Alun Pugh A.M.Minister for Culture, Welsh Language and Sport National Assembly Cardiff Bay Cardiff CF99 1NA January 11th 2006 Dear Alun Pugh, Following a meeting of our Executive Committee last week, I have been asked to write to you to express our extreme concern at recent events surrounding the re-appointment of the Chair of the Arts Council of Wales. Some fifteen months ago we expressed our conviction that the Welsh Assembly Government's plans for the Arts Council, bound up in the overall review of the ASPB's, severely compromised the arms length principle that had served both parties well for the previous half a century. Furthermore we saw your plans increasing the likelihood of political interference and more directly politicising decisions taken at Assembly, Ministerial or Committee level. What has happened in the last few days has only served to make our concerns even more real. We fully recognise and understand the formal procedure under which the Chairs of Assembly Sponsored Public bodies are appointed. We are however also aware that the transition from one Chair to another of these bodies normally occurs in an evolutionary manner after their term is exhausted. We are well able to recognise when that natural process is undermined by the intervention of a third party as in this case. We are obviously not alone as the chorus of disapproval from other sources bears witness. WAPA has been no "friend" of the Arts Council in recent years. We have been heavily critical of the Council's shortcomings and of their lack of accountability. There was a deep frustration amongst WAPA members that the potential inherent in the arts in Wales was being stifled rather than encouraged by the body best positioned to exploit it. It was against that background that Geraint Talfan Davies had to re-establish the credibility of the organisation. He has worked very hard and very openly to do just that, but it is work in progress not a job that can be seen to have either succeeded or failed. Therefore we would associate ourselves with the remarks of the Council made after their special meeting on January 3rd in which they make out a case for not jeopardising the advances of the previous three years. Of more concern to WAPA, however, is the linking of the decision not to re-appoint with your own priority of addressing access and participation, particularly in the more deprived areas of Wales. This raises two different but equally important issues. Firstly it further reinforces our belief that the Assembly Government seeks more direct and overt influence of policy directions in what is still by Royal Charter an independent body. And secondly it presupposes that the present Council under the leadership of the present Chair, together with the existing client base, are not seeking to address these issues already. There are in fact very few clients of the Council who are not trying to widen their audience base, open up participation further and increase access to their end product. Where this argument needs to be focussed, and we need knowledgeable, experienced and sympathetic people to lead the debate, is over how best to deal with the problem. That can only be done if there is a more considered discussion over what, in our view, the core issues are. So far in public at least, the debate has been very superficial and to put it bluntly, very ill informed. The way in which the "numbers game" has been played in recent days is a clear example. This is not about numbers; it is about discussing and enacting policies that can enhance experiences for as many people in Wales as possible. Inevitably therefore there are extremely complex issues, ones that arts groups have been struggling with on very limited resources for twenty years or more, that are being devalued by the low level of understanding that currently applies. Last year WAPA was concerned enough about the failure of the interested parties to debate these points publicly that we resolved to sponsor our own national conference dedicated to access and participation from our perspective later in 2006. We now intend to bring that forward as there is an urgent need for the work of our members in these areas to be acknowledged and appreciated. We believe that the best way to move progress is through the agency, namely the Arts Council, strategically placed to do so. They in turn should work alongside politicians, audiences and practitioners to achieve the best and most satisfactory solutions. The failure of this to occur since the announcement of November 30th 2004 is perhaps the most disappointing aspect of all. You should be aware that there is a loss of confidence in the Assembly and the Arts Council as a result of what has emerged over the last ten days and arts groups in Wales are exceedingly anxious about the future. There are also rumours that Arts Council clients are to receive standstill funding while the clients devolved to the Assembly are to receive an inflation proof award. If this is true it will be an unacceptable tilting of the playing field. There is absolutely no doubt in many minds that discriminatory decisions along with the proactive approach to the chairmanship of the Council is a precursor to further interventions in the coming months which will leave the sector de-stabilised. It is regrettable that our request for you and your colleagues to leave the arts sector to mange its own affairs and for us to be given some time to work in a stable environment has been ignored. It is already difficult enough to produce work in the present financial climate without adding a disruptive new political dimension. We are seeking assurances that our further fears are unwarranted and that there will be some inclusive discussion held in future about the way in which the arts in Wales are managed and delivered. Yours sincerely, Chris Ryde Chair |
| WAPA web site: |
| Chris Ryde e-mail: |
Monday, January 16, 2006 |
|
Other related news stories on the Theatre in Wales web site : |
Older news
stories have been carefully archived.
2006 | 2005 | 2004 | 2003 | 2002 | 2001 | 2000 | 1999