House of Commons - Culture, Media and Sport

Select Committee on Culture, Media and Sport Sixth Report

II. BEYOND GREENWICH

3. The scale and scope of the Millennium celebrations across the United Kingdom derive from the decision of the last Government and Parliament to establish the Millennium Commission as one of the five initial National Lottery good causes, a decision we endorsed in our earlier Report.[4] The Commission will have available to it over its lifetime just over £2 billion to expend on projects and activities linked in different ways to the end of this Millennium and the beginning of the next.[5]

4. Although this publicly-accountable expenditure is the focus of our inquiry, there are many other forms which the celebrations will take. The Millennium is profoundly Christian in its roots, marking 2000 years since the birth of Christ according to traditional dating, and the Christian Churches are planning a great many projects associated with the Millennium.[6] Local communities are using the opportunity of the Millennium to provide a focus for a wide range of endeavours; we saw an impressive and attractive presentation of such plans for the Isle of Mull—the so-called "Mullennium celebrations". Local authorities are likely to play a leading role in many local events. The Department for Culture, Media and Sport, the Scottish Office, the Welsh Office and the Northern Ireland Office have established groups to coordinate these various civic and local activities, for example, by creating databases of dates and providing advice on event organisation.[7]

Capital projects

5. The majority of the Millennium Commission's budget has been devoted to capital projects across the United Kingdom; these had been awarded £1.24 billion from its total budget of just over £2 billion by June 1998.[8] In our previous Report we listed 27 schemes in receipt of £15 million or more from the Commission; during this inquiry we heard presentations on nine of these 27 projects and visited three of them.[9] These ventures are spread across the United Kingdom. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have received more per head of population than England. Mr Smith was concerned about the under-representation of some English regions, and particularly the East Midlands, in the capital programme announced so far. He also regretted that there were not as many projects for the black and Asian communities as their numbers in the population would merit. He thought that it might not be too late to redress some of these imbalances.[10] The Committee believes that it must not be too late. We recommend that urgent steps be taken to invite and reassess projects submitted by ethnic minority communities so that the diversity of the peoples of the United Kingdom may be appropriately reflected in the Millennium celebrations.

6. In the case of all of its capital projects, the Millennium Commission has provided no more than 50 per cent of the funding, so that each venture has had to attract considerable funding from elsewhere to succeed. Mr Smith said that "£2 billion of money from the Millennium Commission will itself attract to the projects that it supports something in the order of £3 or £3½ billion of private sector funding as well".[11] The statement by the Secretary of State about the proportion of matching funds to money provided by the Millennium Commission is probably accurate, but we point out that considerable amounts of matching funds come from other public sources, including other Lottery Boards in some cases. This led us to raise the question of whether many of the undertakings would have reached fruition without the public commitment to the Millennium. The Commission considered that many would not have done so; although the European Regional Development Fund and agencies such as English Partnerships and the Welsh and Scottish Development Agencies had played important roles, no single other source accounted for more than 13 per cent of the total programme. Many of the projects would have been beyond the smaller national Lottery Boards; it was unlikely that the Sports Council of Wales could have funded the transformation of the Cardiff Arms Park into the new Millennium Stadium, for example. Some projects might have taken place, but without the quality and the stress on completion in 2000 or shortly afterwards associated with the Commission's projects.[12]

7. Mr Smith said that, although the distribution process had been application-driven, five broad themes could be associated with the capital projects: investing in education; encouraging environmental sustainability; revitalising cities; promoting science and technology; and supporting communities.[13] The resonance of these themes was apparent from some of the projects about which we learnt during our visits:

Investing in education:

Encouraging environmental sustainability: the Millennium Forest for Scotland is an umbrella project which seeks to restore the native woodlands of Scotland; the Llanelli Coastal Park should play a significant role in the transformation of a highly polluted coastline into a model of biodiversity;

Revitalising cities: the Lowry Centre is not only an exciting building and an arts project of great potential, it is integral to the regeneration of Salford Quays, until recently a largely derelict area;

Promoting science and technology: Dynamic Earth in Edinburgh is intended to enhance the opportunities to discover more about science in a stimulating way;

Supporting communities: Children in Glasgow is a scheme to provide a safe play environment for children in deprived communities in that City; we witnessed in Wester Hailes the potential of the Millennium Link—a canal restoration project to link again the Clyde and the Forth and Glasgow and Edinburgh—to energise a community and improve the environment in which it lives; the National Stadium at Hampden Park has been encouraged to become more engaged with its local community following its Lottery grant.

