A SOUTH Lakeland councillor has been appointed to two important Arts Council bodies responsible for major arts strategies and funding in the north of England.

Cllr Chris Hogg, South Lakeland District Council’s portfolio holder for Culture, Arts and Events, is joining the Arts Council’s North Area Council and the Arts Council’s Rural Stakeholders Group.

On the North Area Council he will sit alongside key regional decision-makers including the leaders of Manchester and Gateshead councils, and leading cultural and media organisations in the region such as Tate Liverpool and BBC North.

As a member of the Arts Council’s Rural Stakeholders Group, Cllr Hogg will sit alongside representatives from the arts and cultural sector, including individual artists as well as organisations like the Society of Chief Librarians and the National Rural Touring Forum, to help to develop the Arts Council’s policies for rural areas.

Cllr Hogg says these appointments have much to do with SLDC’s reputation as a council dedicated to strategic work to promote arts and culture in the district and the quality of the cultural organisations in South Lakeland.

Cllr Hogg said: “The Arts Council is a major organisation with a £100m funding budget for the arts in the north and some real big hitters making those decisions, so it is an honour for South Lakeland to be represented at the ‘top table’.

“I know that my appointment has come as a direct result of the great work we are doing in South Lakeland to promote the area as a leading cultural destination, something that has also been recognised by the recent visits of Darren Henley (Chief Executive of Arts Council England) and Lady Cobham (Chairman of VisitEngland).

“Lakeland Arts, the Brewery Arts Centre and Grizedale Arts are all strategic partners funded by SLDC and National Portfolio Organisations. They deliver a progressive programme of cultural activities and facilities in South Lakeland. The Wordsworth Trust and Lakeland Arts are also a key partners of the Cumbria Museum Consortium, which add so much to our area.

“Our work with partner organisations on initiatives like Lakes Culture and the Lake District National Park Authority’s World Heritage Site bid not only strengthens our creative and cultural reputation but also delivers real benefits to the visitor economy and the health and wellbeing of residents.’’

In September South Lakeland was listed in the top 10 out of nearly 400 local authority districts nationally in a ‘heritage index’ compiled by the Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce (RSA), putting the district alongside places like the City of London and Oxford and Cambridge.

The RSA index measures which areas enjoy the best heritage assets to come up with a list of areas that benefit most from a heritage identity and improvements in residents’ health and wellbeing and levels of tourism.

In the same RSA report South Lakeland ranked second overall nationally (behind Scarborough) for areas with the most ‘heritage activity’, measuring things like museum visits and rates of volunteering to rank districts according to how effectively they capitalise on heritage assets.

Cllr Hogg continued: “Being on these bodies will only help to strengthen our work in these areas for the benefit of residents and visitors. It is a great chance to see best practice at work in other parts of the region and gives us a voice at the heart of the arts’ northern powerhouse.’’

Cllr Hogg has been appointed to the North Area Council with a brief to represent rural cultural interests in the region, and he says he is excited by the prospect of raising the profile of all the excellent cultural work that is happening in more rural areas of the region.

He said: “In South Lakeland we have clear policies to make the best use of our distinctive environment to attract cultural activities and events that help to strengthen our visitor economy and the health and wellbeing of our residents.

“When you think of something like the recent paper bridge art project that really captured people’s imagination it shows how art can link to and support tourism and that is something I am keen to explore and develop.

“The Arts Council also has a commitment to supporting diversity and we must remember that our rurality means that areas like South Lakeland need to be considered as part of that diversity pledge, ensuring that residents in rural areas have access to the arts.’’