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6 CITY OF EDINBURGH

Project Background and Rationale

Background

6.1 The Edinburgh Pathfinder was focussed on the development of a Pledge for Access to Sport and Culture ( ASC). It was led by the local authority, in partnership with the Community Planning Partnership (Edinburgh Partnership) and with the Cultural Partnership and the Sports and Physical Recreation Partnership.

6.2 The project was ambitious, and aimed to develop a broad consultation process, working with strategic partnerships (within the Community Planning structures in Edinburgh), equalities forums, citizens panels, and neighbourhood partnerships to engage and consult with a wide range of people, including under-represented groups.

6.3 This Pathfinder was one of few Pathfinder projects that encompassed both culture and sport, and the project's ambition was demonstrated by the fact it targeted all communities, and not only one specific community or under-represented group. However, it did aim to ensure that participation and partnership working was achieved amongst a number of target groups including disabled people, BMEs (including Gypsy Travellers and Refugees), women, LGBT, children and young people and older people and lower socio-economic groups.

6.4 The project initially intended to develop a project manifesto focusing on cultural entitlements, but with the shift in policy focus it moved away from a manifesto towards a 'Statement of Intent' or 'Pledge'.

6.5 The notion of the Pledge was to develop a statement of intent and delivery proposal to be used by the City of Edinburgh Council ( CEC) and partners to enhance cultural provision in the city.

Aims and Objectives

6.6 The overarching aims of the project were to: develop a clear description/definition of culture and cultural participation in consultation with Edinburgh citizens; ensure key partners endorsed the Statement of Intent; and provide realistic delivery proposals for widening access to culture in the city that are designed to meet community aspirations and also endorsed by the community, and the under-represented groups consulted.

6.7 More specific aims outlined in the evaluation plan were to:

• consider the aspirations of the wider community as part of the consultation process;
• develop the proposal that considers the CEC's priorities and objectives with regards to planning for culture;
• build capacity within the Cultural Partnership and Sports and Physical Recreation Partnership and ensure the proposal fits Community Planning principles; and
• monitor and evaluate progress to assure quality improvement; and establish a clear map of provision.

Funding

6.8 The total cost of the project was £79,894. The Cultural Pathfinder Programme provided £35,894; this is made up of the original grant offer of £25,294 and an additional sum of £10,600 provided in two tranches by the Scottish Government. CEC provided £7,000 (£5,000 through the Young Edinburgh Strategy and £2,000 through the Culture and Sport Service), and the Scottish Arts Council contributed £26,000. The remaining £8,000 was sourced from the Edinburgh Partnership and £3,000 from the Capital City Partnership.

6.9 The application estimated that a total of £17,500 in kind support would be provided by the CEC. Project managers were unable to estimate the actual value of in-kind support. However, it was reported that ten key officers from appropriate departments were involved in the project at a strategic level and 28 contributed to the development process. The CEC provided management and co-ordination support, as well as research assistance and venue provision.

Strategic Fit

6.10 ASC Edinburgh was designed in line with national policy at the time. The aim of the project was to help Edinburgh prepare the ground for its delivery of 'cultural entitlements' for when the Culture Bill was due to take effect. However, the shift in policy emphasis to widening access to cultural provision changed the focus of the project slightly in that more attention was given to defining culture, identifying ways of increasing participation and improving access.

6.11 The Edinburgh Pathfinder project was linked to the broad objectives of the Cultural Pathfinder Programme. In particular, it had a clear focus on: encouraging participation; exploring access to cultural provision; considering the aspirations of the wider community; and ensuring fit with Community Planning principles. Furthermore, the consultation process was wide-ranging, working with neighbouring authorities, engaging across council departments and engaging key stakeholders on a city-wide basis. The Pathfinder fitted with the aim to 'improve the city centre' within the Edinburgh Community Plan ( ECP) 2004-2014, which notes that much of Edinburgh's appeal as an international capital and tourism destination comes from its cultural facilities. The ECP also refers to the fact that substantial investment is required to ensure that the city's cultural facilities, cultural events and Festivals remain key assets.

6.12 In addition, each of the 12 neighbourhood partnerships in Edinburgh are developing their own area plans and one of the key aims of the consultation process was to inform and influence these plans.

6.13 The Pathfinder project aims to influence the refresh of CECs Cultural Policy (1999) and Sports and Physical Recreation Strategy.

