Report of the Chief Operating Officer (Neighbourhoods)

This report identifies the strengths of Manchester’s event offer and the need to think differently about how Manchester focuses its investment - differentiating investment into events that are aimed principally at supporting communities and animating the city and those which generate significant economic value and profile for the City through the development of the visitor economy. It sets out the vision, principles and aims for the strategy and the need to develop a refreshed and more coherent events offer that provides an authentic connection to the place inspired by the city and its people.

The Committee received a report of the Chief Operating Officer (Neighbourhoods) which identified the strengths of Manchester’s event offer and the need to think differently about how Manchester focused its investment - differentiating investment into events that were aimed principally at supporting communities and animating the

city and those which generated significant economic value and profile for the city through the development of the visitor economy. It set out the vision, principles and aims for the strategy and the need to develop a refreshed and more coherent

events offer.

Officers referred to the main points and themes within the report, which included:

• An analysis of the current situation, including best practice from other cities worldwide;
• The vision and aims of the Events Strategy;
• The Events Programme; and
• Next steps.

Some of the key points that arose from the Committee’s discussions were:

• Whether further information could be provided on the Council resources required to develop, deliver and facilitate the events listed in the Core Events Programme 2019/20 – 2020/21;
• The importance of ensuring that an ethical approach was taken to the bidding process;
• What could be done to ensure that the employment arising from large events met minimum standards, for example, avoiding the use of zero hour contracts;
• Whether more funding could be invested in community events; and
• Whether the criteria for funding community events had been reviewed through a co-design process, using an Our Manchester approach.

The Strategic Lead (Parks, Leisure and Events) reported that an ethical, fair and transparent bidding process was used and that one of the aims of the new Events Strategy was Collaborative Leadership and Good Governance which included an ethical approach to decision-making.  He informed Members that the Strategy aimed to attract more events which would remain in the city for a number of years, rather than one-off large events, and this would enable the Council to use its procurement process to ensure better employment opportunities for local people, for example, avoiding zero hour contracts.  He reported that work was taking place with both the universities in the city to ensure that Manchester had the skills to support the delivery of these events.  He informed Members that Manchester was not currently investing as much in events as some comparator cities in the UK.  He advised the Committee that he would identify the best way to provide Members with further details of the Council resources being invested in core events without compromising commercially sensitive information.

The Executive Member for Schools, Culture and Leisure reported that he had been trying to increase the allocation of funding for community events and that he recognised the value of these events on neighbourhoods and community cohesion.  He reported that new groups were being encouraged and supported to apply for funding for events and that the Council was looking at ways to secure more funding for community events.  The Strategic Lead (Parks, Leisure and Events) reported that one of the ways the Council was looking at to do this was to get the commercial events taking place in the city to make a donation to the cost of the community events.  He also informed Members that, while funding for global events had been reduced by 44.5% since 2010, funding for community events had been protected as the Council recognised the importance of community events.  He reported that, although the criteria for funding community events had not been developed through a co-design process, the criteria meant that groups which adopted an Our Manchester approach, for example, engaging with local residents, were more likely to obtain funding.

Decision

To request that the Strategic Lead (Parks, Leisure and Events) provide Members with further details of the Council resources being invested in core events.