives Associates to 2030. As part of our preparation for the title, of the Culture Strategy are relevant and we aim to create an extra £4 million annual connected to our bid, the most explicit are: The research and evaluation timeline table on SOCIAL IMPACTS fund for culture from 2024. A legacy fund of page 17 provides specific detail on how we plan The bid process has highlighted how little £1 million per year has been secured from AIM 3: to measure and evaluate the proposed social we knew about our audiences. Our detailed Leeds City Council. Become open to the cultures of the world, and economic impacts. research shows major inequalities in cultural internationally connected, and play an active access and associated disconnection. We will Other partners are likely to include the UK role in shaping global policy and leadership. CULTURAL IMPACTS develop a wider social profile of audiences and Government, the private sector, and Arts Leeds has a strong cultural infrastructure participants and facilitate a step change in Council England. Leeds Culture Trust, the OBJECTIVE 3: and has a number of well-established, levels of curiosity, pride and knowledge: independent organisation which would deliver For Leeds to be nationally and internationally nationally recognised, large-scale producers the year, would continue working beyond 2023 recognised as a liveable city, and a thriving, and institutions in the centre of the city. We • Increased arts attendance in the five most for at least three years, with the ambition to internationally connected cultural hub open need to do more for both our outlying areas disadvantaged areas of the city by 20% bring together existing partners into a single to collaboration. and international connections. In particular, legacy programme. This will include the Trust, we want to elevate our reputation in Europe • Increased active engagement by the general Leeds City Council and a legacy team working Our bid will be a key project to deliver the new and facilitate the next generation of cultural population in arts and culture by 8%, collaboratively with partners at the city’s Culture Strategy, differentiating Leeds from leaders: four Universities to maintain programming, other parts of the UK, allowing us to forge new • An engagement of 70% of the city’s research and evaluation. relationships in Europe. • A new model for a post-Brexit relationship population at one or more event in 2023 between European and UK cities Leeds will use the bid for European Capital • Stabilise or improve the downward trend in of Culture to reassert the value of its cultures, • Raised international awareness of Leeds young peoples’ engagement with the arts promote the contribution of its artists and as a European cultural city creators and give the city and its people the • Active civic engagement of our population in confidence to lead with culture across every • Improved quality and profile of our major the development and the delivery of cultural aspect of daily life. festivals programmes in all 33 wards of the city
Through Leeds 2023 we will ensure that • More cultural organisations cooperating with • Building on an enhanced culture of Leeds is central to Europe at a time when European partners through co-production volunteering in the city Europe is in need of unity and collaboration.
• Strengthened and accessible cultural and • Empowering children and young people Our bid for the European Capital of Culture digital infrastructure in all parts of the city to programme and curate cultural content is the flagship undertaking of the Culture Strategy. • More opportunities to showcase the work and stories of women and Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic artists and producers The Tetley Centre Contemporary for Tetley The Art Learning,Ginger Group and
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ECONOMIC IMPACTS
Leeds is committed to inclusive economic Q.8 Q.8a Q.8c growth, providing jobs and opportunities which reduce inequality in the city: DESCRIBE YOUR PLANS FOR WHO WILL CARRY OUT WHAT BASELINE STUDIES OR SURVEYS, MONITORING AND EVALUATING THE EVALUATION? IF ANY, WILL YOU INTEND TO USE? • An increased number of sustainable THE IMPACT OF THE TITLE ON cultural organisations exporting and YOUR CITY AND FOR DISSEMINATING collaborating nationally and internationally THE RESULTS OF THE EVALUATION. We hope to secure secondments into our Leeds 2023 prioritised research at the delivery team. The secondments will form start, working with the West Yorkshire Data • Sustaining and increasing the number the client team, who will commission and Observatory, the University of Leeds and of students, who are choosing Leeds to We believe that the evaluation should be analyse research and create opportunities Leeds Beckett University. We sought advice study and train independent of the delivery vehicle, and we for dissemination. from Liverpool and other European Capitals plan to establish and work with a consortium of Culture such as Aarhus. • Improving retention rates of graduates of universities including the University of We envisage a significant body of research in arts subjects Leeds, Leeds Beckett, Hull and Liverpool projects, built around European themes. We Our bid has been informed by census data and Institute, so that our work contributes to will coordinate a bid to the Arts and Humanities knowledge gathered by Data Mill North. We • Significantly growing cultural tourism in a longer-term body of research across the Research Council (AHRC) to support an in-depth have also worked with existing local authority volume, value and geographic catchment North of England. research focus on the impact of Leeds 2023. data, some drawn from national statistics and some from local surveys. A national census in • Accelerating culture-related regeneration We will also commission a specific piece of 2021 will provide fresh perspectives on issues
projects and ensuring a legacy of new and work to evaluate the depth and sustainability such as migration and employment. improved cultural facilities of European cultural collaborations and the Q.8b impact of the year in a European context, We have commissioned the following baseline • Creating more jobs in the cultural and post Brexit. WILL CONCRETE OBJECTIVES AND studies in support of Leeds 2023: tourism sectors MILESTONES BETWEEN THE DESIGNATION Individual projects over €100,000 will be AND THE YEAR OF THE TITLE BE INCLUDED • An online non-visitor perceptions study • Creating a step change in business and required to budget their own evaluation against IN YOUR EVALUATION PLAN? private sector investment in culture an agreed methodology. All projects will • A 12-month visitor profile study tracking provide data to a central dashboard with daily 1,500 day, overnight and international monitoring of events, hotel occupancy and Yes. We will confirm a set of objectives visitors to the city, recording their travel,
other data. in our final bid submission, if short-listed. cultural awareness, activity, spend and satisfaction levels We will develop an archive of the Leeds 2023 bid from inception to delivery, to provide ‘We want to facilitate • An audience study mapping box office an open access, legacy data resource for data from 600,000 arts attenders across research by students, academics and the 16 venues in Leeds cultural sector. the next generation • An economic impact study Leeds 2023 will host a series of digitally Leeds Indie Food Festival 2017 Hyde Park Brass Band at Leeds Feast, streamed seminars and conferences during of cultural leaders...’ • Action-based research by the Leeds Donut the year to share our work. There will be a group, on impact in communities major international summit in December 2024, working with other European Capitals of Culture • A residents’ survey on cultural engagement to look at the learning points. Our work will also be informed by evaluation Research is already underway by the University of existing projects such as Opera North’s in- of Leeds and Leeds Beckett University to depth El Sistema music residency ‘In Harmony’ measure the impact of Leeds 2023, pre and working with schools in south Leeds. post bid.
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• Our culture sector becoming more OVER WHAT TIME FRAME AND HOW REGULARLY Q.8d connected with our communities, Q.8f WILL THE EVALUATION BE CARRIED OUT? reaching people and parts of the WHAT SORT OF INFORMATION WILL city not previously engaged. YOU TRACK AND MONITOR? • A greater international profile and strengthened collaborations between See the infographic below for the types of data Leeds and its European counterparts we will collect and analyse. For us, success is when people no longer question the value of culture; when culture Evaluate has a seat at the table of new projects from 2016 2018 2020 Beyond the start; when culture is represented at to 2017 to 2019 to 2022 2023 2024 2024 Q.8e forums and debates that are not specifically related to culture; when our city is known for Gather social Baseline Develop Data Draft 2026 HOW WILL YOU DEFINE ‘SUCCESS’? its cultural life alongside its retail story; where economic figures on: dashboard collection Evaluation 3 year no-one asks artists to work for nothing; and data and live report review when there is outrage at the suggestion culture Migration Agree data evaluation Our greatest success will be in achieving is something that we can live without. Baseline collection on: Final 2033 wide levels of engagement from Leeds research on: European methodology evaluation 10 year citizens in the build-up, the year itself and Audiences Visitor profile October review the legacy programmes. Other markers of Audiences Commission research 2024 success will include: ‘Success will be when Participation IT system Visitors Audience • Achieving growth in all of our target areas people no longer European Recruit data Economy links specialist • An increase in the local and external evaluators Satisfaction reputation of the city and its cultural life question the value Hotels Hotel stock UK census Local pride of culture’ Local pride & well-being & well-being Award contracts for In year Develop evaluation seminar database Develop QUESTION 8D Consult with database previous Social studies AHRC Participation Media & Web research bid & Volunteering Engagement Agree final evaluation Census Media Monitoring framework Data & Online Surveys Henry Institute Moore
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A shock-wave passed through our city in 2005, Q.9a when we discovered the 7/7 London bombings were devised in one of our inner city suburbs. The European PROMOTING THE CULTURAL DIVERSITY OF EUROPE, INTERCULTURAL DIALOGUE AND Since then, we have implemented community GREATER MUTUAL UNDERSTANDING cohesion programmes and we share our BETWEEN EUROPEAN CITIZENS. learning through the European Radicalisation Awareness Network. Our use of restorative dimension practice within communities, schools and The Leeds 2023 bid recognises that families has been shared internationally via intercultural and interfaith dialogue is essential membership of a UNESCO led pan-European in promoting the building of fair, peaceful research and practice network. Our restorative and inclusive societies which value cultural approach featured in a past Comenius Regio diversity and respect human rights. Dialogue project and will form the basis of a future establishes common ground for exchanges ERASMUS+ bid. between every section of our population. In 2016, Leeds won the EUROCITIES Award for Migration is not a new phenomenon for our city. Participation for its Migrant Access Project, Leeds received Irish workers fleeing the Great which equips migrant community networks Potato Famine of 1845-1850, and Russians and from different national, ethnic or language Eastern European Jews arriving in the 1880s, backgrounds with the skills and knowledge with more fleeing the pogroms of the early to tell new arrivals about life in Leeds. These 1900s. The Second World War produced new networks provide support to communities as waves of migrants including Poles, Latvians, well as vital information that is both correct Lithuanians, Ukrainians, Hungarians, and up-to-date, enabling access to appropriate Serbians and Italians. The 1950s and 60s saw services. In 2017, we have shared best practice migrants arrive from the former colonies and with Milan and Stockholm through the Commonwealth countries like India, Pakistan, Solidarity Cities network on how we work Bangladesh, the Caribbean and Hong Kong. with unaccompanied refugee children. During the 1970s, Leeds gave a new home to the dependants of these newly settled The path has not been easy, but in 2017, the ‘Commonwealth’ migrants. year we celebrated the 50th anniversary of Leeds West Indian Carnival, we have learnt a Since the enlargement of the European Union great deal. Leeds is now a ‘City of Sanctuary’ more Eastern Europeans, including a large where you can find buildings such as the Irish Polish community and Roma from Slovakia, Centre, the West Indian Centre and the Polish the Czech Republic and Romania have come Centre as places of worship and culture. to Leeds. Most recently we have welcomed Recognising our diversity as our strength refugees from Syria. and migration as a virtue rather than an issue, we now have the experience and expertise Migrant communities have experienced to share with other cities in Europe which racism here and have had to fight for their are experiencing new migration and rights and recognition. population change. Northern Contemporary of School Dance, Richard Moran