6.14 The Pathfinder ran parallel to the grants review and Cultural Venue Study taking place in the, the outcomes of these will inform the refreshment of the cultural and sports strategy. Therefore, there were clear routes and opportunities in place for the outcomes and recommendations of the Pledge to influence structures, funding and strategy.

Activities and Processes

Delivery Structure and Processes

6.15 The Pathfinder was managed by the CEC's Arts Development and Sports Units under the Culture and Sport Service within the CEC, and was managed by the CEC project board and developed by the steering group. This steering group encompassed senior council officers and representation from arts and sport organisations, Scottish Arts Council, Capital City Partnership and Young Edinburgh. The key responsibilities were to agree the methods and confirm the outcomes of the development work.

6.16 Consultants were commissioned to undertake an initial mapping exercise, carried out in 2008 comprising:

• a baseline review of strategic, operational and research documentation;
• a data review of cultural audiences and sports participation from existing information help on The Audience Business ( TAB) datasets on participation and attendance in leisure and cultural activities; and
• a review of existing partnerships and forums relating to Edinburgh's cultural sector (stakeholder mapping).

6.17 This enabled the consultants to create a framework for consultation and identify potential delivery mechanisms for the pledge. This process allowed for common strategic and delivery themes to be identified and tested through the consultation process. Following the initial mapping stage, the consultants then undertook the stakeholder engagement in two stages. The first of which was designed to identify gaps and develop the draft pledge. Their next task was to develop the draft Pledge and stage two was concerned with consulting on the draft pledge. The process is described in more detail on the activities section.

6.18 A project board oversaw the project, with a wider steering group assisting the recruited consultants with the direction of the project throughout. Progress was communicated through the CEC and Edinburgh Partnership reports and through the steering group network

Target Activities

6.19 The Pathfinder was essentially a research, consultation and stakeholder engagement process, working with key partnerships and groups across the city to ensure coverage of specific community perspectives and concerns. External consultants were responsible for facilitating and co-ordinating the process. The target activities set out in the evaluation plan were as follows :

• establish internal working group and complete project initiation documents. Expand group to encompass neighbouring local authorities, partnership representation, stakeholders etc;
• define 'cultural entitlements ' in Edinburgh and begin mapping existing services;
• establish a project communication plan and consultation timetable;
• devise and host workshop sessions with Cultural and Sports and Physical Recreation Partnership to discuss outline manifesto and define entitlements;
• devise a range of consultation approaches in partnership with relevant CEC Departments;
• initiate consultation process as per project and communication plan including open forum sessions/workshops, desk research, questionnaires, targeted participative focus groups, media and online vehicles for feedback;
• finalise draft Entitlements Manifesto for consultation and publicly launch campaign;
• discuss recommendations with stakeholders including sponsors and neighbouring Local Authorities;
• hold large scale Community Planning in-conference event for further discussion of entitlements and to feedback initial findings;
• conclude consultation and finalise Manifesto, publicise and implement recommendations.
• communicate and re-launch finalised document;
• establish a project planning hierarchy of planning and monitoring groups including an internal working group/plenary group, existing Partnerships and Partnership working groups.

6.20 The final report evidence would suggest that all of the target activities as set out in the evaluation plan (although changed to reflect movement away from manifesto to Pledge) have been achieved.

6.21 One of the key aims of the Pathfinder was to ensure that all sectors of the community were engaged as well as a number of specific groups (such as disabled people, BMEs, women, LGBT, children and young people and older people and social class 4 and 5). The pathfinder did successfully achieve this aim. However, this was not done by directly engaging or carrying out activities with these groups to gather their views. Rather it was achieved by engaging various groups, partnerships and community organisations that represent these groups and are aware of their views and of the barriers and challenges they face in accessing culture and sporting activities. An example of some of the stakeholders that were engaged included the various equality forums, community arts organisations and Edinburgh Arts and Social Inclusion Forum members. The consultants liaised with Edinburgh Voluntary Organisations Council ( EVOC) and gained access to their database of various voluntary sector organisations in the city.

6.22 As described above, a mapping exercise was undertaken, which involved looking at existing policy and strategy documents, reviewing data and information on participation and attendance levels in sporting and cultural activities, which allowed the consultants to identify the necessary organisation to engage as well as the strategic and delivery themes for the consultation process. These included defining culture, participation and social inclusion, partnership working, equality and diversity and personal and community development as well as others.

