Cultural Services Inspection

‘Good’ cultural services in Sheffield

The cultural services provided by Sheffield City Council are ‘good’ and have ‘promising prospects for improvement’, according to an independent report released today by the Audit Commission.

The Audit Commission inspection report gives Sheffield City Council and its partners two stars out of a possible three.

The Commission particularly commented upon Sheffield’s strong commitment to working with local communities to celebrate cultural diversity and to improve residents’ quality of life.

Cllr Gill Furniss, Cabinet member for Culture, Leisure, Environment and Sport commenting on the report said: "Whilst the high profile artistic prowess of Sheffield often attracts attention, it’s good to see that an external viewpoint also highly rates our libraries, parks and sporting activities. These are all services that Sheffield people experience every day.

"This Government endorsement comes hard on the heels of figures showing high public satisfaction, (74.6%), with our parks. Performance is also good in Libraries. The numbers of people using sports facilities in Sheffield also continues to rise. We exceeded the national target last year for the numbers of items purchased per thousand of the Sheffield population. Obviously we recognise there is more to do, so there is lots more in the pipeline. Being amongst the best is great, but we won’t rest until we’re excellent. That’s what Sheffield people expect."

The Cultural Services Inspection Report can be viewed online, or for further information, please contact Lesley Blythe, Senior Strategy Officer - Performance on 0114 273 5457.