Development of organisations

One way of improving public access to the range of organisations on offer is by providing quality socio-cultural facilities with a view to attracting new publics. This year was marked by the opening of the second major community centre in Nantes Nord, which can accommodate between 250 people sitting down and 900 standing, and is run by a municipal management team aided by external surveillance and cleaning teams.

In order to evaluate the effectiveness of its activities, the City is working on setting up indicators to show the occupancy rates of such centres. The opening of Nantes Nord also provided an opportunity of experimenting with new, more reactive and secure management methods, using a management body in charge of controlling advances and payments received, payments made and hire contracts. The intention is to extend this form of operation to all community centres.

Still with a view to adding value to local organisations, the City of Nantes has forged ahead with the development of its directory of organisations, which can be consulted on http://www.nantes.fr/detente/associations-nantaises/annuaire-des-associations.html. To date, of the 3,500 organisations registered, 2,160 are online on the City’s website.

From February to May 2008, a survey of organisations was undertaken to understand their needs better and meet them more effectively. One hundred and seventy five organisations in Nantes responded to the questionnaire distributed by the City, highlighting their main expectations: for information to be provided and exchanged, and equipment and venues to be made available. Nantes is therefore reinforcing its support for the organisational fabric in these areas, and thus contributing to alerting the residents to the social networks and the life of their districts.

The City subsidises organisations in Nantes and supports their projects. The aim of municipal policy is to encourage complementarity between the organisational, public and private bodies which are working in the areas of leisure and socio-cultural activities. This also involves supporting innovative and experimental ideas from organisations, whilst ensuring they are able to express their diversity.

This year the City has subsidised 1,158 organisations in total and provided help to 450 of them in finding accommodation in neighbourhood centres or private rental property. The 3 future neighbourhood centres in the districts of Malakoff, Bottière-Chénaie and Nantes Sud will accommodate others once they open.

The year 2008 was marked by the process of renewing one of the partnerships between the City of Nantes and ACCOORD, which is responsible for the achievement of educational and cultural goals.

Following the completion of the previous four-year agreement on goals between the City and ACCOORD, a new undertaking has been agreed which will run until 2012, the new elements of which include the drawing up of a usage agreement for every item of equipment made available to ACCOORD, the specification of the directions of activity programmes and individual activities, and an exchange process for the development of social facilities projects.

Organisations in Nantes:

3,500 organisations listed in the directory of organisations
2,160 organisations can be consulted on www.nantes.fr, 58,865 visits recorded
1,158 organisations subsidised to the tune of €26 million (excluding ACCOORD: €15.2 million)

The main organisational facilities:

• 53 facilities (20 community centres, 10 district organisation centres, 13 socio-cultural centres);
• 32 municipal organisational halls;
• 73 permanent premises for organisations (offices and private areas).