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This theme will also look at how we can support In 2017 three of our cultural festivals, Light INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS Q.9b children and young people to be resilient Night Leeds, Compass Live Art and Leeds As the third largest city in the UK and the European citizens, developing connections International Film Festival were awarded the engine for growth and job creation in the city HIGHLIGHT THE COMMON ASPECTS with peers across the continent and building Europe for Festivals, Festivals for Europe region, Leeds is challenged with establishing OF EUROPEAN CULTURES, HERITAGE skills for the future across borders. (EFFE) label for remarkable festivals initiated a new set of international relations as we AND HISTORY, AS WELL AS EUROPEAN by the European Festivals Association. approach our departure from the European INTEGRATION AND CURRENT We plan to tackle some of the very real Our cultural organisations and artists have Union. EUROPEAN THEMES challenges facing Europe head on – identity, been involved in meetings with Documenta, anxiety and inequality – through our theme Aerowaves and the Informal European Theatre In a dynamic and fast-changing political of Fear & Belonging. Meeting (IETM). landscape, we recognise that culture offers THE EUROPEAN DIMENSION OF LEEDS 2023 a unique opportunity to improve relations with WILL BE REFLECTED ON SEVERAL LEVELS: Our Artistic Programme shines a light on In the build up to 2023 we will engage, as partners across Europe and the wider world. our status as a City of Sanctuary, revealing hosts or active participants, with European • Through our Artistic Programme previously hidden narratives and using cultural networks such as LIKE, IETM, the New Culture is a valuable resource to tackle participation as a means of opening Initiatives and Challenges in Europe (NICE), many of the challenges which cities, Europe • Through our participation within European challenging debate around integration and the European Centre for Creative Economy, and the world are currently facing, such as networks the communities that make up the Fabric the new Candidate Cities network initiated by the integration of refugees and migrants, of our city and continent. Cluj, and the University Network of European countering fascism, radicalisation and the • Through our approach to putting culture Capitals of Culture (UNECC). Through the protection of cultural heritage. at the heart of our international relations We will give partners across Europe the European Pilot Cities Programme, we will work Room to explore themes which are pressing with the network of United Cities and Local A FOCUS ON EUROPE for them and us, including future living and Governments (UCLG) and Culture Action IN THE ARTISTIC PROGRAMME sustainability, migration and multilingualism, Europe to develop the Delivery Plan for Leeds will create an Artistic Programme which inequality and the need to build an inclusive our Culture Strategy. integrates voices, practice and processes society, the need to challenge the rise of originating from the many rich cultures of populism and to create a future Europe our European community. We will introduce which is connected to its people. ourselves to Europe and introduce artists and audiences from across Europe to Leeds, building collaborations that discover solutions EUROPEAN AND INTERNATIONAL NETWORKS to the challenges of the present and the future. Our recently renewed involvement in the EUROCITIES network has allowed us to start By rooting every project and aspect of the exploring themes of migration and equality, Artistic Programme in the city and by working sustainability and inclusive growth with with participants, artists, audiences and other partners across Europe. When we hosted European partners, we will identify those an Urban Ageing working group in Leeds, questions that are of most importance to we shared the ways in which our cultural us as people, communities and societies. organisations encourage the participation of older people and dementia sufferers. We plan Recent economic, societal and political to work with EUROCITIES Culture Forum to host changes mean that transitioning from webinars on our themes and projects, and to childhood to adulthood is more complex seek partners to help us explore and better than ever before, as the stark contrasts in understand the issues we struggle with. aspirations between the generations are laid bare. Our theme of Voice will explore future citizenship and young people’s responses to the new post-Brexit Europe. Dave-O & dancers from SAA-UK, ‘I AM SPARK’ Leeds 2023 Film, Studio 12
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climate. In realising Bus Pass, an ambitious Historically Spain, the Netherlands, Ireland BUSINESS & EDUCATION Q.9c and large-scale work for older participants and Germany have been the most significant Leeds is the 5th largest conference market and performers, director Alan Lyddiard and the visitor markets. Our latest tourism research in the UK – we estimate conferences could FEATURING EUROPEAN ARTISTS, COOPERATION Performance Ensemble will work with National has identified growing markets in China, USA, attract over 11,000 international visitors in WITH OPERATORS AND CITIES IN DIFFERENT Hungarian Theatre (Cluj), Creative Ageing Sweden, Australia and Poland, offering real 2023 – including the proposed European COUNTRIES, AND TRANSNATIONAL International (Dublin), Théâtre Sans Frontières potential to turn Leeds into a truly international Youth Summit visitors from the UK and PARTNERSHIPS, NAME SOME EUROPEAN AND (UK), 509 Arts (UK), Centre for Community destination. beyond. A programme of cultural and INTERNATIONAL ARTISTS, OPERATORS AND Cultural Development (Hong Kong), and La academic conferences will take place CITIES WITH WHICH COOPERATION IS ENVISAGED Bodega Estudio de Grabacion (Spain). Throughout our year we will reach out to throughout our year as host, bringing AND SPECIFY THE TYPE OF EXCHANGES migrants who have chosen to make Leeds Europe’s greatest thinkers, activists and IN QUESTION. NAME THE TRANSNATIONAL For the interdisciplinary work Flow, Opera their home to attract family and friends of over artists to Leeds and sharing this content PARTNERSHIPS YOUR CITY HAS ALREADY North will work with artists including Mariele 38,000 Leeds-based European migrants and to active digital audiences. ESTABLISHED OR PLANS TO ESTABLISH. Neudecker (Germany/UK), Arve Henriksen other ethnic groups including Indian, Pakistani, (Norway), Kim Brandstrup (Denmark), and African, Chinese and Caribbean people. The Education will form a strong part of our bid Rakesh Chaurasia (India). graph below shows the significant non-UK and we are already working with our extensive We recognise the economic benefits of cultural born populations in our city. If 50% of these network of international university alumni in exchange as well as seeing it as a vehicle for Bauman Lyons Architects will work with residents invited two visitors in 2023 we would over 100 countries to promote the city and connecting people, cities and nations. On 23rd significant European architectural practices potentially see 100,000 additional visitors from will offer ‘Return to Leeds’ packages during May 2017 the council of the European Union in imagining Making Rooms in Common, and over 90 countries across the world. the build-up and delivery of our year. In adopted the inclusion of culture in its strategic Leeds-based curator Kerry Harker will curate addition to this our work through ERASMUS+ approach to international cultural relations. a major new visual arts and public realm In addition to this we will work alongside with schools and with the further, higher and This is reflected in Leeds’ newly adopted programme in East Leeds with internationally our partners Leeds Bradford Airport on the vocational education sectors will encourage approach to international relations. acclaimed European artists. development of new routes and utilise Leeds students and staff to Leeds. 2023 to grow the relatively low levels of As part of our programme for Leeds 2023, international inbound traffic to Leeds. Working COMMUNICATION & PROMOTION we will work with European and international with VisitBritain and other cultural cities in Our online and broadcast programmes will artists across every project that we develop. the north, including Liverpool, Manchester, work with partners such as the BBC and International projects include new Q.10 Hull and Newcastle, we will offer combined The Space and make work available collaborations with: cultural packages. worldwide. Our web and online presence will CAN YOU EXPLAIN YOUR STRATEGY TO present a live archive of projects in multiple • Theaster Gates (USA) ATTRACT THE INTEREST OF A BROAD languages for international audiences. EUROPEAN AND INTERNATIONAL PUBLIC? • Phoenix Dance Theatre and Philippe More detail on our plans for Marketing and Decouflé (France) QUESTION 10: NON–UK ORIGIN LEEDS RESIDENTS Communication can be found in Question 48. Using our artistic programme as our inspiration, • Leeds Museums & Galleries and Do Ho Suh we will create imaginative, exciting and Other European Union 20,302 (South Korea), Chiharu Shiota (Japan) and inspiring moments, inviting people from across Poland 7,139 Saad Qureshi (UK) the world to meet with us in Leeds. Accession Countries 4,900 Ireland 4,762 Leeds Young Film will work with Dortmunder EUROPEAN & INTERNATIONAL VISITORS Rest of Europe 1,851 U (Germany) and European Childrens’ Although the third largest city in the UK, Leeds Africa 16,837 Film Association (The Netherlands) on the ranks 14th nationally for international visitors. Pakistan 8,712 development of a new Leeds Childrens’ Our current mix of overseas visitors is divided India 8,284 Cinema. Commonwealth Theatre will work with between tourists (30%), visiting family and Middle East 6,544 Albany Park Theater Project (USA) and friends (30%) and business visitors (40%). Eastern Asia 4,282 Hetpaleis (Belgium) to explore young people’s Caribbean 3,018 responses to the current socio-political Bangladesh 1,729
Source: UK Census 2011
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We have attended the launches of three QUESTION 11: EUROPEAN CONNECTIONS Q.11 European Capitals of Culture, namely Wrocław, San Sebastián and Aarhus. In each case we TO WHAT EXTENT DO YOU PLAN TO took the opportunity to have conversations DEVELOP LINKS BETWEEN YOUR with the organising team and to learn from CULTURAL PROGRAMME AND THE their experiences. We have had meetings with CULTURAL PROGRAMME OF OTHER CITIES Aarhus’ marketing team and have also met HOLDING THE EUROPEAN CAPITAL OF with Leeuwarden’s bid team. CULTURE TITLE? A Leeds video-mapping artist participated in the Avant Arts festival as part of Wrocław 2016, Over the last three years the Leeds 2023 team part of a three-way collaboration between and our partners have embarked on a series Leeds, Lille and Wrocław. Leeds of visits, meetings and conversations with previous, current and future European Capital We have developed good links with Galway, of Culture title holders. There is much we want who advised us on their use of the Culture 21 to learn and share. Pilot Cities programme. This conversation led us into the new Pilot Cities Europe programme, OUR TWIN CITIES which has opened up contacts with other Pilot We enjoy strong links with our twin cities of Cities, such as Rijeka, Esch-sur-Alzette and Brno, Lille and Dortmund, the latter being Timişoara. part of Ruhr 2010 and both Lille and Dortmund former European Capitals of Culture. From the CONNECTING WITH HUNGARIAN CITIES start of our journey in this competition, our We participated in conferences in Pécs in 2016 twin cities have supported us with advice on and 2017 which aimed to prepare Hungarian the bidding process, community engagement, candidates for the 2023 European Capital of artistic programming and the importance Culture competition. We made early contact of a strong legacy. Experts from both cities with Hungarian bidding cities and particularly have taken part in engagement workshops in with Debrecen, Eger and Veszprém. We have Leeds to share their experiences with our local participated via Skype in a meeting with Eger’s partners and an expert from Lille was part of cultural sector to share our experience of being the Leeds 2023 brand selection panel. Both a bidding city, and also met with Debrecen ECoC LINKS EXPLORE FUND LINKS ECoC CANDIDATE LINKS cities are hosting a group of ERASMUS+ funded to act as “critical friends” at an international teachers and cultural education specialists symposium looking at the vision and concept • Liverpool • Oslo • Dresden from Leeds in 2018 to develop ideas for school of the Debrecen bid. • Galway • Kristiansand • Esch-sur-Alzette projects around our concept and themes. • Aarhus • Copenhagen • Nürnberg Not only have we connected with Hungarian • Kaunas • Berlin • Eger candidates, but we are in conversation with • Leeuwarden • Münster • Debrecen Pécs Zsolnay Festival around programme • Lille • Kasel • Cluj-Napoca activities. Over the last two years • Wrocław • Amsterdam • Veszprém representatives from Eger and Debrecen • San Sebastián • Rotterdam • Braga have participated in our Light Night Leeds • Dortmund • Ghent • Aveiro festival, giving us the opportunity to explore • Rijeka • Brussels • Katowice partnerships for the artistic programme. • Pecs • Luxembourg • Timișoara • Lausanne • Riga • Budapest • Elefsina • Barcelona • Matera • Athens • Novi Sad
24 25 THE LEEDS 2023 EXPLORE FUND In the summer of 2017, Leeds was accepted We have set up a Leeds 2023 Explore fund into the Network for Innovations in Culture to enable Leeds cultural organisations and & Creativity in Europe (NICE), which will see artists to visit international partners with Leeds share ideas and best practice with Artistic a view to exploring new collaborations for cities such as Bilbao, Essen and Rotterdam. 2023. This year our explorers are visiting many previous and future European Capitals Looking beyond 2023, we are already sharing of Culture including Galway, Aarhus and our early experiences with cities in Germany Programme Dortmund. bidding for the 2025 title. In September 2017, representatives from Leeds presented at the SHARING OUR EXPERIENCE ‘Conference of the Rivals’ in Dresden and also We presented at the recent LIKE conference visited the Nürnberg team. on ‘What kind of Capitals for Culture’ in Aarhus and participated in the Candidates Cities Many of these activities have focused on Network in Cluj. Both have provided a wealth sharing experiences of the bidding process, of contacts which we are currently pursuing and we are now developing conversations and linking to our Artistic Programme. around artistic programming. Some are early contacts, where others are well established. We have some firm partnerships in place for the Artistic Programme, and will be working to develop memoranda of understanding with key cities.
Tom Joy David Shearing’s Incredible Things, Incredible David Shearing’s Light Night Leeds 2016, Simon Dewhurst
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Our Artistic Programme is inspired by While our projects are thematically grouped, Q.12 such local figures as Henry Moore, Q.13 in many cases they inform or burst into other Caryl Phillips, Nadine Senior, Alan Bennett themes. For example, although Voice is WHAT IS THE ARTISTIC VISION AND and Corinne Bailey Rae who reached out from DESCRIBE THE STRUCTURE OF THE dedicated to programming for and by children STRATEGY FOR THE CULTURAL humble beginnings to find their place in world CULTURAL PROGRAMME, INCLUDING and young people, projects connecting with PROGRAMME OF THE YEAR? culture. Our vision positions artists at the heart THE RANGE AND DIVERSITY OF THE younger artists, participants and audiences of the programme, supports new European and ACTIVITIES/MAIN EVENTS THAT WILL feature in other programme strands. international partnerships, broadens horizons, MARK THE YEAR. FOR EACH ONE, PLEASE Our vision is based on the principles that led and creates opportunities for the next SUPPLY THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION: To give a new shape to the year, our opening us to apply to become European Capital of generation to make, participate and learn. DATE AND PLACE / PROJECT PARTNERS / event, Light Night Leeds, will be re-imagined as Culture. At a time when Europe and the wider FINANCING. a week-long festival representing contemporary world is in flux, when the many residents who Our Artistic Programme will encourage us visions of the city’s heritage and history. Our call Leeds and Europe their home may feel to examine how we interact with those living finale will represent the beginning of our legacy afraid, voiceless, divided or alone, when the next-door as well as with neighbourhoods that programme and will be the culmination of our values that underpin the European project might feel a million miles away; to examine how programmes working with children and young feel threatened, when Zygmunt Bauman’s we see ourselves, our city and our continent. people across Leeds and Europe. writings on social inequalities are ever more vital, we will strengthen our connectivity and We might never see any of these things the The projects outlined in this bid are in foreground culture and community. same way again. development with artists, companies and cultural organisations. A timeline for the We will bring people together to co-curate, Artistic Programme will be produced for create, produce and perform. Through this the second bid book. collaboration, we want to build and strengthen Leeds’ place in Europe and globally, so that together we will understand and explore commonly held experiences.
The Artistic Programme will not shy away from the difficult issues of our times. Through deep European and international connections, it will celebrate the power of the Free Movement of Ideas that cross our borders and inspire us.
