St Donats Arts Centre is celebrating the restoration of its revenue funding from Arts Council Wales (ACW) while the Welsh Jazz Society (WJS) believes it will be forced to close, as the results of appeals against recent funding decisions emerge. All six of the organisations originally in line for a cut have appealed against ACW?s decisions, and their representations have been heard by an independent panel.
St Donats Arts Centre is celebrating the restoration of its revenue funding from Arts Council Wales (ACW) while the Welsh Jazz Society (WJS) believes it will be forced to close, as the results of appeals against recent funding decisions emerge. All six of the organisations originally in line for a cut have appealed against ACW’s decisions, and their representations have been heard by an independent panel.
Recommendations made by the panel will be considered by ACW at its next Council meeting on 25 April, at which the Council can theoretically reject them. “Reinstatement of the grant will certainly save the arts centre alongside our education work in schools, hospitals, community centres and prisons,” said Janet Smith, General Manager of St Donats. Brian Hennessey, a Trustee of the WJS, confirmed that the organisation would close if the panel’s recommendation upholding ACW’s decision to cut its annual grant of £50,000 is ratified: “Jazz is not a favoured artform to promote or encourage,” he told AP, adding that the WJS grant was “a very small amount of money compared to the £4.5m which goes to the [Welsh National] Opera”. The Centre for Performance Research, Celf o Gwmpas (Arts Round About) and Dawns Dyfed are still awaiting the appeal panel’s decision. The arts database Axis is also believed to have had its funding cut. ACW will “make a further statement on the appeals once Council has made its decision and the appellants have been notified”.