Theme 4:

Together in Hammersmith & Fulham

Setting the scene

As described above, there is a lot to do to ensure our cultural life continues to flourish and grow, so that it can deliver improved wellbeing for all our residents and contribute to our success.

It is a very challenging time for arts, culture and heritage organisations and businesses; by working together we can increase the amount of support they need to help them to help themselves and each other. Recovery from the COVID pandemic and recent economic challenges has affected all artists, organisations and businesses.

By drawing on the many creative assets we have in the borough and by fostering collaboration where it makes sense, we can use this strategy to strengthen the sector to fulfil its potential, driving our wider economy and offering opportunities for all.

The future of culture in Hammersmith & Fulham is of interest not only to the council, but also to residents, businesses, cultural institutions, educators, voluntary and public sector partners. People also told us that more could be achieved through effective partnership working backed by new investment so we can build on our many successes and ensure everyone has an opportunity to participate.

Together in Hammersmith & Fulham is about bringing all that we have to the table to help ourselves build a positive and thriving future.

In developing this strategy, people working across the creative sector in the borough shared their experiences of economic pressures and how that can threaten the very existence of large and small cultural organisations. Having access to a range of support – for example, expertise in fundraising – can help organisations become more resilient and achieve their full potential.

There’s a real appetite in the borough for working together to achieve more and attract new investment for culture. While there’s acknowledgement that no one partner has all the answers, we found enthusiasm to work collectively; this interest in collaboration underpins the positioning of this strategy as a shared endeavour, a strategy not just for the Council, but for the Council and its partners in the arts, culture and heritage sectors.

The challenges ahead of us are increasingly interconnected and complex.

Our world is uncertain and change is accelerating faster every day. Our response must be to work together to find solutions and turn challenges into opportunities. Increasingly, public policy is moving to be “place-led”. It responds to the assets and needs in local areas, informed by the real-life experiences of residents and reflecting a shared responsibility for change, while acknowledging the very different resources which each partner can bring to bear.

There is an important role for the “anchor institutions” in a place, with the greatest resources and capacity, to support this work.

This strategy, its priorities and actions, have been developed through collaboration. Without a doubt, if it is to deliver on its ambitions, it will need to be owned, resourced, delivered and monitored in collaboration too.