We will build on the work of the Culture Strategy and our collective history and experience of socially engaged cultural practice to promote great art for anyone. Our entire programme will be digitally accessible, making use of new technologies as they emerge. We will reach out from every corner of our city and continent to actively engage citizens as creators, curators, participants and producers. Rash Dash Theatre production of ‘Darkest Corners’, Theatre Dash Rash ‘Darkest Corners’, production of Transform 17 17 Transform
28 29 Our programme is bound to a commitment ICING THE DONUT MAKING ROOMS IN COMMON to represent a new sense of a complex, The city’s suburbs are not just divided by Many neighbourhoods in Leeds have a ‘common’ Fabric multifaceted European identity, and to fill this postcodes but by economic deprivation, (land dedicated to common use) and every city with an international cultural programme cultural background, and social status; bisected neighbourhood has makers. Making can There are many differences within and between that connects with communities outside of our by motorways and disconnected by public bring together strangers, give us an outlet European cities that can divide us, and things in city centre in ways that have not previously transport routes heading only to the city centre. for creativity, allow us to develop skills, help common that can bring us together. Leeds is a been possible. us to live more thoughtfully and to become place of such diversity – built on the creativity, Most major European cities have a ‘donut’: producers rather than consumers. industry and entrepreneurship of workers, BEYOND a term coined in the late 70s to define a ring merchants, artists and artisans from A collective of organisations working with of deprivation around the boundaries of a city Making Rooms in Common facilitates Leeds’ across the world, threaded with myriad learning-disabled artists, BEYOND, will support centre. The term is used, affectionately or not, culture of making, innovation, engagement experiences, encounters, trades and languages. six cross-art form commissions by individual to define some of Leeds’ most culturally active and collaboration by enabling young volunteers learning disabled artists in partnership with areas such as Chapeltown, Beeston and to design, fabricate, erect and run small In common with many across Europe we are mainstream cultural venues. The commissions Harehills. Working with the Donut group common rooms in participating neighbourhoods a city of inequalities. As European Capital of will be informed by a collaborative artwork (a collective of community venues) we will across the city and leading up to and across Culture, and with a commitment to work in the created in advance of 2023 by a group of activate a three-year programme and network 2023. These rooms will be constructed using long term through our city’s Culture Strategy, learning disabled artists from Leeds and Europe. of exchange, repositioning Leeds’ ‘Donut’ as an innovative digital construction system Leeds will bring to the fore those who are at a ring of creative excellence, acknowledging developed by Bauman Lyons Architects. risk of being written out of Europe’s collective Their work will explore how we create better the city’s rich history of socially engaged memory. We will celebrate the strength, access to commissioning, creating and creative practice. Delivery lead: Bauman Lyons Architects. complexity and richness that we share with exhibiting opportunities in cities for artists Partners: Leeds Love It Share It, Leeds all who call Leeds and Europe home. with a learning disability. The project will build an exchange programme Community Foundation, Leeds with European counterparts, and create small- College of Building, Leeds Fabric provides the framework to transform a Delivery lead: BEYOND Collective. scale and hyper-local touring circuits for Arts University, Leeds Beckett city – interweaving the fibres of communities Partners: KCat (Ireland), Cooperations performing arts projects from across Europe University’s School of Built across Europe, rooted in Leeds’ industrial and (Luxembourg), SKID (Germany). co-curated and co-created with Environment and Engineering, cultural heritage, all the while fearlessly asking local neighbourhoods. and European architectural ‘whose city is this, whose culture do we mean?’ practices. Partners: Chapel FM, HEART, Holbeck WHOSE CITY, WHOSE CULTURE? Underground Ballroom, ADDITIONAL PROJECTS INCLUDE: Interplay, Left Bank, Otley FABRIC OF THE CITY Courthouse, Sunnybank Mills Crossing the Line Gallery, Union 105. A week-long inclusive performance festival This strand describes a series of projects featuring leading learning-disabled theatre that seek to redress cultural imbalances companies from across Europe. in Leeds and across Europe. Where culture has become homogenised, we will strive for East Leeds Project distinction and originality. Where cultural A new programme of international and site- leaders, artists and communities have been specific visual art exploring issues of deprived marginalised, we will look to shift the centre of ‘East Ends’ in Europe. gravity and change our focus. Where there has been appropriation, we will give back ownership Pablo and assert provenance. A new touring circus piece celebrating a hidden Black British Leeds story and developing circus artists and practice in the city. by Mind the Gap, Anouk Desury CONTAINED CONTAINED
30 31 THE THINGS THAT BIND US: Afropean THE LIGHTHOUSE A series of site-specific and interdisciplinary Leeds sits at the centre of the UK, far from THE FABRIC OF COMMUNITIES commissions looking to the future of the Black Fear & Belonging the sea and yet was once a thriving inland European experience. port. For 2023, we imagine a new beacon for A strand featuring projects designed to connect Fear & Belonging aims to provide places and the city, the building of a full-sized lighthouse with those who feel distant, to revitalise social The Bread and Salt Between Us spaces for people across Europe to share and on Leeds’ South Bank that takes inspiration spaces and traditions and surprise us with what A food project for the people of Leeds and debate the things that make us afraid; the from an original lighthouse designed by the can be done with a needle, thread and an eye Europe that will explore and share our stories things that keep us awake at night, our tensions, city’s celebrated civil engineer John Smeaton. for the details. of culture through touch, smell and taste. our doubts about how we live and work together, the challenges we face individually and The Lighthouse will shine a guiding light and DANCE PARTY WARP, WEFT, WEAVE: collectively, where we’ve come from, where we welcome workers, visitors and new arrivals to Partnering local communities with leading are and where we are going. And by making our the city. An international programme of light, European choreographers to throw dance CONTEMPORARY RESPONSES TO FABRIC fears visible and audible, how we might come sound and design installations will link the parties and make new works for galas, school together to overcome them. lighthouse to counterparts across the continent, discos, community centres, dance and zumba This strand takes as its inspiration Leeds’ illuminating Leeds and Europe in new ways. This classes, gigs and nightclubs, the project will historical importance as a centre for textile The provision of welfare and properly engaging project is supported by the European real estate culminate in a massive dance party in Leeds production, inviting artists to explore our built with one another form the bedrock of the mental company Vastint. with satellites across Europe. heritage and respond to the ideas of fabric, health and well-being of any European city. The weaving and thread. pace at which we live, work and consume has Delivery lead: Jane Earnshaw A celebration of social dance for all ages, reduced our capacity to listen, meet and share. & Abby Dix-Mason. spaces, traditions and cultures, Dance Party TRIPTYCH Partners: Vastint (The Netherlands), builds on Leeds’ growing reputation as a city A trio of ambitious, large-scale commissions A partnership with the National Health Service Opera North (UK), of dance. by international artists, responding to three (NHS) and Love Arts Leeds will underpin the SAA-UK (UK). Artists: of Leeds’ most significant heritage sites: Fear & Belonging strand, exploring creativity Tom Dekyvere (Belgium), Delivery lead: Leeds Dance Partnership. • Do Ho Suh (South Korea) at Temple Newsam and mental well-being, and working with people, Camille Walala (France), Partners: Ville de Lille (France) and • Chiharu Shiota (Japan) at Kirkstall Abbey some of whom will have personal experience Nitin Sawhney (UK), dancehouses across Europe. • Saad Qureshi (UK) at Leeds Industrial of mental health issues, to produce creative Dave Lynch (UK), Museum and Armley Mills responses to the programme alongside a Mick Stephenson (UK). ADDITIONAL PROJECTS INCLUDE: Europe-wide network of arts and mental The profile of each artist and their intricate health festivals. Playful Anywhere and surprising use of materials, alongside the 33 shipping containers filled with things to backdrop of industrial and cultural heritage We will learn lessons from the past and amplify inspire neighbourhoods to play and create provided by the sites in which they will be the sounds and unknown stories of this city together, shared and paired with cities across set, promises unexpected and engaging and its people. Shine light and share the work Europe, centred on a new Playbox City for Leeds. experiences. and innovation of those who strive to make Europe a better place to live. We will all be Corde Delivery lead: Leeds Museums and Galleries. artists and activists. A multi-platform, multi-art form project from internationally acclaimed company Circa and ADDITIONAL PROJECTS INCLUDE: artistic director Yaron Lifschitz, connecting people through circus, dance, physical theatre Sew What? and music. A large-scale city-wide community engagement project on the theme of Fabric by the national campaigning group 64 Million Artists. David Shearings Incredible Things, Tom Joy David Things, Tom Shearings Incredible
32 33 QUEER AND BELONGING MUTED ADDITIONAL PROJECTS INCLUDE: Land Grab A new network of 20 queer and ally DIY Delivered by artists whose work resonates with Relocating global landscapes in flux to Leeds organisations across Europe will seek to address the concept of hiding or suppressing facets Grief Series through sensory and digital installations, led the disparity of LGBTQIA+ rights through co- of identity, Muted is a series of installations, A three day Dia de los Muertos Festival in Leeds, by Invisible Flock. commissions, touring and a series of events led exhibitions and events running through 2023, delivered in partnership with collaborators in by The Gender Roadshow and Live Art Bistro. created in response to social and medical Mexico and communities across the continent, I Was A Stranger artefacts and clinical collections in Leeds exploring Europe’s response to grief. Inspired by an Ethiopian Prince’s final days in The Project will include a European trans and Europe. Leeds, a major literature project, from Khadijah and non-binary collaboration of talks and Long Boat Ibrahiim, explores the moment the unknown performances, and commissions for local, Delivery lead: Jo Verrent and Tim Wheeler. A large-scale, outdoor sound and light becomes home. national and European LGBTQIA+ Live Art and Partner: Thackray Medical Museum installation and performative voyage, led by the artists. It will create new work for children and (UK). Institute for Crazy Dancing. The slowest ride on Occupy young people that responds to the growing Earth will set sail across Europe. A multi-platform narrative created by Slung profile of trans youth and parenthood. SECRET GARDENS Low and played out through a series of West Yorkshire Playhouse was the world’s first Attack performances, public installations, games Delivery lead: Live Art Bistro and Gender Theatre of Sanctuary. Using Frances Burnett’s A spectacular outdoor performance made by and digital storytelling. Roadshow. classic Yorkshire story as a catalyst, the theatre and for people living in Europe’s largest social Partners: Warehouse 9 (Denmark), PPP will explore contemporary interpretations of the housing estates. The Servant Progr Performance Platform word ‘garden’ through the experiences of A large-scale performance work combining (Switzerland), Elgalpon European refugees and asylum seekers. folk and brass music, instrument making (Peru), Kolkata International The project will share best practice across and theatre. Performance Art Festival the continent, bringing together artists and (India), Bbeyond (Belfast), communities who have sought asylum or refuge Live Art DK (Denmark), to share stories of survival, regrowth, home, Performance Space (UK), forgetting and commemorating. Buzzcut (UK), Museum of Queer Arts (Greece), Galerie Delivery lead: West Yorkshire Playhouse (UK). KUB (Germany).
BUS PASS A large scale performance project on buses, involving thousands of people over the age of 60, led by an international collective of older artists, Bus Pass will explore shared experiences of care and community and how cities can create the best conditions in which to grow old.
Delivery lead: The Performance Ensemble. Partners: National Hungarian Theatre (Hungary), Creative Ageing International (Ireland), Théâtre Sans Frontières (UK), Theatre 509 (UK), Centre for Community Cultural Development (Hong Kong), La Bodega Estudio de Grabacion (Spain). Exposure, Manuel Vason and Jo Bannon Jo and Exposure, Vason Manuel Spark Drummers, Light Night Leeds 2016
34 35 This programme has been informed by an LEEDS CHILDREN’S CINEMA WRITING EUROPE extensive consultation with children and Leeds Children’s Cinema will be a new Leeds Central Library’s Studio 12 will deliver a Voice young people that has sought to hear and dedicated city centre hub where children, Europe-wide film project reaching out across amplify their hopes and dreams for 2023. young people and their families can watch, the continent to connect young writers, artists, We hear and understand a city through its They are our inspiration. make, play and learn with film. spoken word performers and filmmakers with words, music, action, movement and language. established directors, poets and screenwriters. And yet children and young people in the UK INCUBATING THE FUTURE Co-designed with children it will comprise A new collection of short films exploring our bid and across Europe are inheriting a political and Incubating the Future is a creative development a cinema screening films by and for children themes through a youth lens, will be distributed social landscape in which they have had little or programme helping to form the young creative including Virtual Reality and 360˚ immersive film. online and screened at festivals. no say. entrepreneurs who will be cultural leaders in Leeds leading up to 2023 and beyond. Working It will be programmed by a pan-European Delivery lead: Studio 12. This theme recognises that Leeds, while with over 400 young people from across the city, children’s network and include studio spaces Partners: The Writing Squad (UK), Leeds aspiring to be a child friendly city, can still do the programme will create opportunities and for film-making, animation and scriptwriting. International Film Festival much more to improve its urban environments raise the aspirations, social and creative capital A touring cine-mobile will take programmes (UK), Dortmunder U (Germany), and increase cultural opportunities for all. It also of young people who may not think culture is and activity out to local neighbourhoods and British Library (UK), Film recognises the creative and social potential to for them. It will build an infrastructure within make connections to the city centre. Roundhouse. connect children and young people across and out of the city that will provide experiences, Leeds and across Europe. skills and support structures to nurture new and Delivery lead: Leeds Film. ADDITIONAL PROJECTS INCLUDE: diverse voices for culture and connect young Partners: European Children’s Film Therefore, we are dedicating Voice to people with creative innovators in Europe Association, Dortmunder U Three Conversations children and young people. It represents our and globally. (Germany), Maisons Folies et A programme connecting Leeds’ 272 schools commitment to Leeds’ ambition to be the best Flow (France). to European artists and students. city for children and young people to grow up in, Delivery lead: The Cultural Institute, founded on UNICEF’s global movement of Child University of Leeds. I PREDICT A RIOT Take Your Place Friendly Cities. Project partners: Leeds Beckett University, A festival of live performance and intervention An international theatre project connecting Leeds Trinity University, Leeds created, curated and produced entirely by young people across the world, live and online, Arts University, Northern children and young people. I Predict a Riot (a led by Common Wealth in partnership with School of Contemporary working title from a song by Leeds band The Hetpalais (Belgium) and Chicago’s Albany Park Dance, Leeds College of Kaiser Chiefs) will be what children and young Theater Project (USA). Music, The Geraldine Connor people want to see, what they want to say, and Foundation, NCOP, ArtForms, how they want to say it. The festival team will Baby Trees IVE, East Street Arts, Together be a group of 7-15 year olds, who will find the In 2023, we will plant 10,000 trees – one for every for Peace. shows, create images, choose the music, make child born in the city. The project includes an the food and promote the programme. They artist residency linked to the city’s maternity will be supported by so-called ‘expert’ adults, units and provides a carbon bank to partly offset including the project leads, Bristol’s MAYK. It will the environmental effects of our programme. be a party – and hopefully we will be invited! Thirteen Delivery lead: MAYK. A gifting project to teenagers inspired by Finland’s baby boxes.
European Youth Summit Exploring voice, influence and change and featuring a wrap-around cultural programme and city take-over by young people. Writing Britain, Studio 12
36 37 YORKSHIRE SCULPTURE INTERNATIONAL people who live here, guided by their daily lives, NO BORDERS Yorkshire Sculpture International will firmly revealing the hidden; Consume – bringing to the Leeds provides the ideal conditions for Room position Yorkshire as a centre of excellence for fore the alternative, independent, community- musicians to experiment and collaborate. sculpture, building on the region’s history and led food and drink offerings Leeds has inspired No Borders pays homage to contemporary Leeds has a long history of makingRoom for the commitment to collecting, commissioning, and incubated. musicians and composers across Europe and new: new people, new ideas, new artists. There exhibiting, studying and promoting modern the globe who cross boundaries of form, genre is something about this place, this city: a quality and contemporary sculpture. Central to this Delivery lead: East Street Arts. and country. and a creative state of mind that allows space vision is a dedication to creating professional Partners: Stockholm Environment for artists, academics, scientists, sports people, development opportunities for artists locally Institute, Assembly House This includes: The Edge, looking at the chefs, engineers and citizens, to grow, define and internationally, together with the ambition Studios (UK), Pro Progressione breadth and diversity of Jazz across Europe new styles, concoct new flavours, find their flair, to establish a new centre for sculpture (Hungary), N55 (Denmark), and celebrating Leeds’ experimental scene; imagine new horizons, and shine light in dark fabrication in Leeds within the city’s existing Studio Polpo (UK), Awesome Celebrating the anniversary of iconoclastic corners. infrastructure. Merchandise (UK), Northern Hungarian composer György Ligeti and Monk Brew Co (UK), Leeds his influence on contemporary music and It is vital for Leeds to ensure we have room to It will develop links between local and Beckett University (UK), musicians, and European New Music Biennial, breathe. Room to play. Room to live, host and international artists through mentoring, NUCLEO (Belgium). a weekend celebrating contemporary explore. Room to rest and reflect. Room to residencies and exchange projects and feature composition, with musicians and composers re-imagine. a series of sculpture commissions in the public LEEDS FILM OBSERVATORY from across Europe. realm, four major sculpture exhibitions and a A year-long programme of film and photography In 2023 we see Leeds building more room and year-long public engagement programme. bringing audiences closer to the universe and Partners: Serious, PRS Foundation, expanding that space. A space, a theatre, a to each other. Content will range from live NASA The Southbank Centre, Leeds gallery, a street, a square, a park, a school, a Delivery partners: Henry Moore Institute, transmissions and telescope photography to College of Music, Leeds hospital, an office, a factory, in which to create, Leeds Art Gallery, The astronomically aligned and originally curated International Concert Season, make, debate, share, imagine and look to the Hepworth Wakefield, and selections of film-making, exploring the ArtForms. future. Yorkshire Sculpture Park. meaning of our lives on Earth.