6.23 This was followed by the large scale stakeholder engagement Programme, which included:

Stage One

6.24 This stage enabled the consultants to focus on the strategic areas of activity identified through the mapping, identify gaps and develop the draft 'Pledge' included:

• primary research, consultations and 14 focus groups with a wide range of arts, sports and physical recreation organisations, city strategic partnerships and local and national funders;
• an online survey with individuals and groups who were not able to take part in the focus groups. The online survey was disseminated by e-mail through the extensive number of stakeholders identified in the mapping stage including council representatives from various departments, arts and sports venues, universities, partnerships, community interest organisations, strategic partnerships and several others. It received 275 responses and discussed promoting participation, improving accessibility, increasing affordability and encouraging joint working; and
• questions added to sections of the young Edinburgh Viewfinder Survey which is carried out every three years and the Edinburgh Residents ( MORI) survey 2008;

Stage Two

6.25 The draft Pledge was developed after stage one. The second stage was used to test the concept of the draft Pledge and its recommendations and involved the following activities:

• another web based consultation survey;
• focussed consultations with neighbourhood groups, children, under-represented/marginalised groups, the Edinburgh Partnership and other key strategic partners were carried out.
• in-depth neighbourhood consultations with key community organisations in the North and West Edinburgh partnership areas, one on the periphery of the city and the other inner city, again through in-depth consultation work;
• follow up research conducted by IPSOS Mori through telephone interview on the Viewfinder Young People and Edinburgh residents survey; and
• a large scale Community Planning in-conference event to gather feedback on the draft Pledge, which was attended by 104 individuals from a range of partnerships, sports and cultural organisations and providers, funders and agencies.

6.26 Organisations representing the views of under-represented groups were continually engaged throughout the consultation process. They were given the opportunity to contribute towards developing the draft Pledge and to comment on its outcomes. This kept them involved and assured them that their views were being taken account of and listened to.

6.27 Common themes emerging from the consultation process in terms of promoting participation and improving accessibility were improving the quality and dissemination of information, increasing affordability (cost, funding), encouraging joint working, and improving accessibility (transport links and physical access to facilities).

6.28 The appointed consultants developed a draft Pledge enabling organisations to identify actions that they would take in key areas relating to strategic integration, addressing inequalities in participation and developing infrastructural support. Communities contributed to and informed the Pledge mainly via response to the broad survey work and through consultation with community and representative organisations.

6.29 The 'Pledge' has 2 parts, the first being a statement of intent and the second a key set of recommendations and delivery plans.

6.30 The draft statement of intent sets out the following:

' we aim to improve the quality of life and life chances for all people in Edinburgh through increased access to cultural and sporting activities'.

6.31 This is to be achieved by:

• developing and promoting joint working;
• improving access to facilities;
• improving the quality and dissemination of information;
• promoting participation;
• increasing affordability;
• creating sustainable provision; and
• responding to service users views and needs.

6.32 Organisations will be asked to sign up to the pledge from May 2009. Those that choose to sign up are asked to confirm their commitment to the pledge to the City of Edinburgh Council and specify the specific actions they plan to take which will lead to changes and improvements in their way of working. Pledge partners are then asked to report progress and renew their pledge each year. The City of Edinburgh Council is responsible for collating all pledges to provide a detailed description of actions across the city and update this on an annual basis.

6.33 When organisations sign up to the pledge, it is assumed that the recommendations and themes will be integrated into their activities, plans and strategies. However, there are no statutory requirements for them to do so nor is the impact of them doing so monitored or tracked.

Achievements and Impacts

Participation

6.34 The evaluation plan set out the following participation targets:

• consult with ten strategic planning partnerships;
• consult with the six equalities groups;
• consult with Edinburgh citizens via a Citizens Panel questionnaire, achieving a 60% response;
• consult with key Community Regeneration Partnerships (Craigmillar, North Edinburgh Area Renewal, Pilton, West Edinburgh Community Planning, South Edinburgh, Youth specific);
• consult with Neighbourhood Partnerships;
• consultation with Young People by developing youth focused consultation events. This should involve consulting with the Edinburgh Youth Council Executive Group, Youth Services Community Group and smaller established focus groups, for example, the Student Co-ordination Group; and
• arts/sports organisations and service providers.

