The first of a series of nine Arts Council England briefing sessions for National Portfolio Organisations (NPOs) takes place at Colston Hall, Bristol on Friday 9 November. ACE has invited National Portfolio organisations (NPOs), major partner museums and recipients of strategic funding to briefing events across the nine current ACE regions.
ACE said: “As a result of the government’s requirement that Arts Council [England] cuts administrative costs by 50 per cent by 2014/2015, we have reviewed how we will work in the future.
“At these client briefings we’ll introduce the new model for the Arts Council [the result of a major restructure announced last week] and discuss changes to the way we work together. We will also discuss latest thinking on the possibility of an earlier Spending Review, and the compelling story we can all tell about the contribution culture makes.
“Sessions are intended to be conversations with open space to talk as well as to listen. You will hear from us, we want to hear from you and you will have the opportunity to talk to your peers and ask questions of us and of each other.”
The Government’s current Spending Review, presented by the Chancellor George Osborne in October 2010, fixed government department budgets to 2014/15. Whilst a review for the period beyond 2015 was originally forecast for Spring 2014, MPs have unofficially suggested that this will be bought forward to 2013 – clearly of substantial concern for ACE and its clients.
a-n Director Susan Jones said: “Bringing forward the Spending Review would effectively mean that current NPO agreements for three years funding would reduce to two years, that is until March 2014.
“A reduction to a two-year agreement would be bad news for arts organisations wrestling with the economic environment and finding new income strands in a crowded market. It would further jeopardise the stability of smaller-scale project funded organisations and initiatives who’ve already been badly affected by the NPO decisions.”
The full list of events is:
South West – 9 November, Bristol
South East – 12 November, London
Yorkshire – 14 November, York
North West- 15 November, Salford
London- 15 November, London (2 sessions)
East Midlands – 16 November, Nottingham
West Midlands – 19 November, Birmingham
East – 20 November, Newmarket
North East – 21 November, Sunderland
More on a-n.co.uk:
Research & Media: Arts funding – Following ACE’s funding announcements in 2011, launch of Creative Scotland’s ten-year plan, and with reference to Arts Council of Wales 2010 strategy, a-n’s commentary on the data.
Realising the value – Dany Louise tracks 15 visual arts organisations cut by ACE in 2011.
Little or large? – Gillian Bates asks whether the funding dice is loaded against the artist in favour of arts organisations.