GUEST AND HOST Building on the legacy of Louis le Prince, Leeds In Europe we face a decline in the one-to-one, Film Observatory will feature the film heritage intimate, thoughtful encounters with our of Leeds and the largest ever curation of short continental counterparts. The way we move film-making, embracing the world of social around the world is changing rapidly. Where media videos and the future of moving image speed, quality and a voracious appetite to as much as traditional film production. consume is present in our everyday, what is the extent of our hospitality as European cities? Delivery lead: Leeds Film. We will shift and disrupt our roles as guest and Partners: Austrian Cultural Forum, host, extending our homes, streets, shops, Croatian Audiovisual Centre, schools, parks and personal spaces to create Czech Centre, Finnish Film a culture of generosity and belonging. Foundation, Goethe-Institut, Irish Film Board, Norwegian This project will explore themes of: Sleep – Film Institute, Polish Cultural working with Copenhagen-based artist and Institute, Romanian Cultural architect collective N55 to build hand-crafted Institute, Swedish Film rooms co-designed with 50 participating Institute, Unifrance. neighbourhoods who will become our hosts in 2023; Move – inscribing new pathways for our guests to experience routes mapped by the No Borders, Sorathy Kowar, Emile Holba Holba Emile Borders, SorathyNo Kowar, Fun of Food Leeds Indie Food Festival Tom2016, Joy
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ADDITIONAL PROJECTS INCLUDE: Reimagining Architecture A Housing Expo and the creation of a virtual Q.14 Q.15 CLASSIC centre for architecture forming a new European Four radical co-productions, re-framing plays resource and forum for the exchange of urban HOW WILL THE EVENTS AND ACTIVITIES, HOW WILL THE CULTURAL PROGRAMME from the European theatrical canon that explore design innovation. THAT WILL CONSTITUTE THE CULTURAL COMBINE LOCAL CULTURAL HERITAGE diverse identities, will premiere in Leeds and PROGRAMME FOR THE YEAR, BE CHOSEN? AND TRADITIONAL ART FORMS WITH NEW, tour internationally. PERMA INNOVATIVE AND EXPERIMENTAL A series of multi-disciplinary commissions CULTURAL EXPRESSIONS? 24 Hours for European and international artists and In February 2017, we launched an open call A digital installation with 24 screens will companies co-created with scientists and for ideas and received nearly 300 written capture 24 women in 24 time zones over 24 ecologists, investigating future living and proposals from artists and companies. Our programme will combine both the physical hours. Participants will be sourced through sustainability. Alongside the open call a series of engagement and intangible heritages of our city and connections between people in Leeds to events, both live and online, elicited a broad multicultural population. family members across the globe. Reading Rooms spectrum of ideas from people of all ages An internationally significant new commission across the city of Leeds and beyond. International artists will be commissioned to led by Theaster Gates (USA) will install reading take three of the city’s most important heritage rooms across the city to house international The programme outlined in this bid book has sites (Kirkstall Abbey, Temple Newsam and artist archives. developed from that process and represents Armley Industrial Museum) as the frame the foundation of the programme for 2023. for Triptych, a trilogy of works inspired by We are supporting short-listed projects to those sites and the theme of Fabric. further develop ambitious artistic partnerships, This is a programme that bursts with ambition. a strong European dimension, budgets and The city’s richly detailed and grandiose We want this to be truly accessible and want to delivery plans. Victorian architecture will become the canvas capture the imagination of new, international to a series of landmark outdoor projects friends. We will take risks; we will step out of our Each project has and will continue to be tested including Phoenix Dance’s A Graphic Inspire comfort zone, embrace the new and the original, against the following lines of enquiry: artistic Novel in Dance and Circa’s Corde. spark curiosity and light fires of imagination and leadership, transformational aspiration, Leeds has an experimental, independent and inspiration. European dimension, scale, ambition and The 20th Century’s experiments in post-war established cultural landscape and these outreach, sense of place and the legacy it social housing on a large scale definitively projects span multiple forms, including film, Our work is not complete however – we will will leave behind. inform our more recent cultural heritage. theatre, performance, architecture, visual arts, continue to develop the Artistic Programme, They will be explored and given a new vision agriculture, food, heritage, literature and music. to secure European and national partnerships Our final bid book will describe around half by Pauline Mayers’ and Nicola Greenan’s across the project, to work up additional of the proposed programme for our year as Attack, a large-scale outdoor spectacle. We have set no hierarchy of experience, we projects. We look forward to the opportunity host with the remaining 50% curated by the value the scientists, teachers, engineers, to develop the programme for the second appointed Creative Director of Leeds Culture Flow is a collaboration between Opera North, philosophers, sociologists and community bid phase. Trust and their team. Through its funding The Tetley and West Yorkshire Playhouse leaders who have brought their ideas to the contract, Leeds City Council will hold Leeds and is imagined as an epic but intimate table, as well as the artists involved. Culture Trust accountable for the delivery interdisciplinary opera in nine parts taking of the programme as specified in the final place along the River Aire. bid book. Yorkshire Sculpture Park Sculpture Yorkshire
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The firstYorkshire Sculpture International THE EAST LEEDS PROJECT (ELP) responds to Leeds’ recent heritage as the Q.16 Q.17 The ELP will be a major new visual art and crucible in which the artistic lives and careers public realm programme that will occupy of luminaries such as Henry Moore and Barbara HOW HAS THE CITY INVOLVED, OR HOW PLEASE GIVE SOME CONCRETE EXAMPLES green spaces in a wide corridor of land and Hepworth were formed. This new triennial will DOES IT PLAN TO INVOLVE, LOCAL ARTISTS AND NAME SOME LOCAL ARTISTS AND space in East Leeds. The project will be led re-imagine the form, its function in the public AND CULTURAL ORGANISATIONS IN THE CULTURAL ORGANISATIONS WITH WHICH by international and Leeds-based curator realm and a new depth of engagement. CONCEPTION AND IMPLEMENTATION OF COOPERATION IS ENVISAGED AND Kerry Harker. THE CULTURAL PROGRAMME? SPECIFY THE TYPE OF EXCHANGES IN The Servant, Martin Green (of Lau) will bring QUESTION. The ELP is a way to think through the issue of Mühlen’s cautionary tale of industrial growth deprived ‘east ends’ that many cities across and its effects on working people to life. The inspiration and energy of local artists, Europe have in common. The ambition is to producers and organisations are key to the Examples of working with local artists enhance the aspiration and skills of those Traditional and contemporary will collide in success of our bid. and producers include: who live in East Leeds and to create a stronger Pablo, a project that revives circus in Leeds sense of collective ownership over how this – once a thriving democratic art form in the It is through their input into the research, PABLO area might develop. heart of the city. Leading contemporary circus development, curation and delivery that we will The moving and little-known story of performers will expose the hidden story of ensure our programme has integrity, longevity Pablo Fanque, the first Black British circus The project brings together cultural and black impresario Pablo Fanque within a new and adds value to the European Capital of impresario, who made his name here in Leeds community arts organisations working at specially designed ‘big top’. Culture project. and is immortalised on the cover of The Beatles a local level in the area, including Canal album, Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. Connections, Wyke Beck Valley Friends, CLASSIC will be a series of productions of Local artists and companies have participated The project will be created and led by local Space 2, Chapel FM, Gipton Gala as well as European dramatic works in their original in a series of public meetings and workshops circus company Urban Angels and supported parks, health and education organisations. languages with a diverse team at the helm. across the city over the last two years. These by international circuses. Pablo’s story will The ELP is also building links with Rotterdam- The project places a contemporary consultations have been at the core of the be shaped by artist, writer and academic Joe based, internationally-renowned artist and conversation around diversity and identity development of the themes detailed in this Williams. Leeds producer Rosalind Coleman will innovator Daan Roosegaarde. into the context of a past epoch’s characters bid book, in the development of our vision and lead an international creative team. and representation, and will include a co- mission and in the aims and ambitions detailed LAND GRAB production of John Lyly’s Sapho and Phao, an in our Culture Strategy. Led by Leeds-based company Invisible Flock, Elizabethan play, directed by Emma Frankland. Land Grab will be a series of beautiful, living An Artistic Advisory Group was convened in installations, located in neighbourhoods A series of projects will explore and challenge October 2015 and is comprised of artists and across Leeds and employing creative and traditional forms, inviting independent representatives of local cultural organisations, digital technologies. These projects will allow producers and the city’s institutions to and includes writers, broadcasters, audiences to physically experience remote collaborate in new and ambitious ways. choreographers, curators and community landscapes and use new innovations to practitioners. capture, rebuild and re-imagine the effects of climate change around the world. In addition, we appointed Emma Beverley, Matt Burman and Jenny Harris, a team of three Leeds programmers from the independent sector who already have extensive national and international experience, to develop the initial Artistic Programme for our application.
After the open call for projects a workshop was attended by over a hundred local artists and companies as well as representatives of national organisations including the Live Art Development Agency, British Council and Royal Institute of British Architects. Light Night Leeds 2016, Andy Lord
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Europe to its citizens. From its beginnings in Q.18 January 2014, our bid continues to have full support from across the political spectrum in PLEASE CONFIRM AND SUPPLY Leeds. The All-Party Parliamentary Group for EVIDENCE THAT YOU HAVE BROAD AND Yorkshire, comprising all the regional MPs, has STRONG POLITICAL SUPPORT AND A also agreed to support our bid. SUSTAINABLE COMMITMENT FROM THE RELEVANT LOCAL, REGIONAL AND These commitments are sustainable as the NATIONAL PUBLIC AUTHORITIES. European Capital of Culture project features in the council’s published Strategic Plan, and is also a key action of the Leeds Culture Councillor Judith Blake is the first female Strategy, both running until 2030. The council Leader of Leeds City Council. When she has formally agreed all-party support for the became Leader in May 2015, the first decision budget and vision of the bid. she made was to keep culture, the economy and international relations under her own direct There is full support in the wider region and we responsibility. She also took Leeds back into have received letters of support from all of the the EUROCITIES network. public authorities, shown below.
Councillor Blake is the chair of the Core Cities In addition to their involvement in specific group, which represents all the major UK projects in the Artistic Programme and the cities outside London. In that capacity she advance programme, we have held discussions has represented Core Cities within EUROCITIES with national organisations regarding support political meetings, and has contributed to for our year, including: Arts Council England, debates around Brexit and reconnecting Heritage Lottery Fund, Creative England and British Council.
