Links

Articles

News

Reviews

Amateur Theatre

Contact

Other Resources

Bookstore

Forum

Search the Site

Dateline: 4th December, 2004

Alun Pugh AM, Welsh culture minister

ACW To Lose Planning Function

The Arts Council of Wales is to be a grant distributing body only and is to surrender its strategic planning functions to the Assembly, Wales' Minister for Culture, Welsh Language and Sport Alun Pugh has announced. Six companies - Welsh National Opera, the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, Academi, Diversions Dance Company, Clwyd Theatr Cymru and Theatr Genedlaethol Cymru - will be directly funded by the Assembly; other arts grant aid, including the National Lottery, will be administered by ACW. The Assembly will continue to fund other projects, such as the Wales Millennium Centre.

A new Culture Board is to be set up, chaired by the Minister and consisting of the Chairs and Chief Executives of the Arts Council, National Library of Wales and National Museums and Galleries of Wales with representatives from the WLGA (the Welsh Local Government Association) and the Welsh Books Council. The aim of the Board is to provide greater accountability and to ensure that the Assembly Government's objectives are fully implemented by its cultural quangos, such as ACW.

Geraint Talfan Davies, Chair of the Arts Council of Wales

Geraint Talfan Davies, chair of ACW, said, "The First Minister’s statement raises many issues for the Council and the sector and, very importantly, for the future of our staff.

"We welcome the proposed creation of a Culture Board. However, we have serious concerns about several aspects of the proposals, including the implied separation of strategy formulation from the grant-giving operation and the proposed separate treatment for the six national arts companies.

"We will be seeking an early meeting with Ministers to gain more clarity on the proposals. We will work to ensure that both our staff and the whole of the creative community in Wales are fully supported throughout any change."

A statement isuued by ACW on 3rd December, added:

At a meeting at Theatr Hafren in Newtown today, The Arts Council of Wales considered the proposals arising from the Assembly Government’s review of Assembly Sponsored Public Bodies. It did so in the light of the views the Council expressed on issues of practice and principle in its September submission to the Assembly Government. Its only interest is to create the best possible circumstances in which the arts and artists of Wales can flourish.

The Council acknowledges the many positive elements of the proposal, namely

• that The Arts Council of Wales will continue in existence
• that, through the Council, Wales will retain a one-stop shop for the arts sector that includes activity funded by the lottery and by grant-in-aid
• that the impact of the proposals on the Arts Council’s staff has been minimised
• that a Culture Board is to be established, under the chairmanship of the Minister for Culture, embracing the various cultural ASPBs
• that the Assembly Governments’ Culture Division is to be strengthened
• the inclusion of local government representatives on the Culture Board

We believe that all of the above are in the overall interests of the arts sector and the public that it serves.

We wish to ensure the best possible relationship between the Council and the Assembly Government and, given our continued existence, we wish to discuss with Ministers how to obtain the maximum value from the institutional investment and the knowledge base that the Council represents.

Arts Council staff have made prodigious efforts over the years to deliver the best possible supportive services to the arts sector, and the Council pays tribute to them. The tireless commitment of the Council and its staff will continue.

|A|B|C|D|E|F|G|H|I|J|K|L|M|N|O|P|Q|R|S|T|U|V|W|X|Y|Z|

News Archive A-L
News Archive M-Z
Production News Archive

Please note that all three Archive indices are very long and will therefore take some time to download.

©Peter Lathan 2004