Portsmouth City Borough Council Cabinet Member for Culture, Leisure and Economic Development Meeting

There were no declarations of interest.

Jane Mee, Museum & Visitor Services Manager, introduced the report, explaining that fees had been increased by 2% across the board in line with inflation (rounded up or down where practical). The aim is to ensure that venues, Southsea Castle in particular, are fully booked for weddings. A new policy is that a modest administration fee may be charged, for example, where a wedding date changes, and the deposit is returned.

Members thought the fees represented good value.

1.    That the Portsmouth Museums and Visitor Services venue hire charges and Charles Dickens Birthplace admission charges 2022/23 are approved.

2.    That the Portsmouth Museums and Visitor Services wedding hire charges 2022-25 are approved.

3.    That Officers are given the authority to offer pricing in line with these fees and charges for bespoke requests.

The Cabinet Member said the Action Plan was a positive development as it would enable people to engage with history.

1.    That the Strategy (Appendix 1A) is noted and agreed.

2.    That the Operational Plan (Appendix 1B) is noted and agreed.

Clare Forsyth, Service Development Manager, introduced the report.

Members said officers had worked extremely hard in difficult circumstances to run BookFest and deserved congratulations. Holding events online attracted people who might not otherwise have attended. Members agreed making events accessible was important as it increases engagement and enables more people to be involved.

1.    That Portsmouth BookFest continues to offer online events alongside the traditional in person events - event format to be determined by the location and availability of the author/speaker and the likely target audience groups for the event.

2.    That Library Assistant staff time is put into supporting the Service Development Manager to expand the publicity of the festival and its social media presence and also assist with the administration of ticket sales.

3.    That the festival aims to present a diverse programme of events each year reaching new audiences.

Clare Forsyth, Service Development Manager, introduced the report.

Members welcomed the report as an example of positive news and asked officers to keep up the good work. 

The Cabinet Member noted the report which is for information only and is not subject to call-in. 

Felicity Wood, Public Participation Manager, introduced the report.

Members thought having personal stories based on the D-Day Museum's collections was very positive and helped younger people in particular to learn about the impact of D-Day.

The Cabinet Member noted the report which is for information only and is not subject to call-in.