Sustain-ability

While I realise that Platform has been devoted to Mammon for the past few issues, readers must realise that the subject of money will not go away soon – the recession, the impact of the Budget and the ensuing cuts are simply begging to be commented on. Arts Council England’s (ACE) new programme, ‘Sustain’, is a fascinating addition to the landscape, though it still presents a somewhat nebulous appearance, quivering on the horizon like a multi-coloured jelly. It really won’t be until we see what kinds of organisations become recipients of this surprise cash that we will be able to tell how it will work. Despite the careful guidance posted on ACE’s website, the questions are legion. How are they going to be able to tell whether the trouble a supplicant is in has been caused exclusively by the recession? We all know how fragile the internal economies of arts organisations can be. The loss of an important member of staff from a small team – whether artistic or managerial – can often send an organisation into a spin. Changes in audiences’ tastes can be sudden, resulting in a fall in ticket income. A duff show by a normally exciting artist can produce a temporary mini-recession in a company’s fortunes. Picking the truly deserving will prove to be a tremendous challenge.

It’s also interesting to note that ACE has taken quite a big chance on the financial side. The funder has been mistakenly castigated (mostly by the Times) for holding huge amounts of Lottery funding as cash balances, and has given the justification that this is money already allocated and just awaiting distribution. It is from this pot of cash that Sustain has been carved. In other words, the money already belongs to a certain number of Lottery projects. ACE is, in effect, borrowing against the future. When AP put this point to them, they said they were taking the risk on the basis that Lottery income is holding up, so it will all come out all right in the end. Let us hope they’re right. If it works, they will be applauded for their audacity. If it doesn’t, they’ll be in for a lot more stick.

Catherine Rose
Editor