Agenda item

A presentation will be given by the Guild of Media Arts on the work of the Guild, progress to date and plans for the future.

A presentation was given by the Guild of Media Arts on the work of the Guild, progress to date and plans for the future.

Members were informed that the Guild had been established for a year.  An Annual Report was being prepared and could be shared with the committee in due course. The Guild had 200 members, many of whom were self-employed, and it was one of the largest guilds in the city.  Four formal meetings were held each year and provided an opportunity to share creative ideas around specified themes. A Court comprising of ten members met six times a year. Details were also given of the way in which the Guild linked with other UNESCO cities and with the Sheffield Creative Guild.

Details were given of the objectives of the Guild.  These included nurturing skills, sharing best practice, building contacts and supporting career development.  The Guild was also working with Mediale as part of the celebration of UNESCO designation.  Members were informed that the Guild was keen to raise awareness of the city’s skill base and to develop jobs and employment, as well as making the city a great place in which to live.

Members gave details of the review that was being carried out by the Impact of the Arts and Culture Sectors on the Economy of York Scrutiny Task Group. They sought the Guild’s views as to how City of York Council could assist and strengthen the impact of the arts and culture on the local economy.  The representatives from the Guild suggested that the Council should consider:

·        creating an ecology and putting in place a framework within which individuals and businesses could flourish.  It was also important that the Local Plan included reference to culture and to health and wellbeing.

·        its role as an important investor in culture.

·        the role it played in ensuring that national resources, for example funding from the Arts Council, were brought into the city.

·        recognising fully the importance of universities.  They attracted high quality people to the city and it was important they these skills were retained.  This meant that affordable housing and office accommodation needed to be available.

·        an apprenticeship scheme.

·        its role as an enabler.

·        ways of nurturing the growth of businesses.

·        ways in which it could be a great facilitator.

The views of the Guild representatives were sought as to the barriers in retaining and expanding these businesses in York.  They stated that the following factors were very important:

·        Good flexible premises to enable growth – flexibility of space.

·        Good transport links.

·        A vibrant city centre.

·        An acknowledgement that some young people may move away to explore what larger cities such as London and Leeds had to offer, but that they may later return to York, recognising it as a vibrant and exciting place to work.

·        Rigorously ascertaining the reasons why businesses left York.  A census was being carried out by the Guild and the development of this type of data over future years would be helpful.

·        The city could currently offer quite good small premises but did not have warehouse type accommodation that was available in some cities.  Consideration could be given to utilising aerodromes and the putting in place of a chain of office space.  The Guildhall complex had the potential to be the face for this type of provision.

·        The York Central project presented a golden opportunity for the city – the heritage element was already in place through the National Railway Museum.

·        York had to recognise that it was competing with cities like Edinburgh, London and Manchester.  These cities were a draw because of their huge markets and job opportunities.  York was, however, better placed than others in terms of what it could offer regarding quality of life.

·        Connectivity was a key consideration for businesses.

Members were informed of the work that was taking place to involve young people in initiatives such as the Digital Adventurers.

Members congratulated the representatives from the Guild on what had been achieved over the last year and thanked them for their attendance at the meeting.

Resolved:  That the presentation be noted.

Reason:     To inform the committee on the work of the Guild of Media Arts and its contribution to the economy of the city.