8. Mr Smith assured us that "by the end of the year 2000 the great bulk of the Millennium projects will be completed and on the whole they are on time and going well".[14] In the case of some projects which have only recently been awarded their grant, such as the Millennium Centre in Cardiff and the Science Centre in Glasgow, completion cannot be expected until 2001; but this is, after all, the year in which the new Millennium actually starts. Organisers of many of the projects, in discussion with us, chose different ways in which to emphasise the relationship of their project to the marking of the new Millennium. All of the ventures are expected to devote some of their budget to events linked directly to the Millennium celebrations.[15] In the case of the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff, plans are being prepared to stage celebratory events. Some of those we met were seeking closer links between their schemes and the Millennium Dome. Ms Jennie Page, Chief Executive of the New Millennium Experience Company, indicated that it was hoped to provide a "snapshot" of the many projects funded by the Millennium Commission in the Dome.[16]

9. The greatest benefit of the Millennium Commission's capital programme should be felt not in the year 2000 but in the years and decades beyond. According to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, "leaving a tangible and lasting legacy for future generations is a fundamental objective of the Government's plans for the Millennium celebrations".[17] The Commission sought to invest in buildings and ventures which are designed to last. Mr Smith considered that the Commission had carefully examined the matter of financial viability.[18] This is particularly important since the Millennium Commission cannot be a source of continuing funds in the same way as, for example, the Arts Councils. We discussed the financial prospects for a number of projects with those responsible and there was a prevailing sense of optimism, based on a conviction that business plans had been rigorously examined and were grounded in realistic estimates about audience, spectator or visitor numbers and commercial revenues.

10. Our assessment of the Millennium Commission's vast capital programme is preliminary and based on impressionistic evidence. Nevertheless, as we travelled around the United Kingdom, we were struck by the many ways in which investment enabled by the Millennium Commission is helping to create new landmarks across the United Kingdom. The Commission has provided a focus and momentum for many projects founded on local endeavour and initiative. It has reached places which other public sources and other Lottery Boards might not have reached. Although we wish that more buildings of distinctive and distinguished architecture were being erected, there is considerable potential to leave an impressive and enduring legacy in the new Millennium. We welcome the efforts made to achieve long-term financial viability; it is too early to judge whether positive results will in each case flow from this emphasis on planning and this is a matter to which we may return in a future inquiry.

The Millennium Awards

11. A second strand of the Millennium Commission's strategy has been its Millennium Awards schemes. These offer smaller sums (typically between £2,000 and £15,000) to individuals to undertake an activity which supports their personal development and makes a contribution to their wider communities.[19] These schemes have generally been administered by charities or local organisations, as were those about which we learnt in Glasgow and Cardiff. The Commission expects to spend £100 million on Awards up to the end of the year 2000 and then to create an endowment to allow for the subsequent expenditure of a further £100 million.[20] Mr Smith considered these Awards to be "in some ways ... the best story that there is in the work of the Millennium Commission because it is direct help to individuals who are fulfilling themselves and doing good for their community". He regretted the limited awareness of the Awards schemes.[21] This low profile may in part be attributable to the one doubt which we have about these schemes, namely their lack of any immediately self-evident connection to the Millennium.

The Millennium Festival

12. The celebratory aspects of the Millennium Commission's investment are likely to be most apparent in the Millennium Festival. The Commission originally proposed to spend £20 million on the Festival; an initial consultation indicated that this budget was likely to be insufficient and that many ventures likely to be proposed cut across the responsibilities of the different Lottery distributors. Accordingly, and following the urging of the Government, it was agreed to establish a £100 million Festival Fund with contributions from each of the good causes.[22]

13. The Festival will take place in the year 2000 (except in Northern Ireland where it will begin in September 1999[23]) and it is still in the early stages of its development. Its exact nature will depend upon the applications for grant which are received. Mr Smith sought to emphasise that

A Festival event would be "simply something which a community wishes to do in order to celebrate the year 2000".[25] The Commission indicated that it was looking for projects which "aim to be of high quality and have widespread appeal". Non-profit bodies would normally be entitled to apply.[26] The events are also expected to have the potential for a "memorable legacy".[27]

14. Although final decisions on grants will be for the relevant Lottery distributor, Millennium Festival Committees have been established in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland to advise on strategic funding priorities and themes for the Festival, coordination of Festival events, promotion of the Festival and monitoring of its operation.[28] There are already signs that the creation of national Committees is leading to variations in approach to reflect, for example, national priorities in Scotland and the wish to generate a renewed sense of pride, trust and confidence in Northern Ireland on the occasion of the Millennium.[29] The New Millennium Experience Company is making a contribution to the Festival Fund, partly through some of its sponsors, and is providing administrative support for the Festival, running "one-stop shops" for all potential applicants. There will be a single, simple proposal form for all applicants.[30]

15. The main concern about the operation of the Millennium Festival raised in evidence was that of religious organisations that ring-fenced non-Lottery money would not necessarily be available for the Festival, making it difficult for those who could not accept Lottery money on religious grounds to participate in the Festival.[31] Mr Smith thought that the solution to this problem might lie in the appropriate distribution of the Fund's non-Lottery resources from the New Millennium Experience Company's sponsors. He indicated that he would seek to use his influence to this end, while acknowledging that the sponsors would have their own particular priorities about the use of the money.[32] We note that the Northern Ireland Festival Committee will have at its disposal a grant of £500,000 from the Northern Ireland Department of the Environment "for worthwhile proposals which cannot be funded by any of the Lottery distributors".[33] While we welcome the important, indeed indispensable, contribution by the National Lottery to the Millennium celebrations, we share the view that the National Lottery alone should not be the catalyst for those celebrations. We therefore recommend that the Department for Culture, Media and Sport should, as a matter of urgency, earmark funding from appropriate organisations to assist in financing projects from bodies which do not wish to receive National Lottery funds. Such funding from other sources would not, of course, be available in cases where National Lottery grants have already been applied for, whether successfully or unsuccessfully.

