RCC closure costs

The dissolution of the Regional Cultural Consortia (RCCs) cost £400,000, over and above the current grant-in-aid of £1.9m, according to Arts Minister Barbara Follett. This sum (a total of £2.3m) may be increased by up to £55,000 for professional liquidation advice. In response to a parliamentary question from Caroline Spelman, the Shadow Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, Follett revealed that the total amount paid in redundancy to RCC staff was £765,505. The RCCs are now closed for business, but their formal liquidation “will not take place until the summer”, at which point the liquidation costs will be finalised. The DCMS told AP last July that the exercise will save £1.72m annually in the longer term, once closure costs are taken into account (AP174).