[IMC-bristol] Bristol NUJ response to BCC cultural strategy

[Ecovillage Network UK]

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This was emailed to Bridget Locke on 10th February 2002
Bridget says (see below) that she didn't receive it.
Now, it seems, she has.
Tony

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From: Bridget Locke <bridget_locke@bristol-city.gov.uk>
To: bristol@nuj.org.uk
Subject: Re: please acknowledge reciept
Date: Wed, 30 Apr 2003 15:28:16 +0100
X-Mailer: Internet Mail Service (5.5.2653.19)


Dear Tony
Thank you for your comments which I have received for the first time.
Paul Barnett, Head of Cultural Services is in the process of reading them
and will certainly take into account your thoughts in presenting the final
report, which is due to go to Full Council in July.
Regards
Bridget Locke
PA/Secretary to Paul Barnett
Head of Cultural Services

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Bristol NUJ
Response to Bristol Cultural Strategy

10th February 2003

There are some serious ommissions in the cultural strategy consultation=20
document.


Presentation of strategy and consultation period.
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For the people of Bristol to consider the strategy and make informed=20
comment on it, two weeks consultation is not enough time. The hurried=20
process seems to betray a minimalist consultation approach.  I would=20
suggest that six months is the minimum period of time necessary for a this=
=20
consultation if it is to carry any real weight.
For the majority of Bristolians it would take three weeks simply to contact=
=20
the council for the conultation papers, receive them in the post, read and=
=20
consider them and send back to the council. The consultation has not been=20
adequately publicised so I suggest the consultation period be extended if=20
the committee want to hear the views of the people of Bristol and not=20
simply impose their own ideas of what Bristol's culture means on the city.


Access to centres of cultural excellence.
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All the emphasis is on physical accessibility with little or no=20
consideration of whether large venues such as @Bristol and the Arnolfini=20
are economically accessible to ordinary Bristolians. One of the main=20
reasons visitor numbers are so low at @Bristol, that it costs =A362.50 for a=
=20
family ticket, is not addressed in the strategy. And why are there no=20
concessions for Bristol, residents there? For @Bristol to be part of the=20
cultural life of the city, rather than a 'parachuted in' project,=20
concessions for local poor people and a corresponding sense of community=20
'ownership' is not an 'option' but absolutely necessary. Local council tax=
=20
payers, after all, have paid a great deal towards @Bristol but cannot=20
afford to visit it!
The accessibility approach of @Bristol appears to be a 'window dressing'=20
exercise' it certainly has never been properly thought through access=20
strategy and the draft consultation document betrays a lack of awareness of=
=20
the ordinary people of Bristol's spending power, particularly the economic=
=20
situation of ethnic minorities.

For groups of artists and performers venues such as The Watershed,=20
Arnolfini and @Bristol are impossible to use as they cost hundreds of=20
pounds to hire just for an evening. As a result some of the best cultural=20
spaces in the city are standing idle many evenings of the week. If the=20
working group is serious about cultural diversity they must ensure the most=
=20
prestigious places in Bristol are used by local drama groups as well as the=
=20
national and international groups who 'parachute in' to the city with=20
plenty of money to hire these elitist venues.


The role of an alternative cinema where Bristol people show films they have=
=20
made
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Why is there no mention in the strategy of support for The Cube cinema? It=
=20
is the most diverse and economically accessible arts venue in Bristol and=20
yet there is no mention of its importance in the city's cultural life and=20
the need for the city council and arts funders generally to be supporting=20
their work, even if only by providing publicity.  As you may know the Cube=
=20
suffered a devastating fire in 2001 and may have to close. Even though the=
=20
most culturally diverse venue in Bristol is in danger of closing there is=20
no mention of this in your strategy. Some text for the strategy might=20
read... "The working group committs itself to supporting the alternative=20
arts scene in Bristol ensuring that genuinely participatory venues such as=
=20
The Cube cinema, which helps local people to arrange their own screenings=20
and holds regular viewing and feedback sessions for local filmmakers, is=20
fully supported culturally and financially."


Art originating in Bristol
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After the St Paul's riots in the 1980's it was recognised that providing=20
arts money and arts space to deprived areas such as St Pauls was key to=20
healing terrible community relations. From the gun-battles of recent weeks=
=20
one can see that the drying up of this fuunding has led to the old problems=
=20
surfacing again. An overall strategy to encourage creativity from and by=20
Bristolians is desperately needed. Something police officers up to=20
Superintendant level in the Avon & Somerset constabulary fully recognise. I=
=20
would suggest there should be a full-time post devoted to encouraging local=
=20
artists to get their work a high profile in the city through providing=20
free/cheap rehearsal space and ensuring that major venues such as @Bristol,=
=20
Arnolfini and the Watershed have concessionary rates for artists who have=20
virtually no money but large anmounts of ennthusiasm and talent. I suggest=
=20
that there should be a five year strategy (these things take time) to=20
develop Bristol's talent and bring it into prestigious high-profile public=
=20
spaces. Including support for temporary (and possibly permament) community=
=20
radio licences.


The Daily Mail and General Trust
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The DMGT now own much of Bristol's media through Northcliffe, their=20
regional arm. This one company owns Star FM and has majority shares in GWR=
=20
and Galaxy Radio as well as owning The Evening Post, the Western Daily=20
Press, Bristol Observer and Venue magazine outright. Their objective is to=
=20
take all advertising spend in and around the city and the cultural content=
=20
of these radio stations and newspapers does not reflect the interests and=20
concerns of the people of Bristol.  Editor of the Evening Post, Mike Lowe,=
=20
writing under the anonymous pen-name of 'Barry Beelzebub' was recently=20
condemned by the Press Complaints Commission and the Bristol Racial=20
Equality Council commission for writing in the Evening Post that the Iraqi=
=20
'towelheads' should be shot with 'pork bullets' as well as plenty more=20
racist vitriol (posing as 'humour'). This xenophobic attitude of the=20
Evening Post's editor betrays a newspaper out of step with and out of=20
sympathy with the people of Bristol. A situation which can only arise when=
=20
a newspaper is in a monopoly position.
The DMGT's near monopoly of newspaper and commercial radio coverage in the=
=20
city is stifling Bristol's cultural life and is a serious problem which=20
must be addressed if Bristol's media is to do the city's creative people=20
and cultural diversity justice. The problem is that advertisers demand the=
=20
content of radio and newspapers to be aimed at the highest income bracket=20
listeners and readers, leaving the creative heart of the city, the=20
community artists and musicians, airbrushed out of Bristol's media.
The strategy should provide for diversity in Bristols Radio and newspaper=20
ownership including local ownership of media. None of Bristol's media,=20
apart from one small-circulation magazine, Synnergy, are Bristol owned=20
which is a problem that must be addressed in the strategy. Again, community=
=20
radio which is accessible to local people with something to say, would do=20
much to breathe new life into the Bristol airwaves which now in no way do=20
justice to the cities creative individuals.




Tony Gosling
secretary
Bristol branch - National Union of Journalists
944 6219





















Bristol branch - National Union of Journalists
10-12 Picton Street
Montpelier
BRISTOL
BS6 5QA
England
http://lists.southspace.net/listinfo/nuj_bristol/
http://www.gn.apc.org/media/nuj.html
http://www.nuj.org.uk
0117 944 6219

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