Invest to benefit

Jul 25 2008 by Our Correspondent, Liverpool Daily Post

BENEFIT. An often repeated question, as it was after the Tall Ships. What was the benefit? Another one million people came and went last weekend and for once, as that figure dwarfs the city population, it was easy for people to see that it isn’t just locals enjoying the party.

Although there is nothing wrong with that. Yet, for the future economic benefit of the city, it was heartening to hear so many foreign accents, something a crew from the BBC World Service found equally fascinating.

In town for yet another look at whether the Capital of Culture award is doing any lasting good, they were both astonished and impressed by the sheer spectacle of the crowded Albert Dock. More so when they set out to get the traditional vox pops, only to discover that half a dozen attempts to stop and interview a typical Scouse family resulted only in non-English speakers. And no, they weren’t making a crack at the local accent.

So one benefit of attracting large crowds is obviously helping to change perceptions of the place, but the real lasting benefit is in demonstrating that, with a relatively small investment, a cultural event can deliver massive footfall and create a lasting economic model. Consider that last weekend cost approximately £1.50 per head to stage; then ponder how much each visitor must have spent on getting there, eating, drinking and shopping. Without any economic data, we can probably safely assume that the average spend was above that £1.50 per head.

For any media organisation, it’s a no-brainer. Get the box office to cover the production costs and make the margin on the concessions, merchandise and secondary sales. For a city council, it’s a bit trickier as without direct local taxation there will always be the natural worry over expenditure without a direct correlation in revenue. That always leads to a preoccupation with costs which leads inevitably to the typical debate about arts and services, something I don’t want to get into today except to repeat that it is time we considered culture itself as a front- line service.

To make any change whether social, welfare, political, economic, technological or whatever, requires changing people’s perceptions. Which usually means a change in culture.

The trick now is to convince everyone that it is worth continuing the investment. The payback may not come through immediate direct taxation, but it will come through a gradual increase in prosperity and with it employment and rateable value. It will also come through a lowering of social costs, direct and indirect, that comes when people are given hope of meaningful jobs, meaningful lives and increased self-esteem.

It won’t come through a few concerts and happy- clappy events, but it will come through a continued and sustained cultural programme that in itself can deliver lasting economic benefit.