OUR FRIENDS IN YORKSHIRE
Capacity to deliver CORE CITIES IN THE NORTH OF ENGLAND Leeds City Stompers, Grayson Chloe
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BY TRAIN Q.19a Q.19b Leeds Railway Station is the busiest transport Q.19c hub in the north of England, at the heart of the PLEASE CONFIRM AND EVIDENCE THAT WHAT ARE THE CITY’S ASSETS IN TERMS city centre, 27% of visitors arrive by rail (a high WHAT IS CITY’S ABSORPTION CAPACITY IN YOUR CITY HAS OR WILL HAVE ADEQUATE OF REGIONAL, NATIONAL AND proportion by UK standards). TERMS OF TOURIST ACCOMMODATION? AND VIABLE INFRASTRUCTURE TO HOST INTERNATIONAL TRANSPORT? THE TITLE. EXPLAIN HOW THE EUROPEAN By 2019 there will be a 52% increase in CAPITAL OF CULTURE WILL MAKE USE OF the number of morning peak seats on Leeds has a total accommodation of 10,997 AND DEVELOP THE CITY’S CULTURAL Leeds is at the centre of the UK and is TransPennine Express trains into Leeds. beds, with a further 19,000 beds available INFRASTRUCTURE. easily accessible by train, plane bus and car. There is a significant programme of across the Yorkshire region. investment and redevelopment in place BY PLANE to transform the existing station. The city has 71 hotels and the University of The city will use our extensive existing cultural Leeds Bradford Airport, situated 11km from Leeds and Leeds Beckett University have infrastructure, and many of our projects will the city centre, welcomes direct flights from The city has experience of working with travel access to 4,550 rooms, which would be also happen in unexpected venues. We will over 75 cities, including eight UK destinations operators to increase transport capacity for available during holiday periods and for create new venues in pavilions, buses, homes, and the key European hubs of Amsterdam, key events, such as the Tour de France Grand conferences, artists and youth residential use. shipping containers, warehouses, vacant Paris and Berlin. It serves a range of outgoing Départ 2014. shops, car parks and even high up in the sky. destinations, including Austria, Croatia, There are caravan and campsites on the Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Denmark, BY BUS AND CAR outskirts of the city and a large stock of bed Projects such asThe Lighthouse, Yorkshire France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Leeds has direct motorway links north, south, and breakfast accommodation to the north of Sculpture International and Icing the Donut Malta, the Netherlands, Portugal, Poland, east and west, is well-connected by low cost the city. Over 50% of visitors currently stay with will create new, and reinvent existing, cultural Spain, Switzerland and Turkey among its bus routes across the UK, and is investing family and friends and there is a growing Air infrastructure. European routes. The airport is home to Jet2, €196.62 million (£174 million) to transform BnB and serviced accommodation market. flies KLM, Ryanair and British Airways, and public transport links in the city, including The city will provide the backdrop to host the developments are planned with increased sustainable park and ride schemes, and cycle Our research estimates that Leeds will need ‘closing’ ceremony at the start of the year, with capacity, route development and a direct infrastructure. to grow hotel bed stock from 6,410 to 8,541 Light Night Leeds moving to January, inviting train link. beds by 2023. Currently there are 23 hotels residents to celebrate the city’s cultural planned which would deliver an additional 2,991 heritage from the last 400 years. Manchester Airport is a 90-minute drive beds, exceeding the growth required. This will and is accessible directly by train. It serves provide the necessary demand, quality, brand, By the end of the year there will no longer be 199 destinations, including over 100 UK and choice and price of bed stock to accommodate unexpected venues for culture. Residents will European cities. visitors to Leeds in 2023. expect to come across culture in every corner of the city, and embrace the major cultural QUESTION 19B: LEEDS DOMESTIC TRAVEL TIMES houses as rooms for everyone. Edinburgh 251km London 280km QUESTION 19B: LEEDS BY AIR 3 Hours 2 Hours
Indicative flight times, Newcastle 163km Belfast 281km where direct flights 1.5 Hours 1 Hour are available Hull 101km Liverpool 102km 1 Hour 2 Hour
Birmingham 131km 2 Hours
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CULTURAL INFRASTRUCTURE LEEDS ARTS UNIVERSITY EXTENSION CITY SQUARE Q.19d PROJECTS €22.50 MILLION (£19.9 MILLION) €22.6 MILLION (£20 MILLION) (COMPLETE 2018) (COMPLETE 2022) IN TERMS OF CULTURAL, URBAN AND WEST YORKSHIRE PLAYHOUSE The five-storey building will City Square is a major public space in the TOURISM INFRASTRUCTURE WHAT ARE €15.77 MILLION (£14 MILLION) accommodate art, design and city centre and the first ‘experience’ of THE PROJECTS (INCLUDING RENOVATION (COMPLETE 2019) performance facilities. A public gallery, the city and key gateway for visitors and PROJECTS) THAT YOUR CITY PLAN TO West Yorkshire Playhouse will be extended to together with an enterprise centre, will workers when arriving through the railway CARRY OUT IN CONNECTION WITH THE include a new experimental performance and allow the university to engage with station. ‘EUROPEAN CAPITAL OF CULTURE’ community space with high quality disabled businesses and communities. ACTION BETWEEN NOW AND THE YEAR access. The city is accelerating plans to remove OF THE TITLE? WHAT IS THE TIMETABLE URBAN AND TOURISM general traffic from City Square by 2021, FOR THIS WORK? LEEDS TOWN HALL REFURBISHMENT INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS allowing for the redevelopment of City €12.66 MILLION (£11.2 MILLION) Square by 2022. The desire is to create a (COMPLETE 2020) LEEDS SOUTH BANK world-class space which will allow social Leeds is a rapidly expanding city, with an An extensive refurbishment of this much The River Aire runs through the city, and interaction and can be used for events expected increase in population to one loved building. on its North Bank includes the core of the and activities. million by 2030. Leeds is on the cusp of city centre with the focus on retail, civic transformational growth, at a point that PROJECT BEETA buildings and cultural centres. LOWER KIRKGATE TOWNSCAPE will define its development for centuries. €621,500 (£550,000) HERITAGE INITIATIVE (COMPLETE 2018) The South Bank on the opposite side is €8.94 MILLION (£7.85 MILLION) Strategic infrastructure investments of Project BEETA will be developed by East Street Europe’s largest city-centre regeneration (COMPLETE 2020) over €169.5 million (£150 million) for cultural Arts, the largest provider of artist studio space opportunity. Rooted in the city’s industrial Built in 1711, this area of special historic interest facilities, as well as in the field of cultural in the UK outside of London, in partnership past the site can provide the blueprint for included the First White Cloth Hall, reflecting education, will be completed before 2023. with Invisible Flock. The new site will create how cities can manage their transition from the city’s role as the cloth trading centre of A rolling series of heritage and public realm a specialist Arts & Technology base for artists industrial powerhouses to support creative West Yorkshire. projects will contribute to an improved to collaborate, test and create new ways of and digital jobs for the future, with culture as a environment and experience for those working. central enabler to these changes. GRAND THEATRE QUARTER who live, work or play here. €4.14 MILLION (£3.67 MILLION) HYDE PARK PICTURE HOUSE Over 2,200 people participated in a recent (COMPLETE 2019) Urban and tourism infrastructure, including €4.02 MILLION (£3.6 MILLION) public consultation on the South Bank. This programme of investment will restore the billion-pound development in Leeds South (COMPLETE 2019) They identified culture and the arts as a number of buildings, enhancing the area Bank will be in development by 2023 with a Refurbishment will enable this historic, one of the very highest priorities. The and long term preservation. new City Park one of the first elements to be gas-lit cinema to improve disabled aspiration for the area is to build on its completed. While these projects will improve access and create a second cinema screen. existing support for creative businesses DIGITAL CONNECTIVITY facilities, accessibility, the environment and and enhance the cultural infrastructure. The city already hosts the only regional welcome for visitors in 2023, their key purpose LEEDS BECKETT UNIVERSITY Investment in the South Bank will total internet exchange in the UK (the others are in is longer term and is closely connected to the CREATIVE ARTS BUILDING hundreds of millions of Euros and will be London) which connect directly to the global ambitions of the city’s Culture Strategy. €84.75 MILLION (£75 MILLION) completed in a programme up to 2033. internet. Further investment is planned for (COMPLETE 2020) extensive modern superfast high bandwidth The investment will create a new home One of the first sections to be delivered, digital connectivity through both fibre and 5G for the Schools of Film, Music and and the centrepiece of the South Bank technology. In addition to supporting virtual Performing Arts, as well as the School of development, is a new city centre park. It access to the Artistic Programme, it will enable Art, Architecture and Design. The Creative will provide event spaces and potentially the creation of a online ticketing system for Arts building will establish a new host parts of the closing and opening the entertainment venues in the city. Pooling landmark for the city and will strive to ceremonies of Leeds 2023. resources will allow a robust, fit-for-purpose bring academia and industry together. system, and provide scope for audience development, cost-effective marketing and cross-selling between venues and events.
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Leeds Culture Network tested levels of support Q.20 of people working in the arts and creative industries in the city. Leeds West Indian EXPLAIN HOW THE LOCAL POPULATION Carnival shared #Leeds2023 information AND YOUR CIVIL SOCIETY HAVE BEEN with its 4,300 followers and reported INVOLVED IN THE PREPARATION OF THE favourable responses to Facebook posts APPLICATION AND WILL PARTICIPATE IN about the ‘Yes Leeds’ Yorkshire Evening THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE YEAR? Post campaign.
The conversation took on a life of its own. A From the outset, Leeds has adopted a motion of support was taken by the University genuinely people-led process. We began of Leeds Student Union representing 30,000 the conversation nearly four years ago on students. 7th January 2014, when Leeds City Council hosted a public meeting to address the We were interested not solely in a Yes/No question: Should Leeds bid for European answer but in how people thought it should Capital of Culture? happen and if they had an interest in being involved. What benefits might it bring? What More than 300 people attended and a show might people do as part of it? What activity of hands supported the idea of bidding would they plan? How might a street or unanimously. This meeting ignited huge public neighbourhood be part of a European Culture interest. During the week of the meeting the Capital year? Twitter conversation reached 455,548 accounts with a combined exposure of 2.5 million. A PROJECT OWNED BY THE WHOLE CITY Among our findings people insisted that this The city then took the conversation out further. project would have to be for everyone in the A dedicated team spent the next 15 months city not just our cultural and business interests. talking to people throughout the city, setting It was to have a Steering Group independent of up citizens’ panels, and running online polls, the council and supported by stakeholders, surveys and in-depth discussions. Focus politicians, citizens and partners in the city groups were held with children and young and the wider region. people, politicians, community leaders, the voluntary and education sectors and business. With a strong mandate from our citizens clearly The reach was wide and deep, for example established, the council put out a public call the team surveyed 42,000 children and young for individuals passionate about the city, to put people in the city. themselves forward to form the Independent Steering Group for the Leeds bid. We received The City Talking, an independent media over 140 applications. In response to such company based in Leeds, hosted three months enthusiasm we created a number of additional of conversations titled ‘Should Leeds Bid?’ advisory groups to inform engagement with communities, communications, fundraising, There was extensive support and coverage in research, the Artistic Programme and on Involving our local media and by the city’s commentators developing new European partnerships and and bloggers. Positive responses from a international connections. readership survey led Leeds’ daily newspaper, the Yorkshire Evening Post, to declare support for the bid. In 2015 it ran a ‘Yes Leeds’ communities campaign to its 30,000 circulation. BurmantoftsTransform Stories13, part of The OtherThe Richard
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In summer 2016, our Engagement Advisory We will recruit over 250 digital and community Leeds has well developed community Group spoke to a wide selection of residents volunteers committed to promoting the city Q.21 initiatives with a city-wide tradition of in Leeds at 11 community festivals and galas and spreading word of mouth about the year. annual festivals and galas, a great resource to communicate directly to 3,000 people. We will encourage volunteer reviewers to HOW WILL THE TITLE CREATE NEW AND from which to further develop the Artistic create an online dialogue about Leeds 2023. SUSTAINABLE OPPORTUNITIES FOR A WIDE Programme. They asked residents questions about their We will create a city welcome desk and have RANGE OF CITIZENS TO ATTEND OR culture and their way of life along with their volunteers at key public events. PARTICIPATE IN CULTURAL ACTIVITIES, IN Work has already started through Incredible hopes for the city and the rest of Europe. It PARTICULAR FOR YOUNG PEOPLE, Things, an artist-led pilot, to engage local included our citizens’ current feelings and We will create opportunities for learning and VOLUNTEERS, AND THE MARGINALISED communities in thinking about the possibilities thoughts about bidding after the European developing skills that will stay with people long AND DISADVANTAGED, INCLUDING that 2023 might offer for sharing real and Union referendum. after 2023. We particularly want to develop the MINORITIES? ELABORATE ON THE hidden stories of individual lives. skills and abilities of our children and young ACCESSIBILITY OF THESE ACTIVITIES TO The answers surprised us because people people, as guardians of Leeds’ cultural future. PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES AND THE We will learn from Arts Council England’s remained highly positive about Leeds bidding We are planning many opportunities for people ELDERLY. SPECIFY THE PARTS OF THE national Creative People and Places initiative, and relatively uninfluenced by the national who are new to cultural creation to develop PROGRAMME PLANNED FOR THESE and upscale its most successful ideas to Leeds referendum a few weeks earlier. Diversity was programming in communities. GROUPS. 2023. Arts Council England has announced the most valued Leeds attribute. There was €141.25 million (£125 million) funding in 2018- also strong criticism of the city as inaccessible We have learned that we need to allow 22 for enhancing diversity and increasing the and difficult to move around. Leeds was time and space to develop the precious and Informed by our audience research, we will reach of art and cultural activity in areas with seen as a good place for children and young sensitive conversations that will really bring engage with groups living in pockets of Leeds low levels of engagement. We aim to access people to grow up in, yet with poor quality and people on board with the bid, and to develop who may not have frequent, deep, or indeed this fund to support our programme. Research uninspiring public spaces. Their views have co-authored projects with our communities any engagement with cultural activities going from Leeds 2023 will provide evidence to cities directly led to the development of our Artistic that have genuine appeal and impact. on in the city. Often referred to as ‘hard to across Europe. Programme themes. reach’ we believe they are ‘hardly reached’. OUR ARTISTIC PROGRAMME WILL SEEK TO DEVELOPING ACTIVE CITIZENS We will prioritise listening to young, older, and ENGAGE WITH A WIDE RANGE OF AUDIENCES We have recruited and trained 30 volunteers marginalised people whose voices have not THROUGH PROJECTS with strong potential to become leaders once been heard. Leeds 2023 will develop ideas we begin to recruit on a larger scale. Drawn with communities including prisons, homeless Incubating the Future is a creative from different areas of the city, the volunteers shelters, care homes. development programme helping to support are taking the bid’s core messages back into 400 new, young, imaginative, innovative and their local communities and contributing to Leeds is a city of contrasts. 164,000 people, creative entrepreneurs who will be the cultural how the volunteer campaign progresses. This 20% of our population, live in the 10% most leaders and voices for change in Leeds leading initiative builds on a legacy of volunteering that deprived areas in England. While the impact up to 2023 and beyond. began with the European Year of Volunteering of poverty can be found in all areas of the city, in 2011, when Leeds worked with our twin cities there are specific concentrations of poverty in Three Conversations will ensure every child Brno, Dortmund and Lille. inner city areas that are isolated from the rest in the city has three conversations over the of the city by a 1970s network of roads. course of 2023: one with an international artist, one with other international students and one with a local artist. Around this, we will build a programme of artistic creation and exhibition or performance by young people, teacher training, and will raise aspirations for children across our city.
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HEALTH AND WELLBEING We are also surveying 1,500 people over a WORKING WITH SCHOOLS TO PROMOTE Our Artistic Programme explores how the Q.22 12-month period to build a picture of their ARTS EDUCATION arts contribute to well-being. Leeds has a awareness, attendance and expenditure With 135,000 young people of school age in relatively high level of working-age adults EXPLAIN YOUR OVERALL STRATEGY on culture. the city, this is a sizeable audience. Voice not in employment due to mental ill health. FOR AUDIENCE DEVELOPMENT, AND IN focuses on children and young people and PARTICULAR THE LINK WITH EDUCATION An online survey of non-visitors is informing is vital for developing the next generation We will collaborate with the National Health AND THE PARTICIPATION OF SCHOOLS. us about the perceptions and barriers to of makers and audiences. Service (NHS) on a public engagement visiting Leeds. Early findings suggest that only programme and an international conference 1 in 5 visitors come to Leeds for culture, and Although the UK is a world leader in creative on health and well-being around key arts Our audience development strategy is informed that local audiences do not associate the city industries, it is at a crisis point in arts and projects such asGrief Series which explores by research. As part of our bid we have, for the with a strong cultural offer. cultural education, with a 60% fall in take-up experiences of death and bereavement and first time, brought together audience data from of arts GCSEs threatening to undermine our Thirteen which investigates the pressures on 16 theatres and galleries in the city. position. There is a danger that arts subjects teenagers reaching adulthood. in UK schools will be driven out of the Working with research company The Audience curriculum. UK schools are prioritising STEM REMOVING BARRIERS Agency, we examined current arts attendance (Science, Technology, Engineering, and We are collecting data on cultural event using an 8-point segmentation model. We Mathematics) subjects, rather than guiding attendance to feed into our plans to widen examined the barriers to pricing for different young people to the creative industries. audiences. We will use our findings to ensure audiences including families and young people. that all parts of the community are included. One of our key ambitions is to reach new audiences and participants in the five wards Leeds has a track record in working towards with lowest cultural attendance. The disparity being a welcoming city, although there is still of cultural engagement in the city is evidenced QUESTION 22: LEEDS CULTURAL ENGAGEMENT IN A TWO-TIER CITY a long way to go. There are many examples, in the table opposite and on page 56. including Leeds being the first UK Local Cultural attendance and engagement by ward Source: Audience Agency, Sept. 2017 Authority to receive a Gold Standard ‘Attitude Leeds has a markedly higher proportion of is Everything’ award for improving deaf and young people aged 18 to 35 than the national Below Leeds Average Cultural Penetration Above Leeds Average Cultural Penetration disabled people’s access to live music. average. Calverley / Farsley Roundhay Leeds City Council, cultural venues and The research shows that many of our Ardsley / Robin Hood Moortown producers in the city are working towards audiences are quite traditional. We will use high Cross Gates / Whinmoor Harewood physical access improvements to every profile events to attract people to the city and Hyde Park / Woodhouse Weetwood cultural venue by 2023. Our Artistic Programme to drive interest in the press and social media. Morley North Horsforth will incorporate signing, interpretation, relaxed Audiences who have been to existing events City / Hunslet Adel / Wharfedale performances and dementia friendly policies. such as Light Night Leeds and Transform Wetherby Alwoodley festivals will be encouraged to experience Kippax / Methley Chapel Allerton There will be many free events during 2023. new European work. Otley / Yeadon Headingley Many of our cultural organisations are also Morley South Rothwell looking at a ‘Pay What You Can’ approach so Our audience survey has shown that more Pudsey Guiseley / Rawdon that price is not a barrier. than half of ticket income for the city’s main Farnley / Wortley Kirkstall venues comes from outside the city. However Bramley / Stanningley Temple Newsom We will programme cultural events in everyday 60% of people in Yorkshire are known to attend Killingbeck / Seacroft Garforth / Swillington places and spaces: streets, parks, squares, arts events but have never been to one in Armley leisure centres, health centres, schools and Leeds. This is a key target segment including Middleton Park libraries in neighbourhoods. ethnically diverse populations in areas such Beeston / Holbeck as Bradford and Huddersfield. Burnatofts / Richmond Hill The THINK 2023 Group will lead the way for Gipton / Harehills young people to be curious, questioning and active in Leeds. -20 -10 0 10 20
54 55 In 2016 we created a forum bringing together There is a 40-year history of culture and head teachers which allowed us to share the education work by the city’s arts companies. vision for Leeds 2023. The head teachers were We have experienced specialist arts and keen to advocate the value of arts and cultural education practitioners, with a strong network education in delivering a broad curriculum for of youth theatre companies. children. The meeting revived their appetite to work on an international level and led to Opera North has successfully delivered a many becoming partners in ERASMUS+ and project in three Leeds primary schools based E-Twinning with France, Germany, Finland on the widely regarded El Sistema programme and Sweden. This has led to the creation of children and youth orchestras in Venezuela. of a Cultural Education Partnership, to put It is successfully transforming the lives and arts and culture back into the curriculum. attainment of children in deprived communities using the power and disciplines of community- Our bid will support the Leeds Cultural based orchestral music-making. Education Partnership with the creation of a new place-based curriculum. A pilot has West Yorkshire Playhouse’s First Floor Space been created using the story of the Leeds provides opportunities, skills, knowledge and West Indian Carnival as a case study. Each confidence for young people to go on story will have a set of resources including to employment or further education. images, films, suggested activities and links to workshops. Over 85% of young people in Leeds (162,500) have a Breezecard discount leisure card. We want to learn from other European cities and develop an App for Breezecard and link it to a transport offer for Leeds children and young people.
