A COUNCILLOR has urged for more joined up thinking around the District's culture strategy - pointing out that closing public toilets and Tourist Information Centres does not help entice visitors to the District.

At a meeting of Bradford Council's Executive this week, members approved a new ten year cultural strategy for the District.

'Culture is our Plan' was due to launch later this month, but members were told that with the lifting of Covid restrictions looming, this launch has been put back to May to allow more people to be involved.

One of the major goals of the plan is to support Bradford's City of Culture bid for 2025.

Alex Croft, creative director at Kala Sangam, told members "This is an ambitious plan for culture across the District - it is not a plan that will sit in a drawer for 10 years."

Nic Greenan, lead for cultural partnerships, said although the District had a strong cultural sector: "There is a long way to go to level up with other areas of the North, let alone the South."

She said the plan would see arts groups "re-use and re-energise" empty buildings in Bradford and create "festivals of local, national and international relevance."

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Shanaz Gulzar, the artist and TV presented fronting the City of Culture bid, said she was confident Bradford would win the bid. She said the strategy would help with "rewriting misconceptions and myths about the district."

Councillor Rebecca Poulsen, leader of the Conservative opposition, represents the Worth Valley ward, which includes Haworth, the village most famous for being home to the Bronte sisters.

She welcomed the report, adding: "Culture is a part of all our lives. When making other decisions this is something the Council needs to bear in mind. Some individual decisions go against what we are trying to achieve.

"Closing public toilets and tourist information centres can't be helpful for promoting culture and tourism. We need to make sure the decisions we make reflect what we want to achieve through culture."

Recent years have seen Bradford Council reduce funding for tourist information centres and public toilets, including facilities in Haworth.