Dear Councillors of Dundee
We, the undersigned, represent the Dundee design economy; a mix of freelance designers, self-employed practitioners and design businesses of all scales.
We write to you to highlight the impact that the work delivered by the UNESCO City of Design Dundee team has had on us over the last 10 years and urge you to reconsider the proposal to cut funding for UNESCO City of Design Dundee.
We call on you to continue supporting UNESCO City of Design Dundee by providing an annual funding contribution of £60,000 from Dundee City Council. This funding is essential is securing match funding from local and national partners. Currently the team raise an additional £6 for every £1 DCC provides.
Without this funding Dundee will lose the project team of 3 staff and the vibrant programme of activity which:
*Directly commissions local designers with paid freelance opportunities.
*Promotes our products and services locally, nationally and internationally. In 2023 the project ‘Who Is The Designer?’ profiled 17 designers in a city centre public exhibition and global campaign with partner city Montreal.
*Spends 90% of all its project funding with local businesses, not only with those in the design sector but including vehicle hire, security services, food & drink, signage, equipment and event infrastructure.
*Delivers Scotland’s only design festival. In 2024 it attracted 10,702 people, provided 4.5 FTE work opportunities and had an economic impact to Dundee of £521,000
*Supported designers through Covid-19 which paid work including making the Sunny Dundee Face Masks, online digital learning tools and 20 Festive Window commissions.
*Occupied a city centre empty shop for 28 months hosting pop-up shops, exhibitions, design studios and more.
Dundee is the UK’s first and only UNESCO City of Design. It is an accolade shared with just 48 other global cities.
We are proud that Dundee holds this designation which is awarded to places which embrace and value creativity. Removing the support of Dundee City Council jeopardises this accolade and risks its removal.
To allow the team to continue to build on the momentum of the last 10 years and contribute towards Dundee City Council’s City Plan priority of having a strong, creative, smart and sustainable city economy with jobs and opportunities for all we appeal to you to continue to funding the UNESCO City of Design Dundee designation.
Yours – The Undersigned
We, the instigators of this letter wanted to say hi! We are Louise Forbes, Designer and Jo MacFadyen, Tea Green Events both who live and work in Dundee. We are so incredibly proud of the way that Dundee's design sector and our colleagues across Scotland and indeed the world have supported this letter.
On 2nd December we will be sending the letter and all the signatories to Dundee City Council and our councillors. Please continue to share and sign the letter.
If you would like to reach out to your own local Dundee City Councillor, and write to them directly you can find the councillor for your local area here: dundeecity.gov.uk/service-area/councillors/council...
Thank you, Louise & Jo
We, the instigators of this letter wanted to say hi! We are Louise Forbes, Designer and Jo MacFadyen, Tea Green Events both who live and work in Dundee. We are so incredibly proud of the way that Dundee's design sector and our colleagues across Scotland and indeed the world have supported this letter.
On 2nd December we will be sending the letter and all the signatories to Dundee City Council and our councillors. Please continue to share and sign the letter.
If you would like to reach out to your own local Dundee City Councillor, and write to them directly you can find the councillor for your local area here: dundeecity.gov.uk/service-area/councillors/council...
Thank you, Louise & Jo