Written evidence submitted by Voluntary
Arts England (arts 129)
Voluntary Arts is the national development agency
for the amateur arts sector and works to promote practical participation
in the arts and crafts. There are more than 49,000 amateur arts
groups in England with an estimated 5.9 million members, in addition
3.5 million people volunteer as extras or helpers making a total
of 9.4 million people. We are making this submission on behalf
of the sector. Although we haven't had time to consult with groups
extensively, the views expressed here are informed by forum posts,
requests for advice and training and the report `Our Creative
Talent, the voluntary and amateur arts in England' published in
2008 (DCMS)
SUMMARY
— Most amateur arts organisations do not
rely on government subsidy to maintain their level of activity
however they do rely on the support of their artform umbrella
bodies and Voluntary Arts as the development agency for the sector.
Together we offer advice and training on income generation and
making effective use of resources which is vital in a climate
where public subsidy is hard to come by.
— Many groups benefit from small grant
schemes and in-kind support administered by local authorities
and would suffer considerably if such opportunities were reduced.
— Severe cuts affecting the professional
art sector would cause amateur arts practitioners to lose out
as consumers, audience members and could significantly affect
the quality of life for large numbers of people.
— Most amateur arts groups already operate
on low budgets which are accustomed to stretch to gain maximum
benefits.
— We would welcome initiatives to encourage
collaborative working and would be interested to see how Voluntary
Arts could develop this within the sector.
— Voluntary Arts has a good relationship
with Arts Council North East as one of its Regularly Funded Organisation
clients and would oppose the centralisation of the grant.
— With reference to proposed changes to
Arts Council funding, we would support a structure that was transparent,
equitable and did not favour large professional arts organisations
over smaller, more localised organisations and amateur arts organisations
with an overt social or community benefit.
— Local Authorities could be encouraged
to work with amateur arts groups to extend budgets for participative
activity.
— We welcome the restoration of the National
Lottery to its original mandate vis-a"-vis the proportion
of money awarded to arts projects.
— Voluntary Arts would like to ensure that
small grants for arts projects with a social, community or health
benefit continue to be awarded and there is not an undue emphasis
on awarding large grants to cut administrative costs.
— Amateur arts groups already represent
many aspects of the Big Society in action. We would welcome a
funding scheme that awards groups which develop this ethos.
— Voluntary Arts makes a distinction between
"arm's-length" infrastructure support organisations
and grassroots membership umbrella organisations which fulfil
a vital role and should be maintained. Voluntary Arts was formed
by and supports such membership organisations and is integral
to the development of the sector.
— We feel that the decisions to cut such
bodies as the UK Film Council were made quickly without sufficient
consultation or evidence on the impact of such cuts.
— Although currently amateur arts groups
do not receive significant donations from business and philanthropy,
we would welcome moves to provide better tax incentives to enable
donations and sponsorship to become more attractive. We would
also like to see donors being encouraged to support the Big Society,
with its wealth of social and community benefits
1. What impact recent and future spending
cuts from central and local government will have on arts and heritage
at a national and local level?
1.1 Across the UK, tens of thousands of
amateur arts groups stage plays and operas, festivals and concerts,
put on exhibitions and run classes and workshops every week. Amateur
arts groups are rooted in almost every local community across
the UK. They are almost all independent local organisations established
by their participants, self-financing and fiercely independent
of national and local government.
1.2 The amateur arts sector does not rely
on government subsidy to maintain its level of activity. Traditionally
amateur arts groups are self funded, self governed and are proficient
in good housekeeping to ensure that the income is well spent.
Research tells us there are 49,140 amateur arts groups in England
involving 9.4 million people ("Our Creative Talent",
DCMS/Arts Council England, 2008). The amateur arts sector also
includes at least as many people taking part individually or through
adult education classes. In 2008 the income of the sector was
estimated to be £543 million per year. (Our Creative Talent)
Across the amateur arts 82% of finance is self generated: in general
the amateur arts are not looking for core public funding.
1.3 However many groups benefit from small
grant schemes administered by local authorities and the reduction
or cessation of these grants will have a damaging impact. Also
local authority reduced budgets may make it more difficult for
groups to have access to decent venues, networking opportunities
and training.
