A REVIEW of the delivery of the Vale council’s arts service and Arts Central gallery has begun after councillors gave their approval at a cabinet meeting on Monday, January 20.

The future direction of services will be put to members of the public and service users in an eight-week consultation running from February 3 to March 23.

The consultation for stakeholders’ views will primarily be an online survey.

A meeting will be held with staff prior to the launch of the consultation.

The survey will also be on the Vale council website and be promoted in the Art Central Gallery and other Vale arts venues throughout the consultation period.

A consultation session will be held with the Friends of Art Central group and additional methods to be identified to ensure key stakeholders such as young people, other arts venues and other voluntary arts groups in the Vale are able to share their views.

Vale council leader, Cllr Neil Moore said a report, following the feedback, would be put to cabinet members in June or July this year.

Around 27 people from Barry, the Vale, and Cardiff, attended the Civic offices, to witness cabinet discuss the report.

The report put to the committee stated: “The Arts Strategy sets out a delivery plan for increasing arts activity in the Vale of Glamorgan and developing new opportunities to create a 21st century arts programme that reinforces a sense of cultural identity and belonging, and to ensure access and engagement opportunities across all arts and culture is accessible to all residents and visitors to the Vale of Glamorgan.

“The vision is for an art offer that creates a lifelong learning pathway that connects with the lives of the citizens in the Vale and provides new and evolving opportunities for artistic expression and appreciation.

“The strategy states this will be achieved by building on current partnerships and forging new ones, to ensure that investment from the Vale of Glamorgan Council is maximised for the widest public benefit.”

The report said footfall figures for the Arts Central Gallery had changed in recent years.

Footfall for 2016/2017 was recorded at 14,774; 2017/2018 it was 13,500; and in 2018/2019 it was 12,500 calculated using an infrared clicker system.

Speaking on behalf of Arts Central Friends, Jane Salisbury said the group had been invited to arrange a formal meeting with Vale officers.

“Clearly we shall do this.

“We welcome the opportunity to share constructively our broad experience with the Arts and our ideas for creating a "culturally vibrant Vale " with the council.

“We have a "vision" for the gallery and how it might function and engage with people and children from across the different wards of the Vale of Glamorgan.

“Art Central is certainly a "jewel in the crown" of the Vale and we envisage a positive and fruitful role for it in helping to regenerate the Barry town centre and King Square area.”