6.35 The Pathfinder secured widespread participation across the board. In fact it over-achieved all of its participation targets, although demand for participation was underestimated. Nonetheless, the project represented the city's largest combined culture consultation to date.

6.36 Despite changes to the format and direction of some of the partnerships during the course of the project, a wide range of strategic partnerships including Community Care, Children and Young People and Community Health were engaged. In addition the project also engaged a range of Edinburgh Partnership agencies including the police, the fire brigade and the NHS, as well as various community groups through a successful in conference event.

6.37 At the time, the Equality Forums were under review and databases of information were being updated and this caused difficulties for the consultation process. However, the consultants ensured that all existing equalities groups, community partnerships and councils, BME representatives and others were targeted and engaged as far as possible. An example of some of the groups representing the under-represented that were involved in the process include Edinburgh Interfaith Association; Communities of Interest Support Network; RNIB Scotland; ECAS; Drake Music and Artlink; Lothian Disability Sport; Lothian Disability Sport; Capability Scotland; PROP Stress Centre and Contact Point.

6.38 In total over 19,000 people have been involved in the Pathfinder consultation process. This includes all stakeholders, those engaged through the MORI residents survey and the Viewfinder survey of young people. It is not possible to break down the 19,000 fully into these groups. However, the following information on levels of participation was available:

• over 100 key stakeholders in the focus groups;
• 275 stakeholders through the online survey;
• 104 stakeholders at the in-conference workshop event; and
• 40 individuals took part in the Edinburgh Residents survey follow up telephone interviews.

6.39 It is likely that some of the target groups (i.e. BME, LGBT etc) were reached directly through the Edinburgh Residents and Young People survey. However, they were not targeted directly through the consultation process, instead their views and perspectives were gathered through the relevant representative bodies.

6.40 Finally, the project successfully engaged all publicly-funded arts and sports providers in the city, and a large percentage of commercial providers.

Satisfaction

6.41 The following satisfaction indicators were presented in the evaluation plan:

• constituencies of interest and communities will endorse the manifesto commitment (this now refers to 'the Pledge');
• any additional funding needed to deliver the manifesto will be secured, via satisfied funders; and
• arts/sports organisations and service providers will be satisfied with the delivery of the initiative.

6.42 Regarding the first, the progress report as of January 2009 indicates that overall satisfaction levels were high. The draft Pledge was endorsed by 94% of those participating in the final development stage of the Pathfinder (this consisted of arts and sports service providers, Council officers, Edinburgh Partnership members and other key stakeholders).

6.43 It was realised early on that additional funding was required and this was successfully secured, as noted above.

6.44 A further aim of the pathfinder (set under the satisfaction measure) was to develop performance indicators (both qualitative and quantitative) that measure the impact of the Pledge on attendance and participation in sporting and cultural activities.

6.45 The target performance indicators were developed through work with Ipsos Mori, the Viewfinder Survey and The Audience Business ( TAB). These have now been set in relation to participation and attendance and qualitative indicators will continue to be developed and measured through organisations and service users that sign up to the Pledge over the calendar year 2009.

6.46 Measuring the impact of the Pledge was placed under the satisfaction indicator in the evaluation plan. As was the case with some other Pathfinder projects, this target has been categorised wrongly and should have been placed under impact targets.

Impact

6.47 According to the information provided, strong progress has been made towards achievement of the various impact indicators.

6.48 First, as a result of the engagement with new networks, partnerships and groups, there is now an extensive range of organisations engaged in the project with the majority willing to sign up to the Pledge. This includes public agencies, sport and cultural groups, equalities groups and neighbourhood partnerships.

6.49 Also, it is anticipated that the new extended networks developed as a result of this Pathfinder will enable sport and cultural service providers to work more effectively within their own sectors and with others, resulting in wider, enhanced and more accessible provision for under-represented groups

6.50 One of the aims of the Pathfinder was that it would have an impact on participation in culture and sports activities. At this stage it is too early to comment on progress against this target. However, following completion of the Pathfinder, the project team will continue to monitor attendance and participation in cultural activities using data from Edinburgh Leisure (the main provider of sports and leisure in Edinburgh) and TAB, and organisations will be encouraged to sign up to the Pledge.

