Arun District Council has approved its involvement in a £1.1 million levelling up project.
Members of the council’s economy committee approved the district’s inclusion in the Coastal Catalyst project at its meeting on Thursday, September 17.
Following a successful bid to the Arts Council, England the project was awarded £900,000 in July, with other funding from Brighton University, Brighton Dome, Brighton Festival and De La Warr Pavilion bringing the total value of the scheme to £1.1 million.
Involvment in the project will be at no cost to the council and will also not see the council receive any funds directly.
Arun will receive one of the three new Creative Hubs planned within the project and will look to increase opportunities for 14-25 year olds.
The other hubs are to be in Bexhill and Eastbourne/Newhaven, with a satellite hub to be established in east Brighton.
Investment in Arun will focus on Littlehampton and Bognor Regis, with a report to the committee on the project stating there would be a ‘view to supporting and including other areas of the district’ in future.
Committee members were told by council officers that they did not have figures for ‘exactly’ how much of the funding would go to Arun, saying it was awarded for ‘activity across the coast’ and not necessarily divided by council boundaries.
Officers said the operators of the Arun Youth Council, Artswork, who are also partners in the project, had been consulted, following questions on whether the youth council would be included in the project.
They said there was ‘scope’ to expand the list of Arun based partners to the project, mentioning Arun Arts and Butlin’s, saying the council had been ‘liaising’ with Butlin’s about it.
Chair of the Committee and Deputy Leader of the Council, Roger Nash (Lab,Pevensey), said following a £10,000 bid to the Arts Council, England to make a ‘creative vision’, the council is looking to make a ‘much bigger bid’ to the Arts Council in the ‘near future’.
The report states that outside of London, Arun is one of 109 ‘levelling up for cultural place’ areas in the country until 2026, identified by the previous government.
