Essex County Council has launched a new strategic vision designed to support the county’s arts, cultural and creative sector. The Cultural Strategy is a broad and ambitious document created after extensive consultation, intended to be the start of a conversation and a statement of intent, defining a roadmap as to how the county can help create the conditions for success.

View the strategy along with an accompanying launch video at https://www.explore-essex.com/culture/essex-cultural-strategy

The strategy is underpinned by four key principles:

• Enrich: how the county will aid resilience and support cultural networks via greater collaboration.

• Empower: explores supporting new career pathways into the industry for young people and mapping the cultural sector so the county can gain a more accurate picture of where the sectors’ strengths and opportunities lie.

• Amplify: outlines an approach to greater collaboration across cultural events and programmes in the county.

• Grow: focuses on supporting the county’s economic growth through culture and creativity.

Focused on creating conditions for growth, this strategy illustrates how the county will enable an environment where creative practitioners can flourish. It outlines the importance of communities, authorities and organisations working together to tackle health and well-being, education, employment and social inequality. Essex is at a defining moment in its history with significant investment through governmental funding, local enterprise and major development projects. By embracing these opportunities to create a united cultural sector, strengthened by collaboration and a strategic approach, the county aims to create cohesive communities, grow the economy and skill opportunities for everyone in Essex.

To keep up-to-date with news, funding opportunities and outcomes associated with the Cultural Strategy, as well as the county’s wider work, sign-up to the Essex Cultural Network newsletter here. You can also follow them on LinkedIn, Instagram and Twitter.