ACE has described local authorities as its "most important strategic partners" says it wants to leverage greater resources for the arts through strategic partnerships.
At a national summit to agree a vision for the future development of relationships between the Arts Council of England (ACE) and local authorities, ACE Chief Executive Peter Hewitt has emphasised the pivotal role that local authorities will play in the future landscape of arts policy and funding in England.
Top of the agenda now for ACE's new National Council is the desire to win far greater support for the role of the arts in society, and strengthening the role of the arts in local authority working practice is seen as a key part of this. Admitting that relationships between the arts funding system and local government have in the past been characterised by a sometimes opportunistic, project-by-project culture which has not always maximised the potential impact of our best work, Peter Hewitt described local authorities as "our most important strategic partners".
He emphasised the significance of formal places being established for elected members from local authorities on the new Regional Councils, giving them "a place and a voice, by right, inside the new national body for the arts in England". This, coupled with the new framework for partnership which was agreed between the Local Government Association (LGA), the National Association of Local Government Arts Officers (NALGAO) and ACE earlier this year, is seen as symbolising a new beginning for relationships between the two parties and reflecting a shared ambition to achieve growth by embedding the arts at the heart of all areas of local government policy.
Sue Isherwood, Chair of NALGAO, said "Although there are still difficult issues to be resolved and negotiations to be completed at local levels, the summit has highlighted the common ground between local government and the national arts funding system. With their dual knowledge of the arts sector and the local authority framework, arts officers will be critical to the delivery of their vision".
Levering greater resources for the arts through strategic partnerships is another key priority for ACE, and strong relationships with local authorities are seen as fundamental to that process. The old system of local authority subscriptions to Regional Arts Boards is to be abolished, and joint investments in local and national projects are envisaged as being one way that the new "joined-up" way of working will be visible. Between them, the two parties currently invest almost £700m a year in the arts in England, and it is widely felt that joint decision-making on key priorities for the next three years will have greater impact and open more doors to new financial resources than would a fragmented approach.