Value for Money (output and outcome)

6.51 All value for money targets were met including the following:

• the Pathfinder was delivered to budget and fulfilled the funding criteria of all stakeholders;
• recommendations were considered to be achievable and sustainable in terms of delivery and funding.

6.52 Although these are considered to be important targets, they are not considered 'value for money' indicators; rather they are measures of efficiency and effectiveness. As with many other Pathfinder projects identifying appropriate value for money indicators has been problematic.

Contribution to Strategic Objectives

6.53 We have identified a number of key strategic objectives to which each of the projects would be expected to contribute. Here we provide an assessment of the extent to which the Edinburgh Pathfinder project has successfully:

• engaged under-represented groups in arts/cultural activities;
• encouraged collaborative working within and/or across authorities;
• engaged Community Planning Partnerships and other partners/stakeholders;
• delivered effective consultation with communities;
• delivered something that is truly new and additional; and
• considered and ensured the sustainability of its impacts.

6.54 This section draws on the feedback from the evaluation fieldwork as well as lessons reported by the project through its final evaluation report.

Engaged Under-Represented Groups

6.55 The Pathfinder was primarily a strategy development and consultation process, and although it did not seek to engage under-represented groups directly in cultural activities, it sought to engage them in discussion about participation, for example, to help identify the barriers that under-represented individuals face in accessing cultural and sporting activities, to help develop ways to overcome these, and therefore to ensure improved provision and access and a level playing field for those wishing to participate.

6.56 To achieve this, various organisations and bodies representing these under-represented individuals and groups were involved extensively in the research and consultation process. Target groups would also have been engaged through the broad Viewfinder young people's survey and the household survey, and it was possible to tabulate results by respondents' characteristics, to identify which groups were accessing activities and which were not, barriers faced and what culture means to specific groups. Individuals were involved at all stages of the process so that they could influence the results, and be kept informed of how their feedback was contributing to the final outcomes. For example, individuals were involved at the initial research stage before the development of the Pledge and then consulted again after the draft Pledge was in place to gather feedback on their views about its relevance and appropriateness for planning future provision.

6.57 The Pathfinder also engaged with various representative bodies such as BME women's groups and EVOC through the focus groups and consultations to ensure all their views were included. In order to successfully engage these groups, the consultants had to be flexible with meeting times.

6.58 Finally, as noted above, the recommendations of the draft Pledge were tested in North and West Edinburgh (two neighbourhoods considered to be under-represented in terms of access). It raised awareness and promoted the benefits of culture and sport and how these can be applied in a community setting for access by under-represented groups, thereby increasing the level of impact and commitment to the Pledge in these areas.

6.59 The aim of the research and consultation process was to build a wealth of information, which reflected the needs and views of the communities and under-represented groups targeted. This information was collated and presented in the development toolkit, which was provided alongside the draft Pledge to raise awareness of issues and barriers faced by under- represented groups amongst partners, key service providers, sports and cultural organisations (i.e. those potentially signing up to the pledge) and to inform future service provision. It was anticipated that this would lead to a greater awareness of the importance and benefits of sport and culture; to change perceptions that culture is 'high-brow'; and to ensure more access and availability.

6.60 As organisations are only just beginning to sign up to the Pledge, the impact and outcome for under-represented groups will not be seen until a much later stage. Nonetheless, the consultation generated a huge level of awareness and interest through word of mouth, and individuals, service providers and key organisations in the city proactively got in touch with the consultants wishing to get involved.

Collaborative Working

6.61 One of the key successes of the Edinburgh Pathfinder was the degree of collaborative working achieved. Project delivery took a cross- departmental approach, integrating both sports and culture, which typically operated separately under the Culture and Sports Unit. The project board encompassed a range of senior council officers, Edinburgh Partnership senior Community Planning officers and representatives from arts, sports and cultural organisations, Scottish Screen and Community Planning.

6.62 In the initial stages, a range of sessions were held with Council officers in various departments to raise awareness of the Pathfinder. Their departments (health, schools, school buildings, regeneration) were also engaged throughout the consultation process. This process began to create an acceptance of the role of culture and sport in achieving various departmental aims and objectives.

6.63 There was a huge level of commitment to the Project by the board. This has been important for influencing decision making within Edinburgh, as the board comprises key planners and those responsible for making funding decisions.

