Conclusions
25. In Not Only the Dome, we concluded that
the greatest benefits of the capital projects "should be
felt not in the year 2000 but in the years and decades beyond".[83]
Representatives of projects who gave evidence to this Committee
emphasised that they had not been under pressure to open during
the year 2000 and stated that the legacy of their endeavours would
remain after the end of this year and would continue well into
the future. Mr Stoneham said that the capital projects made "quite
a remarkable story which [might] not be appreciated until we have
had a few years of seeing how these projects come out".[84]
Ms Thomas stated that: "These are projects to celebrate the
millennium which are there for a long time, they are future projects.
We will look back on this moment as a very special moment when
key investment in education, training, regeneration around the
country happened thanks to the millennium and the Millennium Commission".[85]
26. In a previous Report, we noted that the Millennium
Commission's capital projects could transform the British landscape
by creating new landmarks that would leave "an impressive
and enduring legacy in the new Millennium".[86]
There are signs that that potential is beginning to be realised.
The Commission's projects form an important part of the transformation
of the cultural landscape of the United Kingdom by the National
Lottery that Mr Quarmby identified.[87]
27. The Millennium Commission's portfolio of projects
is exceptionally diverse.[88]
Mr Smith said that "one of the benefits of the Millennium
Commission has been that we have ended up with a very varied pattern
of major projects".[89]
That broad range of projects from education to sport is to be
commended, but it is difficult to discern in some of the projects
a "real millennium flavour" that Mr Smith referred to
as one of the Commission's criteria.[90]
In some cases, the enthusiasm of the Commissioners for distinctiveness
and innovation may have encouraged a shortage of critical examination
of projects' viability, and whether they could be delivered and
afforded.
28. We are concerned that the Commission may have
given insufficient consideration to the wider impact of projects
on the visitor attraction market. The English Tourism Council
correctly observed: "Many attractions may be developed or
maintained for cultural, political, economic regeneration, or
social inclusion purposes. But, increasingly they are expected
to behave as commercial enterprises".[91]
The Secretary of State may be right in expecting demand for
visitor attractions to increase in future, but the supply of visitor
attractions is increasing more rapidly. This is having and will
have consequences for existing visitor attractions that have not
benefited from Lottery support; those consequences do not appear
to have been systematically considered by the Millennium Commission
or government, past or present. It will also have consequences
for the long-term future of the projects themselves.
29. When we suggested to Mr O'Connor that the future
of some projects was in doubt, he replied: "If you say to
me can I give you a guarantee that all of these projects will
prosper forever more, that is not a guarantee I can give you".[92]
However, he told us that the Millennium Commission had always
intended to supply no more than the capital funding:
"We have created the assets. We believe all
the assets have sound business plans, but it is a competitive
market out there and they will obviously have to market themselves.
I think it is wrong to be pessimistic. I believe that the people
who are driving these projects are not only visionary but they
have got sound commercial sense also."[93]
It is admirable in principle to expect these projects
to stand on their own feet. However, it is a political reality
that the public will want to ask questions about the value of
the Millennium Commission's investment if some projects prove
not to have an assured future.
30. We received suggestions that the Commission's
life might be extended or a successor body put in place to provide
continuing support for capital projects or to fund comparable
projects such as science centres, which might not be funded by
other Lottery distributing bodies.[94]
We do not consider that to be an appropriate course of action.
However, we recommend that the Department for Culture, Media and
Sport set out in its response to this Report its strategy for
responding to demands for additional funding for the Millennium
Commission's capital projects after the Commission's resources
from the National Lottery have been spent and the Commission has
been wound up.
83 HC (1997-98) 818-I, para 9. Back
84 Q
199. Back
85 Q
139. Back
86 HC
(1997-98) 818-I, para 10. Back
87 Q
237. Back
88 Evidence,
p 122. Back
89 Q
447. Back
90 Ibid Back
91 Evidence,
p 224. Back
92 Q
475. Back
93 Ibid. Back
94 Q
139; Evidence, p 22. Back
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