Creative Scotland gathers pace

Current Scottish Arts Council (SAC) funding agreements should be unaffected by the transition to Creative Scotland, while staff of both SAC and Scottish Screen will be transferred directly into the employment of the new body, according to recently published documents on the creation of the new arts and culture body for Scotland. The creation of Creative Scotland as a non-departmental public body appears to be on schedule, with the transfer of the functions of SAC and Scottish Screen due to take place by April 2010. The Public Services Reform (Scotland) Bill was published on 28 May, and, according to a Regulatory Impact Assessment (RIA), the Bill, if passed by the Scottish Parliament, “should receive Royal Assent in early to mid 2010” which would “enable the new body to be in place on or after 1 May 2010”. The appointment of a new Chief Executive is unlikely to be possible until Royal Assent is granted. The most recent estimate of the cost of the transition to Creative Scotland, according to the RIA, ranges from £2.1m to £4.4m, “with the best estimate being £3.3m”. This is in line with an announcement made by Culture Minister, Mike Russell MSP, in April (AP192). There is still some lack of clarity over the exact role Creative Scotland will have in relation to the creative industries, with five of its six general functions relating directly to “the arts and culture”.
Further developments for Creative Scotland include the appointment of new Board members (see p2) and the institution of a series of open quarterly events, which the Culture Minister will host with the assistance of Ewan Brown, Chair of Creative Scotland. The first of these takes place in Edinburgh on 23 June, and will offer an update on progress, and the opportunity for artists and arts organisations to put questions and contribute ideas on plans for the new body. This has been broadly welcomed by the sector, according to Robert Livingstone of the audience development agency HI-Arts. “Mike Russell is a heavyweight politician who is very senior within the SNP, and he carries political weight, which is what the arts want to have,” Livingstone told AP. “He lives in and represents a rural constituency, so he understands the wider issues in Scotland.”

Meanwhile, SAC has now published its business plan for 2009/10. An SAC spokesperson told AP that this business plan aimed to ensure “stability and continuity within the sector, during this period of transition”. The organisation also confirmed that, although the majority of its programmes continue unchanged, “particular programmes intended to support the sector during these turbulent financial times will be announced shortly”. SAC Chief Executive, Jim Tough, commented, “This year more than any before we will need to be counted on to support and nurture the artists and partners who actually deliver the goods.”
Highlights of the SAC plan include two-year flexible funding to 34 organisations including Indepen-dance and Ankur Arts, adding to the 111 organisations which already receive funds. The music department has been restructured to create new funds: an open International Showcasing Fund, a Jazz Development Fund, a fund for new projects called ‘Creating New Music’, a revised Recording Fund and an increase in typical education and outreach grants to £5,000. SAC will also be working with the National Library Scotland and National Archives of Scotland to create an archive, and helping Glasgow University to write a history of the Scottish Arts Council.