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ACE's Annual Review: ExtractsDateline: 3rd December, 2000 Chairman Gerry Robinson's Introduction We had made a commitment to become a more strategic organisation, focusing on national policy, research, advocacy and the strategic use of grant-in-aid and lottery funds. I believe we have made significant strides in all of these areas. It was gratifying to learn, therefore, that the Government will increase the amount of Treasury funding for the arts by an additional £100 million a year by 2003/04. Still I hear the familiar complaint that we create too many hoops and barriers to our funding schemes. Clearly, we must balance public accountability - especially with regard to lottery funds - with the need for simplification. I am convinced we can make life simpler, and I’m determined we shall. Peter Hewitt (Chief Executive) In spring 1999, we set ourselves some tough goals. We wanted to see the new, leaner Arts Council become fully operational as a national policy body for the arts. We wanted to tackle some major outstanding problems, especially those facing the orchestras and regional theatres. We wanted to take a fresh approach to the use of lottery funds for capital projects, and we wanted to make further progress with delegating both lottery and grant-in-aid funds to the Regional Arts Boards (RABs). We also announced five new priorities for our work: the individual artist; new art forms including new technology; diversity and social inclusion; children and lifelong learning; and touring and distribution. These policy priorities shaped the way in which funds are being allocated. Our new Arts Capital Programme and the National Touring Programme, for example, place a strong emphasis on the policy priorities. Regional theatres have suffered from inadequate funding since the mid-eighties, making it harder for them to take creative risks. We commissioned a report by Boyden Associates into the state of the 50 English regional producing theatres. This provided the basis for The Next Stage, which we published in May 2000. This sets out our vision for the whole theatre sector,including the regional theatres, national and touring companies and the commercial sector. Weidentified the need for an extra £25 million a year to reinvigorate theatre. In partnership with the RABs and other stakeholders, detailed plans are now being developed to implement our national policy for theatre, published in July 2000, that will transform the sector for the 21st century. Delegation of funds to the RABs has gathered pace. Small lottery awards are now being delegated to the RABs and many organisations formerly funded directly by us have now become RAB clients. Finally, we achieved a major and most welcome increase in grant-in-aid funds in the Government’s summer 2000 spending review. Our challenge for the coming year is to ensure that we develop imaginative plans for using the extra funds, to benefit artists, arts organisations and audiences alike. The Arts Council no longer simply gives out money. We now set national policy and act as an advocate on behalf of the arts community and arts audiences, to Government and others. The Arts Council’s role is to fund the arts and to develop policy at a national level. This means involving and consulting practitioners and stakeholders and exercising leadership. It also means developing a vision for the arts and promoting this vision to all concerned: the public, the arts community and Government. During the coming year, the Arts Council will continue to give a lead on matters of national importance to the arts. Our objective is to make art of the highest quality available to all sections of society. To this end, we will be working with and beyond the publicly funded arts to ensure a climate of success for artistic creativity. NEXT>> Highlights Articles Indices:
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