As the papers overflow with stories of city bankers collecting record Christmas bonuses, it’s a different story for those in the arts. While bonus recipients might choose to spend their booty on opera and art (and champagne), the arts scene itself has had a turbulent year, with funding cuts and restructures, particularly for the peak bodies in the UK.
At a glimpse, Arts Council England has been restructured, the Scottish Arts Council is having a major facelift and the Arts Council of Wales is under review.
Back in February, the culture minister David Lammy criticised Arts Council England at the Association of British Orchestras conference, calling for reforms. Lammy claimed that it had to “slim down” and reinvest savings in the artists it is supposed to represent, and that the “record sums of public investment we have made in the arts have not led to a higher profile for the arts in the public’s mind”.
Arts Council England’s new national office structure came into effect on the eve of its 60th birthday, with one in four jobs disappearing. The 2002 merger of the Arts Council of England with the regional arts boards created a new regionally focussed Arts Council which has raised questions about the strategic role of the national office. Peter Hewitt, Arts Council Chief Executive commented at the time of the announcement that “the artistic life of the country is changing in ways that could not have been imagined a decade ago. The Arts Council has to change itself to support these exciting new developments and address the new challenges we all face.” The new national office will consist of four teams: strategy; planning and investment; advocacy and communications; and resources, to create a more streamlined organisation. It is believed that the national team will focus on advocacy and investment and will no longer distribute funds directly to any arts companies.
This increased efficiency also has financial implications: While the Arts Council will spend £1.1 billion of public money from government and the National Lottery in supporting the arts from 2006 to 2008, the restructure aims to create savings of £1.8 million. Many in the industry hope that the ACE will become a much-needed voice for the industry, independent from government, and these hopes have been buoyed by the fact that shortly after the restructure announcement the Arts Council launched their first-ever public value inquiry, www.artsdebate.org.uk
In Scotland last January Culture Minister Patricia Ferguson announced Creative Scotland will be formed by merging the Scottish Arts Council and Scottish Screen “with the key task of developing talent and excellence in all branches of the arts, and the creative and screen industries”. The plan is part of a wider review and restructure of cultural policy in Scotland. Controversy reigned as Ferguson requested that £190,000 originally allocated for National Theatre performances should be spent on rearranging bureaucracy. The new funding guidelines received mixed press, with the BBC reporting the reforms fell short of the £100m annual investment called for by the Culture Commission.
An Executive spokesman was quoted in the Sunday Herald as saying: “Start-up costs for Creative Scotland will be kept to a minimum and once established, subject to passage of the Culture Bill, running costs are not expected to exceed running costs for the two existing bodies. Indeed, they could be less.” But so far the road towards having Creative Scotland established by 2008 has not been smooth. The arts community expressed scepticism over whether this new body will actually assist Scotland’s creative community, and in the middle of the year SAC staff reportedly resorted to freedom of information requests with the Executive to find out what was going on.
For Wales, 2006 began with reports of fears that the chairman of the Arts Council of Wales, Geraint Talfan Davies, might not be re-appointed by the Welsh Assembly Government. The position was advertised as needing someone to specifically increase arts attendance amongst disadvantaged groups. Emergency meetings were held and statements released by the Arts Council of Wales claiming that the decision not to renew Davies term had compromised the “necessary independence of the Arts Council of Wales” and would adversely affect their ability to carry out their proper function. Davies was later announced as the returning chairman for the Welsh National Opera, while his replacement, Professor Dai Smith, took over at the Arts Council.
As the year progressed, the Wales Art Review investigated the future of the arts infrastructure in Wales. Its findings propose that politicians and the Arts Council of Wales share responsibility for the strategic direction for the arts by establishing an Arts Strategy Board, which would ensure artistic freedom and democratic accountability are both achieved, beginning with a budget of £750,000 to fund research and one-off projects. The review also suggests that the Arts Council of Wales retain control of national companies and concentrate on arts development.
In response to the Review, the Chairman of the Arts Council of Wales, Professor Dai Smith, said: “The Arts Council of Wales welcomes the publication of the Report, as our shared concern is to move forward to a secure basis for developing and funding the arts in Wales. ACW will be considering the findings and recommendations of the Report over the coming weeks”. Last week the National Assembly for Wales debated the Report, and this week the Council meets this to agree on a full response.
While England, Scotland and Wales have been in the spotlight, the Arts Council of Northern Ireland remains reasonably quiet. 2007 will see many of these cuts and restructures implemented across the UK, no doubt with as yet unknown flow on effects for funding and arts activities. Whether or not these changes suggest anything of a wider trend moving forward in 2007 and beyond remains to be seen.
Read for more information:
http://politics.guardian.co.uk
http://arts.guardian.co.uk
http://www.thestage.co.uk
http://www.sundayherald.com
http://www.thestage.co.uk
http://www.artscouncil.org.uk/
http://www.scotland.gov.uk
http://news.bbc.co.uk
http://www.scottishscreen.com
http://www.artsprofessional.co.uk
http://www.artswales.org.uk
http://www.artscouncil-ni.org