6.64 The board structure was also a very important mechanism by which the consultants could gain access to information, data and contact details for relevant individuals, organisations, partnerships, and representatives for specific groups in the community. The board also acted as a valuable sounding board in the process of developing the Pledge.

Engaged Community Planning and Key Partners

6.65 Community Planning has been involved in the project from the outset. Key Community Planning officers were represented on the Pathfinder board. Both the Culture Partnership and the Sport and Physical Recreation Partnership (which are represented on the CPP) participated fully in the project with members contributing extensively to the work of the steering group as well as hosting the in-conference event with the lead Community Planning Edinburgh Partnership.

6.66 The Pathfinder also attempted to influence Community Planning processes and structures. Although this is still at a very early stage, the consultation evidence suggests that there is some potential for this to happen. This is due to strong support, commitment and involvement on behalf of the Edinburgh Partnership manager and the possibility of the 'Pledge' being integrated into the Edinburgh City Community Plan.

6.67 In addition, the key contact on the board from the Edinburgh Partnership also maintained a link between the neighbourhood partnerships and the consultants' work to ensure that both were informed of the work of each other.

6.68 The Edinburgh (city-wide) Partnership was heavily involved in delivering the Pathfinder at every stage. It provided contact details, databases, advised the consultants and was consulted in turn. The Community Planning Manager for Edinburgh holds the Pledge in high regard and ways to integrate it into the Community Planning priorities are currently being considered.

6.69 Several of the Neighbourhood Partnership Community Planning Officers attended the in-conference event. The feedback received from the event suggests that the workshops influenced their knowledge and awareness of how the Pledge can be mainstreamed and linked into their priorities, for example, health.

6.70 As noted, twelve Neighbourhood Partnerships in Edinburgh are currently developing local neighbourhood community plans and it was envisaged that the Pathfinder would influence these plans. However, other than in the two areas with which the Partnership worked in-depth, this was difficult to achieve as the Partnerships are in an early stage of development, resulting in a lack of structure. Combined with high staff turnover there were real difficulties in maintaining a key contact and the consistency necessary to influence decisions/impact.

6.71 Despite this, the Pathfinder successfully demonstrated the rationale for the Pledge and supplied the delivery mechanisms required to successfully implement the Pledge in two Edinburgh neighbourhoods. Those two Neighbourhood partnerships were engaged at management level and have agreed to sign up to the Pledge. It is likely that the Pledge will become part of the priorities of the local community plans being developed in these two specific areas as well as the city wide plan. It is also anticipated that it will be integrated into the Single Outcome Agreement, giving the potential for the project to have a city wide impact.

6.72 One of the important features of the Pathfinder is that the existing structures for engaging with Community Planning were already there from the beginning through the steering group and also enabled access to neighbourhood partnerships. The project was working within established structures and this enabled them to have influence.

6.73 The consultation process was extremely comprehensive and cut across a wide range of appropriate decision makers, partnerships, organisations and cultural providers at the local level in Edinburgh. Contact information and access to networks was accessed through CEC Officers, the Board, Community Councils, Cultural Partnership, Sports Partnership, Capital City Partnership (an organisation which exists to combat poverty and disadvantage in Edinburgh by bringing together key statutory, voluntary, community and private sector organisations to promote change and joint working for community regeneration) and Edinburgh Compact (a city agreement between the public and voluntary and community sectors which sets out the principles and actions to achieve better working relationships and closer collaborative working between organisations and agencies). A range of approaches was used in this process, one of which was in-depth focus groups and face-to-face consultations.

6.74 Care was taken to ensure that as wide a range as possible of individuals was involved in the process; this involved partnering with EVOC, to ensure that organisations and communities, who often find it difficult to access mainstream services, were consulted. Those not engaged in the focus groups were asked to take part in an online survey, thereby widening the reach of the consultation process. Information and key points and themes from these early consultations were drawn out and collated and then used to inform the draft Pledge. After the draft Pledge was developed, it was consulted on further, later on in the project. Elements that worked well in the consultation process include the following:

• key individuals were continuously engaged at each stage. The Pledge was informed by their views but they were also given the opportunity to comment on the outcome and its appropriateness. This gave the consultants very useful feedback on whether the Pledge could be delivered effectively in practice and ensured that participants felt involved and that their views were being heard;
• the consultants were flexible about timings and sessions when individuals could attend focus groups and consultations ensuring as wide a participation as possible;
• information about the consultative work was disseminated through the various networks involved on the board etc and 'word of mouth' news about the study was delivered to the political parties, football clubs, strategic partners, and also by various other routes, led to a high level of interest and willingness to participate; and
• feedback received from those who participated in the process was positive, this was mainly due to the ongoing nature of the communication process,

6.75 A further success of the Pathfinder was the in-conference event. It achieved a high profile and awareness and had a key councillor from Edinburgh in attendance.