16. The nature and impact of the Millennium Festival will become more apparent as it unfolds. As a collaborative undertaking between the Lottery distributing bodies with a combined and simple proposal form for all applicants, the Festival might, if successful, provide useful information for the subsequent development of the National Lottery funding process. We support the emphasis on community involvement and on legacy from the Festival, which we expect to see as the characteristics of many successful proposals.

The National Programme

17. The National Programme is organised by the New Millennium Experience Company, the operating Company of the Greenwich Dome, and is that organisation's outreach programme throughout the United Kingdom.[34] In our previous Report, we noted that the Millennium festival site had originally been conceived as a climactic destination of a three-year series of events across the United Kingdom and urged an early launch for the National Programme.[35] The Government agreed with this conclusion and conferences initiating the programme took place across the United Kingdom in the Spring of this year.[36] The regional and national offices of the Company have now been established; we visited that at Alloa.[37] The National Programme is distinct from the Millennium Festival in two ways: first, the Programme's events and activities are taking place in 1998 and 1999 as well as during the year 2000; second, they are intended to be linked in some way to the Dome.[38] The two main elements of the National Programme are the Millennium Challenge and the Learning Experience. Aspects of both are still under development, in some cases in collaboration with the Company's sponsors.[39] Mr Mandelson told us that the interest in the Learning Experience shown by schools and teachers had been "really very strong indeed".[40] Ms Page was confident that the outcomes of the Learning Experience would find their reflection in the Dome.[41] One aspect of this will be "Our Town Story", a chance for the communities of selected towns, beginning with Stirling, to develop and tell the story of their community in the Dome.[42]

18. During our discussions with those involved in the National Programme, we were impressed by some of the imaginative approaches towards establishing a sense of a relationship between the Millennium Dome and the educational experience. We note that the Minister without Portfolio was confident about the level of educational interest in the Learning Experience. However, we remain to be convinced that, with the exception of "Our Town Story", the contents of the Dome are sufficiently linked to the National Programme for the latter to have the level of input into the Dome originally envisaged.

The First Weekend

19. In its overall approach to the Millennium Celebrations, the Government has sought to put emphasis on the celebrations throughout the year, rather than simply the "First Weekend".[43] Nevertheless, it concedes that "the success of celebrations during the First Weekend ... will be crucial to the way in which the United Kingdom's celebrations are perceived, both at home and abroad".[44] Following a public consultation, the Government has decided to make Friday 31 December 1999 a Bank Holiday, creating a four-day weekend (and a five-day weekend in Scotland).[45] The traditional Hogmanay celebrations in Edinburgh have been extended by the City Council to a seven-day event.[46] In London, there are plans to use the River Thames as a linking theme and to focus celebrations along its banks. This will involve historic Greenwich and other sites as well as the Dome.[47] This seems highly appropriate in view of the scale of the investment by the Millennium Commission along the banks of the River, including bridges, piers and the Tate Gallery of Modern Art at Bankside as well as the Dome.[48]

After the Millennium Commission

20. The Millennium Commission has achieved much which would not have been possible without its existence. Many of the imaginative capital projects which it has backed would have been beyond the scope or budgets of other Lottery distributing bodies. The scale of its Awards to individuals is unique amongst the original Lottery bodies. It has filled gaps in the responsibilities of the original good causes such as science and technology. It has allowed for Millennium celebrations across the United Kingdom of considerable ambition.

21. The Millennium Commission will have a finite existence. The Commission's funding will cease when it has received £2.017 billion from the National Lottery Distribution Fund. This is likely to be in 2002; a decision about the use of that income stream thereafter will be made nearer the time.[49] Some of those who have benefited from investment by the Millennium Commission are understandably concerned as to whether money for comparable projects will be available beyond that time.[50] We expect to consider the allocation of the National Lottery Distribution Fund following the demise of the Millennium Commission later in this Parliament.

4 HC (1997-98) 340-I, para 3. Back

5 Evidence, p 1. Mr Smith said that the emphasis of the celebrations would be in the year 2000 to reflect the popular conception that this year would mark the beginning of the new Millennium even though, in strict accuracy, the year 2001 would do so, Q 23. Back

6 Evidence, pp 120, 143-144. Back

7 Evidence, pp 2, 4, 140, 95, 97, 99-100. Back

8 Evidence, p 11; Q 1. Back

9 HC (1997-98) 340-I, Annex 2. Back

10 QQ 6, 34, 43. Back

11 QQ 4, 28. Back

12 Evidence, pp 151-153. Back