A lack of confidence

One of the negative things about leeds that was identified at the Visual Arts framework discussion event was a general lack of confidence in the visual art community. People wrote..

a lack of understanding on the part of the city institutions
nothing iconic
emphasis on frequency of production rather than quality of work
everything is a bit safe
general lack of confidence
hard to articulate in inclusive language what is excellent about Leeds
lack of ambition
lack of excitement
lack of self-confidence
Leeds needs more risk taking attitude in visual arts
little critical attention nationally to Leeds arts
mollycoddling - there are some structures that make it easy to be an artist
not very adventurous
sector in danger of backsliding
sector lacks confidence

Do you think that this is the case? If so how might we address this lack of confidence?