Concern is mounting in Wales that Assembly control over arts spending decisions is tightening still further, following the latest funding announcement to the Culture Committee by Jenny Randerson, Minister for Culture, Sport and the Welsh Language.
An additional £12.9m is being made available for a number of major cultural initiatives, but will also provide direct support for several arts events and organisations, including the Brecon Jazz Festival (see ArtsProfessional issue 45, p3) and Chamber Orchestras.
The National Assembly for Wales awarded its first ever grants directly to the performing arts following a budget statement in 2001, when it was announced that an annual £150,000 grant would be made available to fund ?a chamber orchestra for Wales? and to make chamber music ?more accessible to communities? (see ArtsProfessional issue 22, March 25 2002). A storm of protest ensued, and a climbdown followed, with the Culture Minister diverting this funding to a range of projects across Wales. The latest injection of cash represents a 15% increase in the overall Culture Budget for 2002/3 and is in addition to the £10m secured earlier this year to support the Wales Millennium Centre. Although £4.7m of the new cash has been earmarked for arts, libraries and culture support, only £694,000 of it has been allocated to the Arts Council of Wales (ACW) and questions are being raised as to why ACW has been effectively sidelined in this funding process.
In one of her last speeches as ACW Chair, Sybil Crouch warned the quango that it must remain at ?arm?s-length? from the National Assembly, and urged it to resist Assembly control. The incoming Chair, Geraint Talfan Davies, has echoed her view, but has made it clear that he is keen to develop ?a real partnership in a strategic sense between the Arts Council and whichever minister is in charge of culture at the National Assembly.? Janek Alexander, Chair of Presenting the Arts Group, said ?We?ve been very surprised how quickly Assembly politicians moved from arm?s-length to hands-on grant making. It has the potential to profoundly change the way arts funding works in Wales and of course the role of the Arts Council. The Assembly?s decisions can partly be explained by the fact that politicians are very accessible here, and there has been strong lobbying for certain projects. The loss of confidence in the Arts Council was surely a factor. While the funding increases are welcome, the mechanisms need debate.? The question of direct Assembly funding by Ministers will be raised at an Arts Election Meeting in Cardiff on April 15, when each of the four main parties will set out their manifestos. Contact Judi Newton t: 029 2031 1050.