QUESTION 22: ACTIVITIES
QUESTION: Which activities do you take part in while in Leeds?
Shopping 44% Eating Out 32% Visiting Attractions 31% Pubs / Bars / Nightclubs 12% Arts Events / Festivals 10% Other 10% Parks & Gardens 7%
Walking 6% Child Friendly 5% Business 5% Source: Watching Sport 4% Leeds Visitor Profiling Management Theatres 4% Research Completed Sports Participation 2% by NGI Solutions Photography 2% Commissioned by Conference 1% Leeds 2023 Faith Related 1% 05/07/2017 & Organisation Yorkshire Playhouse productionWest Barnbowof Canaries, Anthony Robling
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The council has seen its overall government Instead it builds a more sustainable and mixed Q.23 budget reduce significantly since 2013/14. Q.25 budget model that recognises the austerity However as a percentage of expenditure, measures affecting local government while WHAT HAS BEEN THE ANNUAL BUDGET the culture budget has remained stable. WHICH AMOUNT OF THE OVERALL securing a core contribution of €13.56 million FOR CULTURE IN THE CITY OVER THE LAST The figures below do not include expenditure ANNUAL BUDGET DOES THE CITY INTEND (£12 million) cash and an estimated €3.96 5 YEARS (EXCLUDING EXPENDITURE FOR on capital, libraries or music in schools. TO SPEND FOR CULTURE AFTER THE million (£3.5 million) in-kind from Leeds City THE PRESENT EUROPEAN CAPITAL OF EUROPEAN CITY OF CULTURE YEAR? Council. Other projected local support comes CULTURE APPLICATION)? from universities and colleges and regional agencies such as the Leeds City Region Local In order to secure the legacy for 2023 an Economic Partnership and West Yorkshire additional €1.13 million (£1 million) per year will Combined Authority. QUESTION 23: Annual budget for Annual budget for Annual budget for be invested in culture from 2024 onwards. The Year culture in the city culture in the city culture (% of the council formally agreed this on 17th July 2017. The model includes estimates for the Arts GBP EUR city’s annual budget) We are aiming to grow this into an annual €4.52 Council, other national lottery distributors million (£4 million) legacy fund. and agencies such as the British Council. 2013/14 £22,884,454 €25,859,433 1.04% Not including inflation and other factors, the It is important to note that this is the 2014/15 £23,153,260 €26,163,184 1.12% additional investment will mean the council’s proposed operational budget for Leeds annual budget for culture from 2024 onwards Culture Trust only. It does not include 2015/16 £22,367,936 €25,275,768 1.08% will be €25.43 million (£22.5 million). additional funds that a third-party would raise to deliver artistic programmes which 2016/17 £22,718,272 €25,671,647 1.14% are part-funded by the Trust.
2017/18 £21,449,093 €24,237,475 1.10% Q.26 Continued overleaf... INCOME TO COVER OPERATING EXPENDITURE: QUESTION 26: EXPLAIN THE OVERALL OPERATING BUDGET (I.E. Total income to cover operating expenditure between many of the council programmes FUNDS THAT ARE SPECIFICALLY SET ASIDE TO Q.24 and the programmes of Leeds Culture Trust, COVER OPERATIONAL EXPENDITURE). BUDGET EUR, GBP, % the independent organisation that will deliver SHALL COVER PREPARATION PHASE, YEAR million million IN CASE THE CITY IS PLANNING TO USE the project. OF THE TITLE, EVALUATION AND PROVISIONS FUNDS FROM ITS ANNUAL BUDGET FOR FOR THE LEGACY ACTIVITIES. GIVE A BUDGET €70.06 £62 CULTURE TO FINANCE THE EUROPEAN CAPITAL For instance, Leeds Art Gallery, which is OVERVIEW WITH FUNDS RAISED FROM PUBLIC OF CULTURE PROJECT, PLEASE INDICATE financed by the council, will contribute AND PRIVATE SECTOR. From The Public Sector THIS AMOUNT STARTING FROM THE YEAR OF significantly to the visual arts programme. SUBMISSION OF THE BID UNTIL THE EUROPEAN EUR, GBP, % CITY OF CULTURE YEAR. This bid has been developed by a core council million million team which will remain in place until Leeds The income is set at €70.06 million (£62 million) Culture Trust has appointed its Executive with €14.01 million (£12.4 million) already €55.60 £49.2 79.35% Leeds City Council will invest an additional Director and other core staff. At that point confirmed. €13.56 million (£12 million) funding for the 2023 (during 2019 or thereafter) some of these staff programme and will also maintain its current may be seconded to the Trust as part of the The income model differs from previous UK From The Private Sector culture budget of €24.3 million (£21.5 million) council’s additional in-kind contribution to the European Capitals of Culture, as it is less reliant per year. project. on a single source of local authority income. EUR, GBP, (%) million million Although the annual budget for culture will not The council has used existing budgets to be used directly to finance the European Capital support the bid process with every £1 levering €14.46 £12.8 20.65% of Culture, there will be a strong synergy at least £4 from other public and private sector sources.
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Continued from page 59. On 1st June 2017, the Leaders of the five West Q.27 Yorkshire local authorities plus the City of York This budget includes local and national Q.28 Council and Harrogate Borough Council agreed sponsorship of €9.04 million (£8 million) is a INCOME FROM THE PUBLIC SECTOR: to support an allocation of €395,500 (£350,000) HAVE THE PUBLIC FINANCE AUTHORITIES conservative estimate. Leeds has already WHAT IS THE BREAKDOWN OF THE to the project in 2019, to assist with start-up (CITY, REGION, AND STATE) ALREADY secured 15 major private sector partners for the INCOME TO BE RECEIVED FROM THE costs for Leeds Culture Trust. VOTED ON OR MADE FINANCIAL COMMITMENTS bid process, as well as financial input from the PUBLIC SECTOR TO COVER OPERATING TO COVER OPERATING EXPENDITURE? IF Business Improvement EXPENDITURE? [IN A TABLE, GIVE AN In addition, all five council Leaders from across NOT, WHEN WILL THEY DO SO? District. The budget also includes around OVERVIEW OF THE INCOME FROM THE West Yorkshire have recognised the likely call €4.52 million (£4 million) from trusts and PUBLIC SECTOR. on further regional funding sources to support philanthropy. the project. On 17th July 2017, Leeds City Council’s Executive Board agreed the council’s The Leeds bid is based on a budget for the The table below gives the breakdown from commitment to operating expenditure of preparation phase, 2023 and first quarter of public sector and other sources. A share of €13.56 million (£12 million) for the European 2024 with plans for a legacy budget of €4.52 over 50% of funding from local and regional Capital of Culture project, 19% of all project Q.29 million (£4 million) a year additional to that sources reflects the scale of the city and its income has therefore been secured. shown in the table below. significant commitment to the bid, including WHAT IS YOUR FUNDRAISING by our universities. STRATEGY TO SEEK FINANCIAL Whilst 2023 is outside of the budgetary SUPPORT FROM UNION PROGRAMMES planning period for Arts Council England A modest €3.33 million (£2.95 million) is / FUNDS TO COVER OPERATING we have discussed potential funding with assumed from European sources including the EXPENDITURE? its senior officers in order to make a realistic Mercouri Prize, Creative Europe and ERASMUS+. estimate. The estimate is based on current levels of investment by the Arts Council into Due to uncertainty caused by the UK vote to Leeds organisations of €25.54 million (£22.6 exit from the European Union, we have been million) per year plus one-off awards of €14.01 cautious in our budgeting for European funding. million (£12.4 million) over the last 3 years. QUESTION 27: Income from the public sector to cover operating expenditure EUR GBP A key part of our proposal is that funding from Arts Council England has supported one- Leeds City Council should cover and provide a off revenue investments in major cultural Public Sector cash-flow for the core costs of operating Leeds celebrations which serve to promote the arts Culture Trust. This allows the Trust to apply in England. These include €12.92 million (£10.5 Leeds City Council €13,560,000 £12,000,000 for other sources, including Creative Europe, million) into Liverpool 08 (which included some Arts Council England (ACE)* €15,820,000 £14,000,000 ERASMUS+ and other European funds for direct investment from National Government), Other lottery €7,345,000 £6.500,000 programme and educational activity. and €3.39 million (£3 million) into Hull 2017. Other regional €8,475,000 £7,500,000 National government (DCMS) €3,390,000 £3,000,000 Over the last two years we have built capacity On that basis Leeds City Council considers National trusts €2.260,000 £2,000,000 in the city to bid for European Union funds a minimum core investment of €13.56 million Other national €1,412,500 £1,250,000 and have held a number of workshops for the (£12 million) by the Arts Council to be a European Union €3,333,500 £2,950,000 creative sector on the impact of Brexit and reasonable estimate given the size of which European Union funding opportunities Leeds and reflecting the scale of investment Total €55,596,000 £49,200,000 still exist. Workshops and one-to-one sessions to be made by the council. have been led by EUCLID and the Creative Private sector €14,464,000 £12,800,000 Europe Desk UK. One of our sessions included We anticipate these figures could be formalised representation from the Creative Europe Desk at the point when a successful city has been Total €70,006,000 £62,000,000 Hungary and the Hungarian cultural sector, in announced. order to build links with potential partners from the Hungarian cities bidding for the title in 2023. *ACE includes €15.82m (£12m) core and €2.26m (£2m) strategic touring
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These ongoing capacity-building activities companies in the region including Yorkshire have proved successful with four Leeds Q.30 Q.31 Water, Yorkshire Bank, Yorkshire Building organisations – Yorkshire Dance, Opera Society and the digital company aql, as well North, Compass Live Arts and Leeds Beckett ACCORDING TO WHAT TIMETABLE SHOULD INCOME FROM THE PRIVATE SECTOR: WHAT as law firms, property developers, retailers, University – in the latest round of Creative THE INCOME TO COVER OPERATING IS THE FUNDRAISING STRATEGY TO SEEK transport operators, construction firms and Europe funding. EXPENDITURE BE RECEIVED BY THE CITY SUPPORT FROM PRIVATE SPONSORS? other local companies. AND/OR THE BODY RESPONSIBLE FOR WHAT IS THE PLAN FOR INVOLVING Leeds plays an active role within the UK’s PREPARING AND IMPLEMENTING THE SPONSORS IN THE EVENT? With our encouragement, our partners have Creative Industries Federation (CIF) in EUROPEAN CITY OF CULTURE PROJECT IF become increasingly active contributors to advocating the future participation of the THE CITY RECEIVES THE EUROPEAN CITY the bid, hosting events, sharing marketing UK in European Union funding programmes OF CULTURE TITLE? Leeds has previously had a poor track record materials, offering opportunities for staff post Brexit. for private sector sponsorship of cultural engagement and actively promoting Leeds activity. Our approach has therefore been to 2023 via their clients. See table below which provides projected build private sector support for the bid itself, income for the project from 2019 — 2024 whilst also engaging business interest in the We have set a realistic sponsorship target city’s new Culture Strategy in order to build in the bid, but hope to exceed our target awareness of potential cultural regeneration. given the achievements of both Liverpool in European Capital of Culture and Hull in the UK We set a target of attracting 15 major business City of Culture competitions. We have a set QUESTION 30: Projected income 2019 — 2024 partners to support a programme of pre-2023 hierarchy of sponsorship benefits, which we events and marketing. These events have are currently testing with businesses. Source of income for operating expenditure (figures shown in GBP, millions) involved either a European programme theme or community engagement. The process has We also anticipate additional in-kind 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 Total enabled us to talk to over 100 businesses sponsorship from finance, legal, hoteliers (ECoC (1st Quarter) about Leeds 2023 in a cultural context. To and transport operators. year) date we have secured €585,000 (£450,000) for the bid period but more importantly, we have Leeds City Council 1.50 2.00 2.50 2.50 3.25 0.25 12.00 built relationships with a number of major Arts Council England (Core) 0.50 0.75 1.50 4.00 5.00 0.25 12.00 Regional Local Authorities 0.35 — — — — — 0.35 Other 0.25 0.75 3.50 12.40 20.00 0.75 37.65 QUESTION 31: TOTAL 2.60 3.50 7.50 18.90 28.25 1.25 62.00 Private Sponsors CASHFLOW 0.96 1.88 4.93 13.92 0.33 — — Category Type of company Target 3 Headline Partners National phone companies, supermarkets, €3.39 million at €1.13 million (£1 million) utility services, financial services, universities, (£3 million) large-scale developers, Leeds-based Source of income for operating expenditure (figures shown in EUR, millions) businesses 6 Major Partners Leeds or Yorkshire-based companies, national €3.39 million 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 Total at €282,500 to €847,500 companies with significant Leeds presence, (£3 million) (ECoC (1st Quarter) (£250,000 to £750,000) large-scale developers year) 10 Regional Partners Local medium-sized companies, professional €1.13 million Leeds City Council 1.80 2.40 3.00 3.00 3.90 0.30 14.4 at €113,000 (£100,000) services, smaller developers (£1 million) Arts Council England (Core) 0.60 0.90 1.80 4.80 6.00 0.30 14.4 100 Leeds 2023 Local small and medium-sized enterprises €1.13 million Regional Local Authorities 0.42 — — — — — 0.42 Club Members (£1 million) Other 0.30 0.90 4.20 14.88 24.00 0.90 45.18 at €11,300 (£10,000) TOTAL 3.12 4.20 9.00 22.68 33.9 1.50 74.40 CASHFLOW 1.15 2.26 5.91 16.70 0.39 — — TOTAL €9.04 million (£8 million)
