About Arts Partnership Surrey
Surrey has a thriving arts scene and a rich cultural heritage enabling communities to access a wide range of opportunities to express and explore your creativity.
Arts Partnership Surrey delivers vibrant community-led arts to improve the lives of local people. We are a long-standing group of local councils working together to create arts for Surrey that meet local social, economic, learning and health needs. Arts Partnership Surrey has valuable community links and a track record of delivering high quality art projects in the county. Members include arts officers and those with a responsibility for arts and culture in Surrey.
Our current priorities:
- Health & wellbeing: We want to improve the mental and physical health of our residents and reduce social isolation
- Economic development: We want to help our local high streets, businesses and community hubs to thrive
- Community empowerment: We want to make sure that everyone in Surrey has a voice in their community
Members of the partnership
Arts Partnership Surrey is open to all councils in Surrey. The following organisations are members:
- Elmbridge Borough Council
- Runnymede Borough Council
- Spelthorne Borough Council
- Surrey Heath Borough Council
- Waverley Borough Council
- Mole Valley District Council
- Surrey County Council
Purpose of the Evaluation Report
In 2022-23, Arts Partnership Surrey underwent a strategic review in response to the Covid-19 pandemic and the cost-of-living crisis. The strategic review responded to emerging local authority priorities at the time and explored new approaches to identify key stakeholders in the county and to improve the partnership’s operating principles and governance. This led to the creation of new terms of reference to sustain the viability of the partnership and a commissioning model for delivering projects that met the partnership’s strategic objectives.
Since 2024-2025 financial year, Arts Partnership Surrey has run two successful rounds of commissioning for the delivery of arts activities in Surrey, funding a total of 10 projects.
We are keen to evaluate the impact of Arts Partnership Surrey during the two-year period 2024 – 2026 and more generally the role local authorities have played in supporting arts and culture in Surrey in this timeframe. As Surrey undergoes a landmark transition to two unitary authorities as part of Local Government Reorganisation, we are especially keen to understand and advocate the value of local government investment in arts in Surrey and its wider societal impacts for Surrey’s residents. We believe the delivery of these outcomes are best achieved through partnership with others.
Scope
The evaluation report should address:
- Baseline mapping of Arts Partnership Surrey district/borough members and contextual differences
- Analysis of commissioned project evaluation for years 2024-25 and 2025-26
- The wider impacts of the work of Arts Partnership Surrey on local artists/organisations and Surrey residents
- Consideration of sector equivalents across the country
- Benefits of partnership working, including working with partners beyond the cultural sector (e.g. science, health, environment)
- Learnings from Arts Partnership Surrey’s commissioning model
- Evaluate whether Arts Partnership Surrey has achieved its aims of objectives set out in 2023-23 strategic review
To assist the evaluation process, we can provide:
- The strategic review report and associated documents
- Documentation relating to the commissioned projects
- Access to the APS representatives for telephone or online interviews
Deliverables
- Evaluation Report, which can be used as a case for investment and as an advocacy tool, to be submitted by start of September 2026.
- Recommendations for future partnership working within a Unitary Council context
- Presentation of findings to Arts Partnership Surrey members
Timeline & Budget
- Submission deadline: 5th June 2026
- Research to take place: July 2026-September 2026
- This role is remote work with the opportunity to attend in person meetings when suitable.
- Budget: £3,000
Submissions
Please send a short proposal including:
- Approach and methodology
- Relevant experience and expertise
- Proposed timeline
- Indicative costs
Contact
For more information contact: culturalservices@surreycc.gov.uk
Arts Partnership Surrey 