Agenda and draft minutes

It was proposed by Councillor Purser, seconded by Councillor Mrs French and resolved that Councillor Barber be elected as the Chairman of the Culture, Arts and Heritage Executive Advisory Committee for the remainder of the Municipal Year 2026/27.

It was proposed by Councillor Barber, seconded by Councillor Mrs French and resolved that Councillor Purser be elected as Vice-Chairman of the Culture, Arts and Heritage Executive Advisory Committee for the remainder of the Municipal Year 2026/27.

The confirm and sign the minutes of the meeting of 3 February 2026.

The minutes of the meeting of 3 February 2026 were confirmed and signed.

To receive a presentation on the Local Visitor Economy Partnership.

Charlotte Goy provided an update on the Local Visitor Economy Partnership (LVEP), which is looking to create a clearer, more coherent visitor story for the region.

Members made comments, asked questions, and received responses as follows:

·       Councillor Mrs French referred to the mention that LVEP are working on a five-year plan which includes the Wisbech Railway and the Reservoir and pointed out that these projects are not due to start for about 5 years and wondered why they were included within this 5-year plan? Charlotte Goy responded that this information forms part of LVEP’s horizon scanning in terms of making sure that what is being put in place now can also future proof future discussions and projects listed in the future growth plan.

·       Councillor Mrs French asked if the Ely Junction was being considered as this is desperate for an upgrade and has not been mentioned? Charlotte Goy stated that the destination management plan is a focus through the eyes of the visitor economy and the projects that have been mentioned within it are the ones that came out of consultation from the businesses but the Ely junction is one of the projects which is an influencing project on the visitor economy and is recognised as a project within its own right.

·       Councillor Mrs French stated that she was interested to see funding available for school trips and asked if all the schools in the area have been made aware of the funding available? Charlotte Goy confirmed that this was a Mayor’s Day Out project delivered through Cambridgeshire County Council and confirmed that all the information was shared with all the schools within the area but not all the schools responded and from this pilot many lessons have been learnt especially around engaging with schools and ensuring the opportunities are available to everybody.

·       Councillor Hicks asked if there were any plans to build cycle ways as this can be a good way of joining towns together and building communities? Charlotte Goy confirmed that this is something that will fit into the visitor experience and is included in the destination management plan. She continued this LVEP programme has been activated using the transitional year UK SPF funding, but beyond that, with the funding ending in September, the visitor economy programme at the moment is unfunded and as part of the programme she is involved in building a business plan around the LVEP and thinking about funding bids, there are ones available through national organisations but also about putting the case forward for CPCA and seed funding alongside other organisations to get this programme moving forwards and then in the future it is going to be very much a mixed funding model.

·       Councillor Foice-Beard asked how the committee can ensure that Fenland are engaging organisations, private and public, that they are aware of this and stay involved as part of the LVEP journey so Fenland are benefiting the best it can. Charlotte Goy stated that firstly it would be to welcome or  ...  view the full minutes text for item CAH24/23

To receive an update on the Culture Fund.

Carol Pilson provided an update on the Culture Fund. At the last meeting there was a brainstorming session around projects that the Culture Committee could put forward to Cabinet for consideration. A part of that work was the possibility of establishing a Culture Fund for groups or organisations who provide art, heritage or culture activities to bid for small grants to deliver activities and events within Fenland, with the committee already having experience with this in delivering two phases of culture funding in partnership with the Arts Council and through Government SPF funding. She referred to one of the press releases which showed the breadth of organisations that had benefited from those small grants funding, and as shown there is a wide range and high number of organisations that benefited.

Carol Pilson continued this is an opportunity for the committee to consider recommending to Cabinet for it to consider funding with the report being a reminder of those processes to date and the potential opportunity for establishing a Culture Fund phase three that would be Fenland District Council funded. She stated that when making a potential recommendation to Cabinet the committee should be aware of what the total pot should be, what should be the maximum grant as it was up to £2,000 last time and what criteria should the committee use to prioritise those bids?

Carol Pilson added that within the report there is some context of what the committee had undertaken in the previous funding rounds. The Fenland Cultural Strategy has key priorities and it makes sense to keep the alignment with that strategy. She stated that she would like to capture all the feedback so Cabinet could consider whether they want to make this financial commitment but also consider the committee’s views on how a fund could potentially be delivered.

Members made comments, asked questions and received responses as follows:

·       Councillor Mrs French stated that there is the four-season events which are sponsored by the Council which started in 2008 with an allocation of £1,000 per town, with the March committee running the St Georges Fayre and the Christmas Market which cost in the region of £18,000 between the two events, and the Town Councils are always looking for funding. She suggested that each market town gets an additional £4,000 to help put these local events on. Councillor Purser agreed with this suggestion.

·       Councillor Hicks asked where the money would come from? Carol Pilson responded that from today’s meeting the ideas will be taken to Cabinet and then Cabinet will decide where the money will come from.

·       Councillor Hicks asked how much the overall funding would be? Carol Pilson suggested that a figure was being considered of £30,000 but this is at the discretion of Cabinet.

·       Councillor Mrs French provided an example, that when organising the events, just to have the roads closed off can cost in the region of £2,000.

·       Councillor Hicks suggested looking back and seeing what contributions were made in the past to add  ...  view the full minutes text for item CAH25/23