Greater expertise, increased co-operation with UK national governments and higher quality arts content should result from the new arts plan published by the British Council in the wake of extensive upheavals and consultation earlier this year. In its Action Plan for the Arts, the Council admits that, since reorganisation in 2006, the quality and content of its arts programme have decreased and it has had “an increasingly distant relationship with a sector that has partnered us generously and for a long time”. The consultation process uncovered a range of issues including a lack of clarity about the organisation’s role and aims, a lack of transparency in dealing with the arts sector, a failure to exploit new technology including digital media, and proposed changes which were unwelcome to the arts community. The Council has appointed consultant Graham Devlin to “refine how we select and develop content for our arts and creative economy work globally”, and will publish his findings in the autumn. It is planning to develop stronger strategic partnerships with the DCMS and the Arts Councils or their equivalents in the UK nations, including establishing full-time posts in Cardiff and Edinburgh. It also intends to “redress the shortage of expertise in our global network” by rebuilding “knowledge in priority geographical areas using… external advisers and specialist posts”. Funding has been restored to previous levels (£30m per annum).
