Agenda item

The report provides an update on the development of the Council’s Tourism Strategy and invites feedback from the Committee.

Contact: Richard Smith - Creative Development Manager

Councillor Carole Pattison, the Leader of the Council introduced the item and Richard Smith, Creative Development Manager provided a presentation covering the following key areas;

·       The Tourism Strategy was one of three key interlinked strategic documents. The Heritage Strategy had been approved in April 2024 and the third, the Cultural Strategy, would be brought forward in 2026. The strategies centred on telling. the story of Kirklees with the intention that they were interdependent but also distinct, supporting growth and creating a sense of pride for communities.

·       Collectively, the three strategies would provide a framework linking to the opening of the Cultural Heart and regional alignment with West Yorkshire.

·       This was the Council’s first Tourism Strategy and the need for a strategic approach to support growth and resilience in tourism, hospitality and visitor attractions had been reinforced by the post?pandemic recovery period.

·       The Council had commissioned research and development support from a specialist agency and this had included reviewing tourism trends and local consultation.

·       This work had identified the district’s strengths, as presented in the strategy.

·       Work had also been done to ensure alignment with the West Yorkshire Local Visitor Economy Partnership and associated Destination Management Plan.

·       The draft strategy had been presented to this Committee in February. It focused on improving visitor experience, supporting local businesses, regional positioning, celebration of strengths and benefits to residents and the community.

·       A public consultation had taken place for six weeks in May and June 2025, through an online survey and two in-person drop-in sessions. 258 responses had been received (with 93% being from people who identified as Kirklees residents). The majority of respondents supported or strongly supported the six identified areas of strength and the plans to develop them. Landscape and wellbeing had been ranked the highest, followed by heritage, music/festivals/culture, food and drink, sport and screen tourism.

·       Key themes from the feedback included; improving communications and promotion, improving venues and facilities, increasing inclusion and accessibility, strengthening travel infrastructure, promoting local businesses, developing green spaces and active tourism, community and regional engagement, diversification of cultural and screen tourism, development of accommodation, and town centre management and regeneration.

·       An outline was given of how each of these themes was referenced within the strategy and would influence future actions. It was noted that some elements fell outside the scope of the strategy but had been shared with the relevant Council services.

·       In respect of the potential impact of financial constraints on the delivery of the strategy, it was explained that delivery would be supported through working with the West Yorkshire Combined Authority and the Local Visitor Economy Partnership to bring investment into Kirklees, the redirection of resources to create a focused tourism role and strengthened funding bids.

·       The Committee were advised that the consultation feedback would be considered and the final Tourism Strategy submitted to Cabinet for approval in January 2026.

·       The Tourism Strategy would provide Kirklees with a clear direction for tourism development, strengthening the visitor economy and positioning the district with greater confidence in the regional offer.

Questions and comments were invited from Committee Members, with the following issues being covered:

·       The contribution of voluntary and community sector organisations to local tourism activity was acknowledged and the promotion of events such as the Newsome Centre Local Festival and Lindley Band Oktoberfest on the Kirklees Council’s “What’s On” webpage was welcomed.

·       It was queried under what circumstances a new Tourist Information Centre (TIC) might be considered viable in Huddersfield town centre. Whilst the current priority was to fully understand the district’s tourism offer and identity, TICs were being developed in areas across the district and opportunities might potentially arise through the development of the spaces associated with the Cultural Heart.

·       In respect of the financial value of investing resources into the strategy in terms of revenue for local businesses. This work was at an early stage and recognised models, such as STEAM (Scarborough Tourism Economic Activity Monitor) would be used to measure the economic impact going forward.

·       The inclusion of town and village names within the strategy was welcomed, it was important that local identity and historical context were recognised.

·       In respect of how the impact of the strategy would be measured; it was explained that the next step would be to use the strategy to produce deliverable action plans, co-produced with local communities with progress monitored against deliverable actions and supported by recognised evaluation tools.

·       The feedback from the previous visit to the Committee had been incorporated into the draft strategy, alongside the results of the public consultation.

RESOLVED –

(1)  That the Leader and the officers from Culture and Visitor Economy be thanked for presenting the draft Kirklees Tourism Strategy 2026-29 to the Committee.

(2)  That the consideration given to the input of scrutiny in the development of the latest version of the strategy be welcomed.

(3)  That the principles and objectives of the Tourism Strategy be supported.

(4)  That it be noted that the final strategy will be submitted to Cabinet for approval within the next few months.