PASW Regional Newsletter: Autumn 2002
South West Arts Update
On 1 April 2002 South West Arts merged with the Arts Council of England and the other nine Regional Arts Boards to form a new single organisation for arts funding in England. As part of the merger process the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport has appointed a new Council for the single organisation under the Chairmanship of Gerry Robinson. As part of their role on the Council, nine of the members will chair one of the Regional Arts Councils. The South West Chair will be Alan Livingston. The full list of members and their biographies can be found on the Arts Council's website at: www.artscouncil.org.uk/ace/councilindex.html.
As one organisation, attention is now focusing on the task of developing new ways of working, and building structures which will suit one organisation. The structural and staffing needs will, inevitably, be different from those needed to service eleven independent organisations. The objective of the changes is to allow us to improve the efficiency of the service to artists and arts organisations and to eradicate duplication. While the restructuring of the arts funding system is not savings-led, there is likely to be a considerable cost saving which will be re-invested in the arts.
At the time of writing, staffing proposals have been published for consultation with staff. They lay out the broad brushstrokes of the proposed new structure which in general terms include:
- A smaller strategic National Office working on behalf of the whole organisation
- Regional Offices handling the majority of client services to the arts community, working closely with local stakeholders
- Management of the delivery of shared services (Human Resources, Information Technology, Finance and Office Services) co-located with the National Office
New structures will begin to be put in place over the Autumn, with full implementation taking place by the end of March 2003.
Nick Capaldi
Executive Director, South West Arts