6.76 The event successfully worked towards achieving two key things:

• promoting the benefits and advantages of culture and sport to a wide range of other service providers and sectors, demonstrating how they can be relevant to issues such as health and well being; and
• brought together the range of representatives necessary to move the ASC Edinburgh project forward and agree the next steps in developing access to sports and culture across organisations and partnerships.

6.77 One of the main purposes of the Pledge was to develop and encourage partnership working between various organisations, cultural providers and public sector agencies in Edinburgh. The Pledge has provided a means by which a commitment to cultural and sporting provision could be made collectively across sectors. The Pledge has generated a high level of interest and generated several requests for information from various organisations on how it could be integrated into their strategy. For example, Children and Families and Health and Social Care approached the consultants to ask for such advice.

6.78 The Pathfinder is now working to ensure that all stakeholders have a good understanding of the Pledge, what it means for them and how they can benefit from it. The aim is to sign up a huge range of organisations across the city. The Board has a huge database available for promoting it throughout Edinburgh. This will be supplemented by promotion through the Edinburgh Partnership and the EVOC Partnership.

Effective Consultation with Communities

6.79 As noted earlier, the project worked through a network of equalities forums and representative groups in gathering the views of communities. The evidence seems to suggest that this had been an effective means of gathering their views and representing them in the development of the Pledge. There is no evidence to suggest that it would have been any more effective if under-represented groups were engaged with directly.

Additionality

6.80 Consultation evidence suggests that without funding, the same scale of consultation with organisations, stakeholders and partnerships would not have taken place.

6.81 In addition, in the absence of funding, the CEC would not, for some time, have had the resource to use the consultation findings to refresh their cultural or sporting strategies, particularly in view the range of information collected to analyse and feed into this process.

6.82 The Pledge is 'new'. It is also a document which is simple and easy to use. It does not have any complicated guidelines and is easy to implement without any administrative and time burdens. This is unique in Edinburgh at the moment and it should prove an effective way to get culture and sport into plans and strategies and build partnerships.

6.83 Furthermore, there is evidence that the Pathfinder, through the various focus groups, workshops and particularly the in-conference event, resulted in new networks and partnerships being established that may not otherwise have occurred.

6.84 First, this encouraged a whole range of organisations from the NHS and the equalities groups to small local football clubs, who would not normally engage with each other, to network, debate and discuss the key issues.

6.85 Second, without the Pathfinder project, it would have been unlikely that the neighbourhood partnerships would have considered culture and sport as a priority when developing their strategies.

6.86 Finally, the Pathfinder also allowed the complex board structure to be developed which facilitated the process of getting various organisations 'in the room together', building links and developing partnerships.

6.87 Overall, the project resulted in increased understanding amongst a wide range of partners of the relevance of culture and sport to their own organisational objectives, something that would not have occurred without the Pathfinder. Therefore, we consider the additionality of the project to be high.

Project Sustainability and Legacy

6.88 The Pathfinder was designed from the outset to have strategic sustainability in the long-term. It was focussed on developing activities that were aligned with the various partner organisations' objectives, and on integrating the Pledge into delivery plans by engaging key decision makers within each organisation. It was envisaged that limited intervention would not be needed as those who signed up to the Pledge would have the ability to take it forward themselves. Although, this was the plan, the mechanisms for taking forward 'the Pledge' are unclear. There is no formal requirement in place for ensuring that organisations will take it forward and integrate it onto their plans, therefore there is no guarantee that it will have the intended level of impact.

