Local authorities

Nottingham Castle could fully reopen to the public in June if plans are approved at a council meeting next week.

The visitor attraction and galleries closed in November when the Nottingham Castle Trust went into liquidation. 

An executive board at Nottingham City Council will consider a report recommending the authority should take on the castle's running costs of up to £2.1m over three years.

If approved, Nottingham Castle would be run as part of the council's museums and galleries service.

The city centre venue opened in June 2021 following a three-year, £30m renovation project partially funded with an £8m loan from the city council.

Councillor Pavlos Kotsonis said: "We committed to looking at ways to reopen the castle as soon as possible after Nottingham Castle Trust went into liquidation.

"This report recommends a way to do that by using the expertise of the council's well-established museums and galleries service, which has previously run the site and has the skills, specialist knowledge and cultural partnership connections."

The report, which also includes other options such as keeping the whole site closed and only reopening the gardens, will be considered at a meeting on Tuesday 21 March.

Spending on libraries in Britain has fallen by 17%, new statistics show.

Official figures released by the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA), show that £9,982 was spent per 1,000 people on libraries by central and local government in England, Scotland and Wales in 2021/2022. 

This figure represents a significant reduction from the 2020/2021 rate of £11,970 and the £12,646 spent in 2018/2019.

The money libraries made decreased in the same period, The Guardian reported, falling 24% from £868 per 1,000 people in 2020/2021 to £660 in 2021/2022.

During the same period, in-person visits to libraries increased by 68%, from 915 per 1,000 people in 2020/2021 to 1,536 in 2021/2022. 

The number of books borrowed also increased by 58%, from 1,119 per 1,000 people to 1,767.

Web visits fell by 8% as people returned to borrowing physical books after borrowing a larger number of ebooks during the pandemic. 

“The fact that in-person visits are recovering shows demand for library services is still strong,” said Rob Whiteman, Chief Executive of CIPFA.

“Libraries are clearly still valuable to the communities they serve but given the drop in their income, sustained funding is crucial if they are to continue to be a vital part of the community.”

He said the growth in library visits was “encouraging… but the same cannot be said for funding and income levels, which still lag behind”, adding that “libraries are certainly facing a difficult road ahead”.
 

Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) has shared more than £13m across 40 local arts and culture organisation in the latest round of its culture fund.

This year’s Culture Fund grants are the first to be awarded since the local authority agreed a new, three-year approach to cultural investment, focused on the role arts, culture and creativity can play in economic prosperity and the health and wellbeing of people.

“I’m pleased to see that this year’s cohort – which includes music festivals, museums, and community spaces – captures that breadth and depth of cultural excellence in Greater Manchester,” Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham said.

“[Culture and creativity] help shape communities and provide an outlet for us to express our thoughts, feelings, and experiences, which is why the Culture Fund is putting a new focus on organisations and projects concerned with physical and mental health and wellbeing.”

A number of organisations are receiving funding for the first time, including Headspace Bolton, an arts group run by and for people with lived experience of neurodiversity and Portraits of Recovery, a visual arts company in Oldham working with people affected by addiction to drugs and alcohol.

GMCA says it has now increased cultural investment by 40% since 2017.

Upon announcing this year’s funding recipients, GMCA also said it is working with Oldham Council, Arts Council England and Oldham Coliseum to “develop and secure provision in the borough, and funds have been ringfenced to ensure continued high-quality cultural activity in Oldham”.

Only half the recommended number of medical staff were on duty on the night of a crush at the O2 Brixton Academy, it has been claimed.

The BBC reports that it contacted the medical cover provider for the evening in question (15 December) after being approached by insiders. They were told that five medics were working at the time despite industry guidelines suggesting there should have been at least 10. No paramedics or nurses were present.

Rebecca Ikumelo, 33, and security guard Gaby Hutchinson, 23, died in hospital following the crush in the foyer of the building.

The venue is currently closed for a period of three months after a decision in January by Lambeth’s licensing subcommittee following a request from the Metropolitan Police, which is investigating the incident.