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We are clear that the UK will be ineligible Q.32 Q.34 Q.36 for ESIF funding after its exit from the European Union and we have been cautious OPERATING EXPENDITURE: PLEASE BUDGET FOR CAPITAL EXPENDITURE: WHAT IS YOUR FUNDRAISING STRATEGY in our budgeting. Leeds has never been PROVIDE A BREAKDOWN OF THE WHAT IS THE BREAKDOWN OF THE INCOME TO SEEK FINANCIAL SUPPORT FROM eligible for Objective 1 Structural Funding OPERATING EXPENDITURE. TO BE RECEIVED FROM THE PUBLIC UNION PROGRAMMES / FUNDS TO COVER and as a result, our capital programmes have SECTOR TO COVER CAPITAL EXPENDITURE CAPITAL EXPENDITURE? never been reliant on European Union funding. IN CONNECTION WITH THE TITLE YEAR? As highlighted in question 29, Leeds is working Operating expenditure shown in the table below. hard to advocate for the best possible result There are no plans to seek financial support for our creative industries sector from the The budget is based on the appointments The table opposite shows funding from from ESIF or other European Union programmes Brexit negotiations. of key staff from 2019, with a full team in place the City (comprising the council, education to cover capital expenditure. from 2021. A further sum has been earmarked providers and private sector) and nationally within programme budgets to build capacity (comprising Government and National Lottery, QUESTION 34 National Leeds Other Total in the cultural sector and external partners. for the cultural projects listed in question 19d). Sources Sources sources Investments in the education sector are largely At €13.33 million (£11.8 million), staffing and self-funded from the organisations themselves West Yorkshire €7,458,000 €6,282,800 €2,034,000 €15,774,800 overheads account for 19% of the overall through reserves and loans. Playhouse £6,600,000 £5,560,000 £1,800,000 £13,960,000 budget with further in kind support through secondments. Leeds Town Hall €12,656,000 €12,656,000 £11,200,000 £11,200,000 Q.35 Project BEETA €621,500 €621,500 Q.33 HAVE THE PUBLIC FINANCE £550,000 £550,000 AUTHORITIES (CITY, REGION, STATE) PLANNED TIMETABLE FOR SPENDING ALREADY VOTED ON OR MADE FINANCIAL Hyde Park Picture €2,712,000 €881,400 €474,600 €4,068,000 OPERATING EXPENDITURE (OPTIONAL AT COMMITMENTS TO COVER CAPITAL House £2,400,000 £780,000 £420,000 £3,600,000 PRE-SELECTION STAGE). EXPENDITURE? IF NOT, WHEN WILL THEY DO SO? Leeds Beckett €84,750,000 €84,750,000 University £75,000,000 £75,000,000 We will provide this information in our final bid book. No regional or European Union funds are Leeds Arts University €22,498,300 €22,498,300 allocated to these projects. £19,910,000 £19,910,000
Kirkgate / €1,695,000 €7,243,300 €8,938,300 QUESTION 32: White Cloth Hall £1,500,000 £6,410,000 £7,910,000 Breakdown of operating expenditure GBP EUR % Grand Theatre €1,310,800 €2,825,000 €4,135,800 Programme expenditure £41,000,000 €46,330,000 66.13% Quarter £1,160,000 £2,500,000 £3,660,000
Promotion and marketing £7,000,000 €7,910,000 11.29% City Square €14,125,000 €8,475,000 €22,600,000 £12,500,000 £7,500,000 £20,000,000 Wages, overheads and administration £11,823,438 €13,360,485 19.07% TOTAL €25,990,000 €144,719,100 €5,333,600 €176,042,700 Other £23,000,000 £128,070,000 £4,720,000 £155,790,000 Volunteering £1,000,000 €1,130,000 1.61% (14.76%) (82.21%) (3.03%) Contingency £1,176,562 €1,329,515 1.90%
TOTAL £62,000,000 €70,060,000 Confirmed within one year Confirmed Strategy in place / partially delivered
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We will recruit a Chair for Leeds Culture Trust Q.37 Q.39 Q.40 in Spring 2018. ACCORDING TO WHAT TIMETABLE SHOULD WHAT KIND OF GOVERNANCE AND HOW WILL THIS STRUCTURE BE The Creative Director will work closely with THE INCOME TO COVER CAPITAL DELIVERY STRUCTURE IS ENVISAGED FOR ORGANISED AT MANAGEMENT LEVEL? the Director of Engagement & Legacy whose EXPENDITURE BE RECEIVED BY THE CITY THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE EUROPEAN PLEASE MAKE CLEAR WHO WILL BE team covers: informal and schools education, AND/OR THE BODY RESPONSIBLE FOR CAPITAL OF CULTURE YEAR? THE PERSON(S) HAVING THE FINAL community engagement, capacity building PREPARING AND IMPLEMENTING THE RESPONSIBILITY FOR GLOBAL and volunteering. Other senior management EUROPEAN CAPITAL OF CULTURE PROJECT LEADERSHIP OF THE PROJECT? members include a Director of Communications IF THE CITY RECEIVES THE TITLE OF The delivery of Leeds 2023 will be managed and a Director of Fundraising & Partnerships. EUROPEAN CAPITAL OF CULTURE? through an independent company, Leeds SUPPORT FROM UNION PROGRAMMES / Culture Trust, which has already been founded The staffing structure of Leeds Culture Trust is The Communications Director will be FUNDS TO COVER CAPITAL EXPENDITURE? as a Limited Company and is in the process of based on the appointment of an experienced supported by staff within VisitLeeds, the city’s applying for charitable status. Executive Director and a Creative Director destination marketing agency, which works on reporting to the Board of Trustees. international and national marketing, high level There is no current plan for Leeds Culture Trust The Trust will include trustees drawn from press visits and conferences. to manage or receive money for any capital business, education, the arts and third sector The Executive Director has final projects in relation to the European Capital of who carry a range of relevant management responsibility for global leadership of the The Director of Fundraising and Partnerships Culture year. New projects may arise as the skills. The Trust will employ the core staff of project. The Creative Director will have will be responsible for the ongoing relationship Artistic Programme develops, although in the Leeds 2023 with further posts being seconded responsibility for delivery of the programme with the European Commission. majority of cases we would expect them to be from Leeds City Council, universities and other in the bid book and the development of the delivered by other agencies. cultural partners aiming to ensure legacy after remaining artistic programme. The timetable for recruitment envisages a the year. search for Executive Director and Creative Salaries will be competitive for all senior posts, Director starting as soon as the title is Leeds Culture Trust will be established as an reflecting the specialism, length of contracts awarded, with sufficient lead-in times for
educational charity under UK Charity Law, and level of responsibility for a €70.06 million them to start full time in 2019. The recruitment
Q.38 allowing it to access charitable and National (£62 million) project. We have also created schedule will then cascade through a series of Lottery funds as well as sponsorship that might a budget to recruit capacity in the form of appointments in 2019-2020 with a full team in SPECIFY WHICH AMOUNTS WILL BE SPENT FOR not otherwise be available to a local authority. European Programme Associates who will place for three years from 2021-2023. Contracts NEW CULTURAL INFRASTRUCTURE TO BE USED High-level tax advice has already been sourced provide high-level mentoring and network of employment will reflect the need for legacy IN THE FRAMEWORK OF THE TITLE YEAR. and the Trust will seek VAT exemption in line links into Europe. and continuity. with similar bodies in the UK.
Leeds is investing in its existing infrastructure The Trust will operate with a client service QUESTION 40: in order to deliver its 2023 programme, and will agreement from the council. The Trust will be LEEDS CULTURE TRUST TEAM STRUCTURE not create new culture infrastructure for the free to take independent decisions on budgets, title year. staffing, contracts and artistic programming with an agreed budget framework of delegation allowing its Creative Director an appropriate level of autonomy.
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Leeds has been learning from other cities Leeds City Council has over 200 staff within Q.41 including Aarhus, Leeuwarden, Plzeň, Wrocław, Q.42 its Culture Service including the areas San Sebastián, Liverpool and Lille to build of cultural policy, grant support, arts HOW WILL YOU ENSURE THAT THIS awareness and understanding of programming HOW WILL YOU MAKE SURE THAT development and events, as well as the STRUCTURE HAS THE STAFF WITH THE structures. THERE IS APPROPRIATE COOPERATION Museums and Galleries teams. APPROPRIATE SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE BETWEEN THE LOCAL AUTHORITIES TO PLAN, MANAGE AND DELIVER THE Leeds City Council has a progressive graduate AND THIS STRUCTURE INCLUDING It is anticipated that some council staff will CULTURAL PROGRAMME FOR THE YEAR scheme and we have trained and benefited THE ARTISTIC TEAM? be seconded to work for the Trust or to deliver OF THE TITLE? from four graduates. We hope to provide activity on its behalf. As these staff already space for up to ten graduates to work with have an understanding of the council, they the delivery team. We anticipate that the The relationship between Leeds City Council can use their existing relationships to facilitate We will deliver as much of the year from within increasing focus on apprenticeships in the and Leeds Culture Trust will be rooted in working across the city. the capacity and expertise of the city in order UK will provide opportunities to residents shared values and an ethos of personal trust to ensure a sustainable legacy of skills after across the city. formalised through legal contracts. The council will form a Readiness Board to the year. We also recognise that there are make sure the city is prepared to host the title. gaps and we will require external input and Our budget includes internships and PhD This relationship mirrors the well established This board, potentially chaired by the Leader experience. places, supported in-kind by universities and national ‘arm’s length’ principle where the UK of the council, will include all the regeneration, colleges. Government does not make or interfere with transport, development, events and security Despite having a number of highly experienced individual artistic decisions. We anticipate a agencies that have authority and resources independent cultural agencies, Leeds has Our programme will also place emphasis smooth relationship but in case of conflict, in this area. been unable to build effective career ladders on building capacity – we have secured an both parties will agree a conflict resolution in areas other than dance. One of our ambitions ‘in principle’ agreement to offer placement protocol using independent mediation. While the Trust’s primary relationship is with for Leeds 2023 is to see a change in capacity opportunities to the Clore Leadership Leeds City Council, partnership agreements across the city, from communities to larger Programme and to develop a European Clore A funding contract will be agreed between will also be developed with neighbouring organisations, giving a new generation Leadership course. Leeds Culture Trust and Leeds City Council. authorities, Leeds City Region Local Economic of young and diverse cultural leaders This commits the council to honour the Partnership and West Yorkshire Combined opportunities for training and development. We will follow best practice guidance for HR independence of the Trust in artistic decisions, Authority. and equal opportunities in recruitment, training and commits the Trust to deliver the We will work closely with national agencies and support of our staff team. Leeds Culture programme of the final bid book. such as Clore Leadership Programme, Culture Trust will consider retention bonuses for key and Creative Skills and the Creative Industries staff to secure loyalty to the project. The agreement will also include the following Federation to maximise opportunities for commitments to ensure cooperation. apprenticeships, paid internships, placements and personal career development in the • The Leader of Leeds City Council will be city. We will also support a programme of a member of the Trust volunteering. • The council’s Chief Officer for Culture and A mentoring scheme will support a new Sport will be an observer on the Trust generation of young, diverse programmers and producers who will work alongside established • The Trust will share all its key documents professionals. The city aims to host a National and decisions with the council Creative Skills Conference to share experiences from both Leeds and other successful European Capitals of Culture.
