Peer review and self-assessment will work hand in hand under a new system to judge the performance of both new and existing Regularly Funded Organisations (RFOs), a spokesperson from Arts Council England (ACE) has told AP. Recommendations in the McMaster Report, which suggested these techniques for existing RFOs, have chimed with current ACE thinking, and a three-stage process is planned to develop the system. ACE will first explore similar systems in operation in the arts and other sectors in the UK and Europe, moving on to a trial of selected systems and “a wider consultation with the arts sector during the autumn”. ACE willhave to consider the fairness of any new system, its suitability for assessing artistic quality and thefrequency of assessments, and will seek to find a format which will be “beneficial to RFOs, to help them become better organisations”. ACE has also indicated that self-assessment would be “a way for organisations to set their own goals, with our guidance”. A recent survey by Equity of 1,175 of its members indicates that, in the wake of ACE’s troubled funding review, 86% want to see artists being given a greater role in funding decisions. Respondents indicated that understanding of the sector would be paramount in being able to make appropriate funding decisions, while the difficulty of being objective about the work of other artists couldbe a major stumbling block. There was considerable support for the presence of artists on regional and national arts councils and for the use of artform-specific assessment panels.
