Medway Local Plan (Regulation 18, 2024)

When considering reducing health inequalities, please don't forget the importance of loneliness, community and wellbeing, as one of the most effective ways at tackling this is through community and cultural activities. Unfortunately these are actively penalised at the moment by Medway Council.

Medway's attitude to business rates with regards to the arts, is a significant limiting element to the development of developing our community and cultural offer. Considering arts and culture as a "lifestyle" with regard to business rates, rather than a fully charitable or educational service, even when the arts is used to support socially prescribed health activity, significantly impacts the viability of creative organisations in Medway. Instead of benefiting from full rates relief, paying 20% can strain the financial sustainability of charitable arts organisations, limiting their ability to deliver community programs, support local artists, and contribute to cultural development. This reduced relief forces these organisations to divert resources away from creative and community initiatives, ultimately weakening the cultural vibrancy and accessibility of the arts in the area.

As an example, The Halpern Charitable Foundation is one of the largest providers of wellbeing support in Medway, providing over 20,000 free or low-cost wellbeing places each year, and the winner of numerous awards for their mental health work, including Kent's Comuninty Charity of the year, but under Medway Council's classification, is equated alongside golf and sailing clubs with regards to rates relief.

In fact art galleries, even those run specifically to be FREE to medway's public, and so improve our general cultural offer, are specifically singled out as only receiving a 80% maximum relief. This means that our two galleries are not really viable so are delivered as a charitable activity, taking money away from our other work. There will be no new galleries in Medway, and we are having to look ourside of Medway for opportunities to expand our work, due to this arbitrary decision

https://www.medway.gov.uk/downloads/file/3368/charity_and_community_amateur_sports_club_relief

Section 3.3.1

"Irrespective of the type of organisation liable for the payment of non-domestic rates, all charity shops (including galleries) and charity cafes will receive 80% mandatory relief only. "