THE leader of Bradford Council has been shortlisted for a prestigious national award and will have to impress a host of celebrity judges.
Councillor Susan Hinchcliffe has been shortlisted for an award in the ‘Best Arts Champion – Councillor’ category of the Hearts for the Arts Awards 2022, being run by the National Campaign for the Arts.
The awards celebrate the unsung heroes of local authorities who are championing the arts against all odds.
Bradford Council’s approach in seeing ‘culture’ as one of the four key pillars in the district’s post-Covid economic recovery plan, has been the strongest possible endorsement of the arts sector in the district.
Under Cllr Hinchcliffe’s leadership, the Bradford district has seen the development of a Cultural Place Partnership, the establishment of a Creative People and Places organisation, the creation of Bradford Producing Hub and a 10-year Cultural Strategy (Culture Is Our Plan), the formation of the new 300-member strong Cultural Voice for the independent arts sector, a new Screen Strategy (As Seen on Screen), leading relationships with Channel 4, as well as the development of the City of Culture 2025 bid.
Cllr Hinchcliffe has backed the expanded grants programme from the council, which has widened the number of Regular Funded Organisations from 11 to 24.
Through the Response Grants during the height of the pandemic, Cllr Hinchcliffe championed a new model for nurturing creativity.
These grants helped fund multiple community arts groups and individual practitioners, who may have otherwise struggled during the lockdown period.
It had the additional benefit of using creative output and local artists to inspire and entertain communities, benefitting people’s mental health and wellbeing through the darkest days of the pandemic.
Through the creation of Bradford Economic Recovery Plan, Cllr Hinchcliffe centred access to the arts and cultural activity as a key element of Bradford’s post-pandemic recovery.
Cllr Hinchliffe will be battling for the award with Cllr Danny Thorpe, of Royal Borough of Greenwich; Cllr Ffion Meleri Gwyn, Cyngor Tref Criccieth Town Council and Cllr Mary Huggins – Mole Valley District Council.
The award winners will be announced on February 14.
This year’s winners will be selected from the shortlist by a judging panel of key arts industry experts and practitioners, including Dragons' Den star Deborah Meaden and Channel 4 News presenter Krishnan Guru-Murthy.
The awards judges said: “The calls on a council leader are many and varied, but Cllr Hinchcliffe has recognised the crucial role that culture and the arts play in delivering wider objectives, as well as their own intrinsic value to communities and individuals.
"Her leadership has put Bradford’s cultural work on the map and helped make it more sustainable.
It is clear that Cllr Hinchcliffe is a dedicated public servant who translates her passion for arts and culture into action
"It is inspiring to hear of the hard work that she has put in to ensure that Bradford has benefitted from vital investment and how this has helped to create a flourishing culture scene in the city.
"Cllr Hinchcliffe should be extremely proud of what she has achieved.”
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