A clear emphasis on access is at the heart of the Arts Council of Wales (ACW) recently announced spending plans for 2006/07. An additional £1m has been earmarked to support the Arts Outside Cardiff scheme and matching funding from the European Structural Fund has been secured to boost funding to 21 organisations working in Community First areas across the country.
While 15 of ACWs regularly funded clients have been given notice that their funding will end in 2007, some 65 clients will receive inflation-linked rises of 2.7% in revenue funding. Other plans announced include the merger of the public art bodies Cywaith Cymru and CBAT, and confirmation of plans to merge the Sherman Theatre company and Sgript Cymru (AP issue 112, 19 December 2005). A new film agency, Ffilm Wales, will be established to replace the current agency Sgrin.
The funding announcement comes in the wake of political turmoil over plans by the Welsh Assembly Government (WAG) to strip ACW of some of its key responsibilities. In 2004, WAG announced plans to take direct control of six national companies including Welsh National Opera, dance company Diversions, Clwyd Theatr Cymru and Theatr Genedlaethol Cymru. At the end of last year, WAG began to put pressure on ACW over its distribution of funding across the country and refused to re-appoint the Chair, Geraint Talfan Davies, on the grounds that WAG wished to find a someone who could lead on the issue of increasing attendance and participation amongst disadvantaged groups. Following a political reversal in the Assembly, these plans have been put on hold and a review into WAGs involvement in arts funding is currently being planned.