1.4 Cuts from local and central government
on arts and heritage budgets will have an adverse effect on amateur
arts practitioners in their role as consumers and audience members
as their attendance at theatres, galleries and other cultural
venues is generally more than the average. Many amateur arts practitioners
are inspired, stimulated and encouraged by professional art activity
and reduced opportunities to access this would impact on their
own art practice.
2. What arts organisations can do to work
more closely together in order to reduce duplication of effort
and make economies of scale?
2.1 With over 49,000 amateur arts groups
in England there are a plethora of small groups with an interest
in a particular artform or craft. These are grouped together under
200 national umbrella bodies that represent their members and
offer advice support and member services such as specialised insurance,
access to conferences, training opportunities and equipment. Amateur
arts groups already operate on shoestring budgets but there may
be potential to work in collaboration with other organisations
to develop their activity. We would welcome the opportunity for
professional arts organisations to make closer links with amateur
groups, using premises out of office hours (when many groups meet)
or being invited to events. There is potential for economies of
scale to be made between groups on a local level usually around
skill sharing such as marketing and promotion, IT or accounting.
Voluntary Arts would be interested in brokering such a scheme
or supporting local authorities to develop such a role.
3. Is the current system, and structure of
funding distribution the right one?
3.1 The current system gives Arts Council
England the dominant role as funder of arts organisations and
projects. Voluntary Arts has been a regularly funded organisation
for some years, has a good relationship with Arts Council England
North East (ACENE) and Arts Council England (ACE) and is actively
involved in the ACE Amateur Arts Partnership Development Programme,
helping to break down barriers between the amateur and professional
sectors. To date the system has worked well for the organisation
and the sector as a whole. As a national charity with a base in
the northeast, Voluntary Arts is well placed to ensure that its
national policy is informed partly by the regional experience.
We have a good relationship with our lead officer and would vigorously
oppose any move to centralise the funding system.
3.2 Arts Council England is proposing to
replace the current system of funding regularly funded organisations
on a three year rolling programme with a system of tiered funding
relating to:
(a) specific work carried out over one to five
years,
(b) a long term partnership relationship, and
(c) a fee bearing contract relating to specific
tasks.
3.3 While it might be necessary for ACE
to achieve a flexible funding strategy in the current climate
there is a danger that large, heavily-subsidised, London-based
arts organisations will continue to be underwritten by long term
funding programmes to the detriment of smaller, more provincial
organisations with an evident social and community focus. The
proposed scheme will enable numerous types of funding arrangement
to arise but a concern would be that transparency and equity might
be reduced. ACE has historically been criticised for subsiding
"high art" which is elitist, Voluntary Arts is concerned
that the ACE clients would effectively receive three levels of
funding and that amateur arts groups and their umbrella bodies
would be relegated to the "third division".
3.4 Local Authorities could be encouraged
to work closely with amateur arts groups to enable their budgets
to reach large numbers of participants. Access to premises, in-kind
support and training opportunities can be extremely valuable to
amateur groups and may not cost vast sums of money. For some groups
it is important that a local, accessible grant scheme operates.
Currently local authorities vary considerably in their support
of amateur arts groups in their area. There are Arts Development
teams that actively work with the sector, convening meetings,
and encouraging networking, operating a small grants scheme and
developing opportunities for groups to contribute to wider agendas
such as health and wellbeing and community cohesion.
4. What will the impact of recent changes
to the distribution of National Lottery funds be on arts and heritage
organisations?
4.1 We welcome the restoration of the proportion
of arts Lottery funding to the original level of 20%. In the current
climate with a funding squeeze on arts and culture, and with Arts
Council England regularly funded organisations being asked to
model cuts of more than 10%, any increase in arts funding is welcome
news. The Lottery was originally conceived to fund areas of activity
that fell outside core statutory responsibility; so we welcome
this restoration.
