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The funding of the arts outside Cardiiff - the follow up letter
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Friday, April 2, 2004
Dear Peter
Thank you for your letter yesterday (1 April 2004) outlining the Arts Council of Wales’ position regarding the Arts Outside Cardiff (AoC) scheme.
As I’m sure you are aware the heated debate on the theatre in Wales web site (www.theatre-wales.co.uk) has focused not on the actions of ACW (which has been perceived to be operating transparently and honourably) but on the intervention of the Culture Secretary, and to this end your letter did little to clarify the issue or re-assure the members of the theatre community in Wales.
There are a number of key issues that require further clarification
o From what element of the AoC scheme is the £100,000 awarded to Clwyd Theatr Cymru’s mobile theatre proposal being allocated? Will it be deemed to be drawn form the proportion of the fund earmarked for productions or from the significantly greater amount earmarked for theatre venues?
o What assurances, if any, have ACW sought and received that the award to CTC does not bind ACW to further financial commitments to this venture in subsequent years of the scheme?
o Has the ACW been informed of the details of the production and tour that CTC intends to present to selected ‘deprived communities in Wales’.
o Since the award of £100,000 was made at the personal discretion of the Minister, what role do you see for ACW in the appraisal of the project once it is completed? Will CTC be subject to the usual ACW monitoring and reporting or will that role be undertaken by the secretariat of the Culture minister?
o Was the Arts Council informed of, and asked to comment upon, the proposal to grant aid CTC in advance of the Minister’s announcement? While it may well be the case that “the Minister is fully entitled to include requirements of this kind when allocating funding to the Arts Council”, is there no mechanism (formally or informally) to ensure that these decisions are made in the context, and within the framework, of ACW’s wider cultural strategy in Wales
o Will the ‘supplementary guidance’ in the dispersal of the AoC fund be issued annually or are you anticipating that the document that you are currently waiting for will be effective for the life of the scheme? If the guidance is issued annually what impact do you expect that to have on the ability of ACW to plan strategically for the performance sector in Wales in the years to come?
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Friday, April 2, 2004 |
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