We were tasked with creating a new cultural framework that was co-designed – in the end – by over a thousand people taking part in surveys, workshops, interviews and engagement events across the city. It has been shaped by the sector, by stakeholders, by audiences and importantly by those who we know we have to work harder to connect with.

From the outset, we knew this had to be a highly inclusive and deliberative process working towards a strategy that was fully co-designed with the community and stakeholders.

Our consultation activity for this strategic framework took place from September 2023 to March 2024 and included close working with the City Council team, a steering group, and overall has seen:

• 250,000 residents reached via social media
• 60,000 people reached through bulletins and newsletters
• Over 10,000 visits to the consultation website we built
• Around 1,300 survey responses have been sent to us and we have spoken in person to hundreds of local people in neighbourhoods
• We have met with 52 groups representing 807 community voices
• And there have been 11 media pieces promoting the strategy consultation