Local authorities

A pop-up arts and culture venue is to be created in Humber Street after receiving Levelling Up funding from Hull City Council.

The council awarded a grant of £76,418.82 to Fruit Market LLP to help bring a heritage building on Humber Street back into use.

It will be used as a pop-up space for the local arts and cultural scene.

The grant will fund renovations to the building, including the installation of a new shop front and a new roof, an upgraded interior, cladding to the walls, installation of heating and cooling systems, plumbing works and the fitting of fire systems and fire doors, Hull CC News reported.

“The council is delighted to be able to award this funding to Fruit Market LLP,” said Garry Taylor, Assistant Director for Major Projects, Culture and Place at Hull City Council.

“It’s pleasing to see another unused building being brought back into use, whilst also supporting the city’s flourishing arts and culture scene.”

The price of entry to some museums and attractions in Leeds has risen by up to 14%, the BBC reports.

The price hikes apply at venues including Temple Newsam House, Leeds Industrial Museum, Thwaite Watermill and Abbey House Museum, all owned by Leeds City Council.

The rises were implemented due to inflationary pressures and increased staff costs, the council said. 

The average rise in entry prices was between 5% and 14%. No admission price will rise by more than £2, the council said.

Attractions including the Art Gallery and Leeds City Museum will remain free to enter.

A council report laying out the price changes said they aimed to “ensure Leeds Museums and Galleries can provide choice to visitors, offer value for money alongside specific discounts, deliver against agreed income targets in the next financial year and support Leeds 2023, in the year of culture”.

The London Borough of Culture programme is set to return in 2025 and 2027.

Applications will open in May, with all boroughs that have not previously held the title eligible to apply.

Selected boroughs will receive £1.35m from Greater London Authority (GLA) to help deliver their cultural calendar.

Launched in 2017, the initiative was designed to platform grassroots creativity by developing creative opportunities and legacies in the chosen borough.

GLA estimates more than 3,000 young people, 2,200 artists and partners, 3,370 volunteers and 315 schools have taken part in creative programmes delivered by previous winners Waltham Forest, Brent and Lewisham.

Current hosts Croydon began its calendar of events earlier this month.

The hosts for the next two editions will be announced in early 2024.

“I look forward to seeing the creativity of our boroughs shine through in their bids as we work to build a better and fairer London for everyone,” Mayor of London Sadiq Khan said.

London attractions including Tower Bridge and the Barbican could face industrial action following a vote by City of London Corporation staff.

GMB union members working for the council have overwhelmingly voted for strike action, having rejected the Corporation’s 2022-23 pay offer.

Of those who voted, 77% said they were prepared to strike.

Anna Lee, GMB London Regional Organiser, said: “This vote for industrial action shows just how strongly our members feel and how they will continue to fight for a fair and decent pay rise.

“This is an historic vote, the first time ever that City of London Corporation staff have voted to strike over pay.

"I hope in light of this vote the Corporation will reconsider its position and get back to the negotiating table and present an offer which truly recognises the hard work, reliability and dedication of its workforce.”

Kilburn Library in Brent is in need of a £765,000 refurbishment to tackle structural concerns about the building, according to council sources.

Both the building and the garden have been described as “in a poor state” by Brent Council’s Corporate Director of Resident Services, amid concerns that further damage to the building may cause it to become “increasingly unsafe”.

“If the Library Service doesn’t act now… then the long-term future of Kilburn Library may be jeopardised,” warned a council report on the library’s condition.

It added that “the building itself may need partial closure if structural problems are not addressed quickly. If no investment is put into the current facilities the condition will decline further.”

Damage to the structure includes large cracks, My London reported.

The necessary refurbishments are expected to cost £765,000. The library has been awarded a £231,000 grant from Arts Council England’s Library Improvement Fund, leaving £534,000 currently outstanding.

If the project goes head, work will begin in November, with reopening set for April 2024. The council is negotiating a temporary move to The Granville, a local community building in South Kilburn in the interim.

As well as tackling structural problems, the refurbishment project will seek to create new hireable spaces to generate additional income and invest in the library’s “underutilised” garden.

“The project will futureproof the library facilities for an estimated further ten years and enable more flexible use,” said Brent Council’s Corporate Director of Resident Services.

“It will alleviate some of the pressures of cyclical maintenance required to maintain its current condition.”

Southwark Council has appointed a new operator for Canada Water Theatre, the performance space in the Piers Gough-designed Canada Water Library.

Theatre Peckham will take over from Deptford's The Albany, which has managed and programmed the space for the past 11 years. 

The new operator of the 150-seat space plans to rebrand the theatre as an artist development hub.

It aims to create free research and development opportunities for Southwark-based creatives, offer free rehearsal space for artists performing in the Peckham Fringe festival and Theatre Peckham's Young, Gifted & Black programme, and create affordable rehearshal space for companies based outside Southwark.

It will also facilitate hires for local community groups.

Councillor Catherine Rose, Cabinet Member for Leisure, Parks, Streets and Clean Air, said: “The new direction of the space reflects our ambition not just to platform local artists and theatre-makers, but to cultivate their talents and provide them with the resources to hone their practice and make a living."

Artistic Director and CEO of Theatre Peckham Suzann McLean said: "The venue will provide a much-needed space for Southwark artists to come together and collaborate on projects, be a resource for sector-wide theatre companies seeking a performance space, and continue as a community hub for local groups. 

"This opportunity will allow us to further our commitment to artistic excellence, social change, and community connections."

As part of Norwich’s designation as a Living Wage City, Norwich Theatre, Royal has signed up to the Living Wage Foundation’s Real Living Wage scheme, awarding pay increases of at least 10% to eligible Theatre Royal and Playhouse staff.

Eligible full-time employees will receive an average pay increase of 10.3%, while variable-hour employees will see their hourly pay rise 14.7%.

The theatre’s decision to join the scheme comes amid a three-year plan, spearheaded by the city council, to significantly expand the number of employers in Norwich paying the Real Living Wage.

As of April 1, the government's National Living Wage is £10.42 per hour for workers aged 23 and over. The minimum wage for workers aged 21 and 22 is £10.18, with those aged 18 to 20 receiving £7.49 and under-18s and apprentices £5.28.

The Real Living Wage – which is calculated based on the cost of living – is higher, with participating businesses agreeing to pay any employee aged 18 and older at least £10.90 per hour, rising to £11.95 in London.

“The news that one of our key cultural institutions is to become a Real Living Wage Employer is tremendous and a significant boost to the campaign to ensure everyone across Norwich gets a decent wage,” said Norwich City Council leader Alan Waters.