| Administrative History | During the 1978/9 financial year, the Libraries Committee was allocated a Support For The Arts budget, formalising Derbyshire County Council's arrangements for distribution of grant aid. In February 1980, Brian Stewart became the first County Arts Officer to attend a meeting of the committee, which was renamed the Libraries and Arts Committee in 1981. Derbyshire's Arts Service had its beginnings in these developments.
The bulk of this series dates from the early 21st century, during which time the Arts Service was engaged in a wide variety of work to support the arts in the county. In many cases, the role of the service involved co-ordination of different bodies. For instance, its leading role in co-ordinating the annual calendar of creative festival events led in c2012 to the creation of a distinctive brand called Festivity, which acted as a forum and a promotional platform for Derbyshire arts festivals.
In 2002, the Arts Service led a consortium of Derbyshire local authorities in development of a rural touring scheme, using Arts Council funding to promote appearances by professional performers in the county. A specialist touring agency called Live & Local won the contract to administer this countywide programme.
Derbyshire County Council's 2019 Five-Year Financial Plan required consideration of alternative funding arrangements for the arts. In July 2022, Cabinet agreed that all recurring grants to arts organisations would cease by the end of March 2023, with any future Council funding coming through competitive processes only. This signalled the end of the Arts Service as a provider of ongoing support to arts organisations. The service's other functions were transferred to other parts of the Place department. |