Culture and Heritage Strategy for Birkenhead

We asked

The Culture and Heritage Strategy for Birkenhead was commissioned in support of the Council’s ambitious regeneration plans. The strategy will set out how the Council will work in partnership to make sure that culture and heritage are at the heart of plans for renewal, including transforming our precious public realm. Celebrating Birkenhead’s history, telling our story in new ways and energising our communities through cultural experiences has never been more important as we recover from the pandemic and look ahead to the future.

The Council carried out public and stakeholder engagement through the Have Your Say portal alongside a range of stakeholder engagement. The consultation invited views on areas including what Birkenhead’s cultural assets are, what are the main opportunities for and from culture and heritage, what aspects of culture and heritage should be priorities for support and development within the new culture and heritage strategy and what successful culture and heritage strategy outcomes would look like.

You said

Residents and stakeholders provided a range of feedback on developing the strategy including noting the strong assets which were Birkenhead’s parks and gardens, heritage and museums and galleries. There was also feedback on priority areas for support and development and ensuring that provision was provided for children and young people. Issues and challenges to developing culture and heritage were also identified including maximising funding opportunities, ensuring connection with communities and creatives, and improving visitor experience.

For more information about the consultation and to view the consultation report click here

We did

The findings from the engagement were reviewed and a draft strategy was developed and taken to the Council’s Tourism, Culture and Leisure Committee on 17 November 2021 for review. Following that, further engagement was undertaken with key stakeholders to finalise the strategy and to develop an action plan for the next 12 months. A number of changes have been made to the strategy in response to the engagement, for example strengthening the strategic themes and priorities to ensure that the Council’s and partners’ commitment to promote and protect the history and heritage of Birkenhead and Wirral is fully articulated.

The Heritage and Culture Strategy for Birkenhead was approved by the Council’s Tourism, Culture and Leisure Committee on 8 March 2022, and the action plan is now being delivered.