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• Experience of working with cultural Q.43 organisations and creative producers Q.44 Q.45 • Exceptional communication skills ACCORDING TO WHICH CRITERIA AND HAVE YOU CARRIED OUT/PLANNED A RISK WHAT ARE THE MAIN UNDER WHICH ARRANGEMENTS HAVE • Ability to manage and inspire staff teams ASSESSMENT EXERCISE? STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES THE GENERAL DIRECTOR AND THE OF YOUR PROJECT? • An understanding of the public, private and ARTISTIC DIRECTOR BEEN CHOSEN – OR third sectors WILL BE CHOSEN? WHAT ARE – OR WILL We have conducted a detailed risk assessment, BE – THEIR RESPECTIVE PROFILES? • Diplomacy and political awareness identifying issues in the areas of capacity, STRENGTHS WHEN WILL THEY TAKE UP THE finance, infrastructure, programme and • An international perspective APPOINTMENT? WHAT WILL BE THEIR engagement. • Leeds is the third largest city in the UK RESPECTIVE FIELDS OF ACTION? • An understanding of marketing, digital giving it the capacity to make a big impact marketing and research The main risks were discussed in detail by • Leeds has a very diverse population which the Executive Group, the Independent Steering • Excellent understanding of strategic budget leads to artistic diversity and somewhere We have developed a recruitment timetable for Group and the Shadow Trustees of Leeds management which can provide meaningful solutions all senior posts, beginning with the most senior, Culture Trust. The risks were graded as Low, to current European issues alongside early appointment of roles such as Medium or High and appropriate counter- THE KEY CRITERIA FOR THE SELECTION IT and administrative support. We will use a actions have been outlined and plans made. • There is city-wide support for our bid OF THE CREATIVE DIRECTOR WILL BE: recruitment agency and a European search through nearly four years of public team to seek suitably qualified candidates for • Capacity involved questions around a lack of engagement • Proven track record in the programming the Creative Director post and will advertise experience in the city to deliver a year of this and/or production of international cultural • There are good transport links to Leeds widely through UK and international channels. scale, the loss of key personnel, shortages events which sits in the middle of the UK of experienced producers and technicians Due to our city’s scale, overall creative • A clear artistic vision and issues around failing to recruit quality • We have commissioned and will use management of Leeds 2023 requires staff research to inform our bid • Commitment to the programme plans in the programme delivery by a number of artistic Leeds 2023 bid • Finance involved questions around • We have wide ranging support from private directors. These, along with the engagement defaults on key partner funds, the loss of sector businesses and the education sector and education teams and the capacity building • A knowledge of European and UK cultural Arts Council England funding locally, the and legacy teams, will be led by the Creative programmes • We have exciting new artistic partnerships failure to meet sponsorship targets and Director. with Europe already in development • An international perspective competition from other events • Core funding and legacy funding is in place Those involved in the recruitment process will • High level skills in managing complex • Infrastructure involved questions around from the council as part of a credible budget include our Trust Chair, young people from our cultural partnerships at local, national and gaps in infrastructure, lack of hotel THINK 2023 Group, senior political leadership international level capacity, visitor resistance to Leeds as a • We already have a developed cultural and external advisers including a previous destination, the challenge of multiple box infrastructure • Exceptional communication skills Director of a European Capital of Culture. We offices, data failure, terror threats and • We have developed a co-produced Culture plan to start the recruitment of the Leeds • Ability to inspire staff and teams - both changes in political leadership Strategy to protect the legacy of our bid Culture Trust Chair in January 2018. within the Leeds 2023 company and in the • Programme risks including local capacity, cultural sector international programming and intellectual THE KEY CRITERIA FOR SELECTION OF • Awareness of the digital and broadcast property issues EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR WILL BE: opportunities of cultural programming • Engagement involved the inability to • Business, cultural management, media or • Commitment and ability to mentor and engage the whole population, dealing with city leadership background develop cultural capacity in the city and disaffected local artists or sector groups with European partners and countering negative national PR, • Experience of leading complex projects and post Brexit working with an independent board
70 71 WEAKNESSES This process directed us to put the city’s energy into first developing a new Culture • Leeds is not known as a cultural destination, Strategy and to rebuild our European cultural or even as a strong European city networks in advance of bidding. Marketing & • Our complex, large and diverse city does We then worked with the council’s Risk not have a single story that is easy to tell Manager to identify more detailed risks and • Our size makes it difficult to reach the to take mitigating action, for instance whole population increasing our staff capacity by using the Communications council’s graduate scheme. • Statistics about Leeds show it to be a successful city and ‘average’ in many In terms of contingency planning - in the period socio-economic indicators, but this hides immediately following the Brexit referendum deep inequalities we were unsure if a European Capital of Culture • Leeds is seen as a retail centre rather bid was still possible. We coordinated advocacy than a cultural destination with other bidding cities to influence the Government to launch the competition. • There is not a strong history of cultural networks In terms of the specific weaknesses outlined • Our hotel base needs expanding in Q45, we are addressing these through proposals in the bid book which are partly • Lack of capacity to programme the result of this analysis. internationally in much of the cultural sector • We need to train and support more cultural Our bid also benefits from mature risk and producers threat mitigation schemes developed by Leeds City Council including a recently developed city-wide Strategic Safety Advisory Group which includes representatives from
Q.46 all the emergency services. In the future we will continue to use similar HOW ARE YOU PLANNING TO OVERCOME reflective and analytical approaches, WEAKNESS, INCLUDING THROUGH THE including our involvement with the UCLG Pilot USE OF RISK MITIGATION AND PLANNING Cities programme which will start to give TOOLS, CONTINGENCY PLANNING, ETC. international perspective on the city strengths.
Having already set up Leeds Culture Trust we Immediately following the city’s decision to bid are able to ensure that it would be able to we conducted a full SWOT (Strength, Weakness, start operation with a full set of policies and Opportunity, Threat) analysis which was the procedures to mitigate its own weaknesses equivalent of putting a mirror up to the city. and risk profile. White at Live at Leeds 2016, Ben Bentley
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We will appoint a Director of Communications KEY AUDIENCES: specialists, but we’ll also tender for national Q.47 in 2019. The value of the marketing budget and European PR agency support, recognising will be much greater as we enlist the help • People of Leeds the need to reach specialist markets in COULD YOUR ARTISTIC PROGRAMME BE of our universities, sports teams, cultural • Alumni and expats cultural, economic and political features. SUMMED UP BY A SLOGAN? organisations, residents, media and • Visitors from Yorkshire and the North businesses who will work together on one plan. of England VisitLeeds has established a strong base Our marketing and communications • UK tourists of travel journalists and we are tracking WEAVING US TOGETHER strategy in the UK will be based on in-depth • European and international audiences the successful media content of Hull in Our slogan has its roots in Leeds’ textile research into socio-economics, audiences and • Online and digital audiences and 2017 and building a database of national industry from which the city grew in the visitor profiles as described in Question 22. It participants media feature writers. seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. will also be informed by work in Hull Its legacy surrounds us, architecturally and Liverpool. OUR PRODUCT IS: NETWORKS and culturally. We will work through European networks to A key challenge for our marketing and • Leeds promote the year and attract UK and European Weaving is a metaphor for our European Capital communications is to balance targeting of • Our Artistic Programme delegates to a programme of seminars and of Culture bid – creating bonds that do not increased visitors, with our core ambitions • European Capital of Culture as a brand conferences. We plan to co-host IETM with break, facilitating unions that last, celebrating to tackle inequality. We know that we need Hull in 2019 and will also work with the likes of the unique and distinctive fibres of our culture, to make the right programming decisions, as PRESS AND MEDIA International Society for the Performing Arts, and bringing our communities together. well as marketing and pricing the programme We are already talking to the BBC nationally International Federation of Arts Councils and effectively. and will seek other partners such as Channel Culture Agencies and international museums In our bid, we will focus on the fabric that needs 4, Sky Arts and European media networks. The and audience networks to attract interest in mending to sew Leeds and Europe together, Our research indicates that there is an existing new Chair of ITV spoke at the London launch hosting events and promoting through their entwine its stories, heritage, and our people, audience willing to pay full price for quality of our bid. The team will include press and PR channels. to create a culturally rich, confident, experiences, but tickets prices are a barrier international place. to families and children. There is also little evidence of audiences moving between art QUESTION 48: MARKETING forms. We will therefore adopt a model that
offers affordable concessions via a loyalty QUESTION: How do you access information about places to visit? Q.48 card. Websites 79% WHAT IS THE CITY’S INTENDED KEY OBJECTIVES: Visitors Guides / Literature 47% MARKETING AND COMMUNICATION Word of Mouth 45% STRATEGY FOR THE EUROPEAN CAPITAL • To reach over 70% of the population of Google 43% OF CULTURE YEAR? IN PARTICULAR WITH Leeds, as either participants or audiences in Third Party Websites 35% REGARD TO THE MEDIA STRATEGY AND at least one project in 2023 Email Alerts 32% THE MOBILISATION OF LARGE AUDIENCES. National Press 24% • To make a step change in engagement of Direct Mail 14% Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) TV Adverts 11% On 7th January 2014, we sent out our first audiences and narrow the divide addressing Local Press 10% flyer for a meeting at Leeds Town Hall. We inequality of access Facebook 10% now propose a core €7.91 million (£7 million) Radio 7% marketing budget for Leeds Culture Trust. • To grow city leisure visits from audiences Street Advertising 6% beyond Leeds by 34% in 2023 Twitter 4% Other 2% • Increase international visits by 100% Source: • To maximise the digital online access to Leeds Visitor Profiling — Research Completed by NGI Solutions Traditional Leeds’ cultural programme across the world Commissioned by Leeds 2023 — 05/07/2017 Online
74 75 THIRD PARTY PARTNERS STORIES TO TELL: OUR MARKETING Our tactics and channels will include: • Local media partnerships broadened to Our marketing partners will be as follows: AND COMMUNICATIONS STRATEGY include other national and European media Leeds 2023 will build the foundations of its • Launch of the advance programme partners and specialist press, e-zines and • VisitLeeds – a seven strong destination communications on sharing local experience web portals marketing team, co-located with the Leeds with international audiences, and inviting • Locating Leeds with travel operators • In 2022 we will launch ‘local and global’ 2023 team and will work with the national citizens of the world to shift their perceptions. through presence in the UK and European road shows taking Leeds 2023 to key UK partner, VisitBritain We have broken down the strategy into key travel market events European events and festivals phases: • Welcome to Yorkshire, the regional tourism • Building on our ‘Leeds Inspired’ website, we • We will look to create a new, accessible on- agency 2017-2018: SHOUT – #MAKELEEDS2023 will enable our hidden communities and our line ticket booking service that will integrate Leeds 2023 has already become a focal citizens to become their own curators and with mainstream travel and accommodation • The Business Improvement District has point for residents, businesses, and schools. storytellers booking sites marketing capacity and resource to help Our people are our bid, working together to promote the city centre programme #MakeLeeds2023. • Building on the networks created during our • In 2022 we will host programme launches bid to develop collaborative relationships in Leeds • Media partners in the region include the BBC Our tactics and channels include: with communicators across sport, leisure, and Yorkshire Post newspapers who will art, business and education sectors 2023: EUROPE WE ARE READY FOR YOU be partners in promoting to local, regional, • Building a social media following The new team will have developed a detailed national and online audiences • Developing relationships with cities across week-by-week communications plan. • Telling the many stories of the people Europe who will host the designation • Universities will assist in reaching the city’s who make our culture every day through from 2018-2022 including the Hungarian Our tactics and channels will include: 80,000 students and millions of alumni, an integrated press and digital media candidate cities family and friends campaign • Leading with our programme as the ‘star’ 2022: PREPARE LOCAL, SHARE GLOBAL our city as the ‘venue’ and our people, • Travel operators from ports, airports and rail • Establishing local networks of Locally we will take our show on the road to artists and European partners as the ‘cast’ franchises will work with us on packaging communicators to join up the city’s estates, office blocks, car parks and fields, and ticketing deals messaging and share content from our giving permission and an open invitation to join • Campaigns based on top 20 highlights universities to sports clubs and business the celebration. • Business partners’ staff and customers, and partners • We will work with our community content including those in their international offices We will work through academic partners, creators to produce content for hyper-local • Sharing the vision for Leeds at local, travel and trade embassies, and international stations reaching communities in the city • National partners such as Arts Council national and international events collaboration networks to reveal a new Leeds. through local community run newspapers England and the British Council and radio stations 2019-2021: NURTURE Our tactics and channels will include: • Cultural organisations will market individual We will use the advance programme to • National media partnerships and a day events, while Leeds 2023 focuses on the experiment with different ways of engaging • Working with the BBC to build on the by day PR and press strategy will ensure programme as a whole and key highlights communities that might experience barriers successful model of Hull 2017 to syndicate Leeds is constantly in the news to attending and participating in cultural programme and content across their • Visitors will be supported with material to activities. We also aim to reach out to Europe network ensuring that Leeds 2023 is heavily • Four Quarterly Season launches, marketed promote Leeds through online reviews, digitally, prioritising visitors from places featured in the news agenda with stories on 3 months in advance, aligning with research social media and imagery connected to us through direct flights or BBC World and projects online on visitor booking patterns with communities based in Leeds. We will create systems for integrated ticketing, data • A series of Culture Kiosks in the city that management and audience development. In act as news stands for Leeds 2023 particular, we want to learn from the digital solutions used in other European Capitals of Culture.
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In September 2016, Leeds 2023 coordinated Q.49 Q.50 a city wide programme of events for the Q.51 European Day of Languages, working closely HOW WILL YOU MOBILISE YOUR OWN HOW DOES THE CITY PLAN TO HIGHLIGHT with our Europe Direct service. We brought IN A FEW LINES EXPLAIN WHAT CITIZENS AS COMMUNICATORS OF THE THAT THE EUROPEAN CAPITAL OF CULTURE together cultural organisations, language MAKES YOUR APPLICATION SO YEAR TO THE OUTSIDE WORLD? IS AN ACTION OF THE EUROPEAN UNION? service providers, businesses and language SPECIAL COMPARED TO OTHERS? enthusiasts of all ages.
Every Leeds household will receive a ‘Culture Proudly displaying our connection to In 2017, we used the European Day of Welcome Pack’ helping them to become the European Capital of Culture and the Languages to bring together all of those Why Leeds? good hosts through better knowledge and European Union. organisations once more to plan an ambitious understanding of the Leeds 2023 programme. language element for our 2023 programme. In contrast to forthcoming European Capitals The pack will include a pocket guide and tips We will ensure that the European Capital of These ideas are currently being developed and of Culture, and the Hungarian candidate cities, on how to help us tell our story both at home Culture is visible in all of our communications. will inform how we mark this European Union Leeds offersscale . Our city can provide the and away. We will provide tool-kits for taxis, The European Union emblem will be displayed action every year leading up to 2023. room in which to experiment and define what hotel receptionists and key retail outlets. on all our printed and digital material, and the makes a modern European city. Our programme will feature a project with 50 role of the European Union will be emphasised The handovers from Esch-sur-Alzette and unique, community-based places to stay. in interviews and media appearances, and Kaunas in 2022 to Leeds and the Hungarian Our diversity means we can address will feature on our website and social media Capital in 2023 will be major celebrations at contemporary European issues of belonging • Our communities and digital volunteers will channels. an European Union level, as will the handover and question the role and potential of culture help promote the year to visiting family and at the end of 2023 to Estonia, Austria and a within Europe. friends, including Leeds’ European diaspora Depending on the outcome of Brexit (potential) candidate country. We will use these negotiations, we will attract European Union moments to highlight that our titles are only After nearly four years of preparation, we are • Libraries, schools, neighbourhood centres, funding for our projects wherever possible: possible as an action of the European Union. ready. We have unprecedented levels of local, civic trusts and local groups will support our whether from Horizon2020, ERASMUS+ or regional and business support. The working circulation of information Creative Europe. We will ensure the visibility Our plans to highlight the European Capital of relationships between the civic, educational, of European Union funding for each of these Culture as an European Union action extend business, cultural and third sectors in Leeds • Leeds will be dressed for the year and projects, through the use of the European beyond 2023. Once the evaluation of the year are mature. we will work with the council’s proposed Union emblem as well as on websites, social is completed, we will hold a major European 2023 Readiness Board and the Business media and other communications. Union branded conference on the impact of Children and young people are at the heart Improvement District to provide signage, the European Capital of Culture year on Leeds. of the Leeds 2023 bid and its legacy plans. branding of streets, construction sites and In 2020, we will celebrate 100 years since the We will work with previous European Capitals of Their voices will shape the future of culture key buildings to create a sense of festival birth of Melina Mercouri, the godmother of Culture on this conference, collaborating with in our city, our country and our continent. and to engage the local population the European City of Culture initiative. We will our academic contacts within the University work with media partners, schools and cultural Network of European Capitals of Culture. • We will also work with local people to find education providers to ensure that her role is creative ways to celebrate our European understood throughout Leeds, particularly by year – building on the success of the Grand children and young people. Départ 2014, where thousands of people dressed their streets along the route
78 79 Thank You PRINCIPAL PARTNERS REGIONAL PARTNERS
Travel Partner Print Media Partner Merchandise Partner
EVENT PARTNERS
BID BACKERS David Things, Shearings Incredible Tom Joy
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