· Economic Impact of Turner Contemporary – Mike Hill, Cabinet Member for Community Services and Ms Karen Eslea of Turner Contemporary.
Minutes:
1. The Cabinet Member for Community Services, Mr Hill and the Head of Learning and Visitor Experience, Turner Contemporary, Ms Karen Eslea, were invited by the Chairman to give their presentation.
2. Mr Hill referred to the “Rough Guide” handout on Margate, that had been tabled, that had appeared on the website headed “How Margate got cool”. He introduced Ms Eslea to Members and then gave a presentation using overheads on the vision and inception of the Turner Contemporary which opened in April 2011 to the present day.
3. Ms Eslea set out the galleries achievements in the five years that it had been open. The gallery did not have a permanent collection but had forged partnerships that allowed it to change the exhibits every three or four months. Before the gallery opened work had been undertaken to gain an audience. There had been world class exhibits by artists including works by Joseph Turner, Leonardo Da Vinci, Grayson Perry and Tracey Emin. The Gallery had the honour of welcoming visits by Her Majesty the Queen in 2011 and HRH the Duchess of Cambridge in 2015. The Gallery had been chosen as the venue in April to launch the new £20 note which would feature JMW Turner by the governor of the Bank of England, Mark Carney with director of Turner Contemporary, Victoria Pomery and artist Tracey Emin.
4. Ms Eslea then explained the economic impact that Turner Contemporary had on Margate. There had been to date 1.9 million visits to the gallery and it was predicted that this number would rise to 2 million by June 2016. Members noted that 40% of the visits to Margate came to the gallery. Since Turner Contemporary was opened 72 new businesses had started in Margate. House prices had risen to an average of £204k. Southeastern Trains had advised that over the past three years passenger numbers to Margate had risen by 100k from 220k to 329k.
5. Ms Eslea commented on the social impact advising of the learning programmes that were renowned across the world. Ms Eslea had visited China, Japan and Oslo giving advice on the learning programmes.
6. Members noted the work undertaken on a Schools Programme, an intergenerational programme that looked at inspiring 4 to 10 year olds to become the new leaders for the future by transforming neglected sites in Margate. Parents were also included through their support of their children. A City and Guilds Course was being developed with Canterbury Christ Church University for Parents. There were plans for this work to be shared with the House of Lords.
7. Ms Eslea concluded that Turner Contemporary also had a social return that included civic pride and an inspirational and spiritual space.
8. Mr Hill thanked Ms Eslea for all the work she had undertaken in the five years that she had been in post.
9. Mr Hill concluded that he considered the Gallery an outstanding success and that it had and was making an impact on the future of Margate and was money well spent by all the partners.
10. Mr Hill and Ms Eslea responded to questions by Members as follows:
a) Members thanked Mr Hill and Ms Eslea for their presentation and considered it a great cultural investment.
b) It was suggested that there was a need to show how Turner Contemporary had moved areas of Margate out of deprivation. Mr Hill advised that it would take time and Turner Contemporary could not achieve this on its own. He suggested that with more visitors more money was spent in the town. He was confident that new businesses coming into the area would provide results.
c) A suggestion was made that the increase in house prices would not improve the level of deprivation in Cliftonville and would not help local people but would provide for those people coming into the area. Mr Hill said that house prices were an indication that things were improving in an area. Mr Dance agreed that there had been a lot of bad housing in the area that had mostly gone through failing fire standards. Many of those houses went to auction and KCC had bought and refurbished them and rented them.
d) Ms Eslea explained that she did visit other galleries and although Turner Contemporary was developed through a sense of place, it was ambitious. The gallery was part of the Plus Tate Network, 35 galleries across the country that shared works. Turner Contemporary was a leader in that network.
e) Ms Eslea advised that the artist Tracey Emin was passionate about Turner Contemporary. She had contributed to the gallery both financially and gave her time to speak to local children as part of the Learning programme on changing aspirations.
f) Mr Dance agreed that the private rental sector in Margate had dropped. He advised that the bad housing in the area was being addressed. This included the local authority buying those rundown properties through auction and refurbishing them and then renting them; and through the scheme “No Use Empty” which had turned around four and a half thousand houses in the area of Margate. People who wanted to rent were looking for better housing.
g) Ms Eslea advised that there was a mixture of both contemporary and historical art shown at the gallery. Members noted that the investment research being undertaken with Christchurch, Canterbury would be launched in the Autumn.
h) A comment was made that originally local people were generally against the development of an art gallery in Margate but their opinions had now changed with a high level of local people enjoying the gallery regularly. The area also enjoyed a great deal of employment generated from visitors.
i) A suggestion was made that the social aspect brought to the area through the Turner Contemporary gallery needed to be kept on the radar.
j) Mr Baldock agreed to follow up on his question regarding housing in Margate outside the meeting.
11. RESOLVED that the responses to comments and questions by Members and the information given in the presentation be noted with thanks.