|
This highly critical report demonstrates that the Arts Council of Wales acted unfairly, unethically and incompetently in procedures and processes relating to the tendering for and awarding of franchises for Theatre for Young People provision in Wales. It reveals a catalogue of errors in the evaluation and assessment of the franchise bids, inappropriate changes in the selection criteria and failure to retain or record score sheets and other documentation to support the evaluation process. It was found that the applications by one company in respect of the East (Gwent) and West Valleys were not compliant and should not have been considered for these areas. The process adopted was not transparent and it could not be demonstrated that it had been fair. In November last year Tom Middlehurst was given assurances by the Chair and Chief Executive of the ACW that the Council's decisions would 'stand up to scrutiny' and were 'beyond reproach'. The findings of the report amount to serious maladministration and completely vindicates the criticisms and arguments made by this company over the last twelve months. We mounted a vigorous campaign in the belief that the strategy was ill conceived and the evaluation process seriously flawed and were supported by five local authorities, schools, local communities and politicians. It was against this background that the strategy was suspended in January. It has been an expensive exercise which has created a lack of confidence in the ACW by the arts communities in Wales and a waste of public money. Had this disastrous strategy been implemented it would have led to a reduction on production, performances and access to the arts for young people and even fewer employment opportunities for arts practitioners. Gwent Theatre This report confirms all the criticisms we made regarding the ACW's decision for Theatre for Young People in Wales. My position then, and now, has been reinforced by this report, that this Quango must be scrapped and replaced with an organisation that is democratic, accountable and fair, with an understanding of the aspirations of communities right throughout Wales. I assume that the ACW will now make a formal apology to all those people they spent months criticising who were objecting to the restructuring of TYP in Wales. Llew Smith MP |
| Gwent Theatre web site: www.gwenttie.co.uk |
| e-mail: |
Friday, October 6, 2000 |
Older news
stories have been carefully archived.
2006 | 2005 | 2004 | 2003 | 2002 | 2001 | 2000 | 1999