6.89 The consultation evidence suggests that a number of long-term impacts and legacies are possible, and evidence of their initiation is starting to emerge. However, it is still early in the process and time will tell whether the new structures and processes deliver long term sustainability. Although it will be some time before any long term impacts and legacies become apparent, it is expected that the following may emerge:

• the Pledge will be integrated into the future strategies and plans of local providers and decision makers, thereby influencing partnership working, access, provision and the promotion of sports and cultural activities;
• greater awareness of provision among individuals (including those who are under-represented in terms of access);
• improvements in services and facilities on the basis of robust evidence of what assists access and promotes participation in culture and sports activities;
• individuals enabled to make informed choices about accessing sports and culture;
• the integration of the Pledge into the Edinburgh city wide community plan, as well as at least two local neighbourhood community plans;
• the integration of recommendations and findings of the grants review in Edinburgh for arts and culture, thereby feeding into funding decisions; and
• it is the ambition that the outcomes of the Pledge will become embedded and delivered through the local authority plans to help deliver the City of Edinburgh Council's Single Outcome Agreement. The Pledge fits with one of the Council's key priorities, which is to upgrade cultural and sporting venues and physical recreation facilities in the city and exploit cultural opportunities.

6.90 A number of factors will help ensure that findings and recommendations from the Pathfinder are taken forward. The Pledge was designed to run alongside, and link with, several other activities and initiatives taking place in Edinburgh at the moment, including a new online ticketing system which provides information to neighbourhoods and allows them to sign up to activities. The outcomes will be linked in with the refreshing of the Sport and Culture Strategy, the Cultural Grants Review and the Venues Review (which decides on capital investment for culture and sport buildings). All of this work is expected to conclude simultaneously and so the findings and recommendations from the Pathfinder will have important implications for how these projects are implemented.

6.91 The mechanisms and structures necessary for taking the Pledge forward have yet to be implemented and decided, and it is unclear as yet who will have responsibility for promoting it, measuring progress, keeping the momentum going and providing support to organisations who have signed up to it. In order for it to have longevity, an individual will need to be charged with responsibility for its promotion, for advocacy, awareness raising and ensuring it is integrated into relevant plans. In the absence of such a role, the long term impact of the Pledge may be uncertain.

Overall Assessment and Key Lessons

6.92 The Edinburgh Pathfinder was an ambitious and wide ranging project.

6.93 Consultations identified that the project was successful in developing an achievable and easy to implement 'Pledge'. The process has been successful in gathering views about how best to engage individuals in cultural activity and how cultural provision can be improved, made more accessible, and implemented inclusively.

6.94 The project engaged a wide range and scale of organisations including partnerships, sports and cultural organisations, departments across the Council, Community Planning partners, funders and agencies as well as neighbourhoods and individuals. It has raised the profile of sports and culture, gathered and disseminated a wealth of data and information about access at the local level and developed a means by which city wide organisations can work towards a common delivery goal.

6.95 However, the Pathfinder has not yet ensured that the Pledge is sustainable although structures and processes are currently being developed and implemented to assist sustainability. This will be important for achieving impact, building subsequent momentum and ensuring that the Pledge is integrated into activities, strategies and plans into the longer term. Therefore, it will be some time before evidence of the impacts start to emerge.

6.96 There were a number of lessons learned and examples of good practice in the process of achieving impact in the Edinburgh Pathfinder, as follows:

• several methods of consultation were used. This helped to build the profile of the project and raise awareness amongst both individuals and key stakeholders. Word of mouth also raised its profile and resulted in the consultants being approached for information and by groups wishing to get involved;
• barriers to under-represented groups were explored through targeting the various organisations and Forums that specifically represent these groups;
• key individuals were continuously engaged at each stage and they were given the opportunity to comment on the Pledge after it was developed This gave the consultants useful feedback on whether the Pledge could be delivered effectively in practice and ensured that the participants felt involved and that their views were being heard;
• the project was designed to run alongside a number of other activities taking place simultaneously, including neighbourhood partnership priority reviews, capital and funding reviews, strategy refresh and review of the Single Outcome Agreements. All this suggests there is significant potential for the project to have a sustainable legacy;
• the project was designed at the outset to be sustainable. The intention was to develop a model that influenced organisations', funders' and decision makers' approaches, activities and strategy in relation to cultural and sporting provision so that they are working towards a common goal. However, the difficulty lies in monitoring if this occurs and ensuring that this actually takes place. At this moment in time it is unclear who will be responsible for driving this. The lack of formal requirements for ensuring that the recommendations of the Pledge are taken forward is a weakness.

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