4.2 We do have reservations on how the proposed
change might impact on the amateur arts sector. We worry that
as our sector spans both arts and community sectors it may miss
out from both when it comes when it comes to funding. Grants for
the Arts applications to Arts Council England are principally
judged on "artistic criteria". For many amateur arts
groups, projects are often about using art to achieve social or
community outcomes. We would like Arts Council England to consider
providing opportunities for groups to apply for funding for instrumental
use of the arts and we would like the Big Lottery Fund to encourage
applications from groups using artistic activity to deliver outcomes
in line with Big Lottery Fund criteria. (There is anecdotal evidence
of amateur arts groups being advised by the Big Lottery Fund to
apply to Arts Council England because they are arts organisations,
regardless of the fact that the project for which they are seeking
funding is designed to deliver social and community outcomes and
would not fit Arts Council England's artistic criteria.)
5. Do the policy guidelines for National
Lottery funding need to be reviewed?
5.1 Amateur arts groups have benefitted
from grants administered by the Big Lottery Fund particularly
Awards for All; a small grants programme with a straightforward
application process and short response time. Voluntary Arts is
keen to see the small grant scheme extended. It represents value
for money, is based in grassroots need.
5.2 We would like to see the National Lottery
underpinning the ethos of the "Big Society" In addition
to the Big Society bank, Voluntary Arts would welcome the development
of grants to reward small-scale, local action that brings benefits
to people and their communities. To some extent the amateur arts
sector already represents many aspects of the Big Society in action.
But in most cases there is still a lack of connection between
the amateur arts and other community groups. With some exceptions,
amateur arts groups tend to be very focussed on their artform,
their own regular participation/rehearsal and performances or
exhibitions. A major strand of the work of Voluntary Arts is to
encourage greater collaboration with other community groups and
civil society activities to realise the underutilised potential
of the amateur arts sector.
5.3 The amateur arts sector contributes
significantly to community cohesion, local pride and identity,
health and wellbeing and many other aspects of strong communities
but the scale of the amateur arts sector provides potential for
it to play a much greater role in strengthening communities throughout
the country and realising the Big Society.
5.4 Currently the policy direction of the
Big Lottery is under review and the question is being posed as
to whether the direction should either follow "The need to
ensure that money is distributed to projects that benefit people
and local communities served by the voluntary and community sector"
or "The need to ensure that money is distributed to projects
in the voluntary and community sector in order to benefit the
people and local communities in that sector".
The wording of the first option implies that
money would be distributed to projects that could be outside the
scope of the voluntary and community sector but opens up the possibility
of local authorities being recipients of funds. For that reason
Voluntary Arts wishes to maintain the wording of the second option.
5.5 As there is a need to reduce bureaucracy
and administration costs Voluntary Arts is concerned that there
may be an emphasis on awarding large grants to large organisations,
thereby making it difficult for smaller amateur arts groups to
access funding.
6. What will the impact be of recent changes
to DCMS arm's length bodies- in particular the abolition of the
UK Film Council and the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council?
6.1 Voluntary Arts accepts that arts funding
is not sacrosanct and cuts in line with other departmental targets
will need to be made, however we believe that when cuts are made
to organisations that are intrinsic to the development of professional
standards and quality projects we believe that the detrimental
effect on the sector will be more far reaching than anticipated.
At a time of stringent cuts and falling audience numbers it is
vital that organisations work intelligently, cutting back waste,
developing innovation and having confidence to sometimes take
risks. Umbrella organisations and development agencies can ensure
that effective partnerships are made and resources used efficiently.
6.2 The abolition of the UK Film Council
and the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council (MLA)will adversely
affect cinema goers, filmmakers both professional and amateur,
and amateur arts practitioners who have benefitted from MLA initiatives.
6.3 We see a distinction between "arms-length"
infrastructure bodies and those rooted in grassroots activity.
Although we would agree that it is important to protect front-line
delivery, membership organisations and those which have evolved
organically to support the sector are integral to an efficient,
well run sector supporting a vast number of independent groups.
Since the 1880s UK amateur arts groups have sought out similar
groups across the country and "federated"—forming
membership organisations within particular artforms. This is a
bottom-up evolutionary process which has resulted today in nearly
200 specialist national umbrella organisations (including the
British Federation of Brass Bands, Making Music, the Lace Guild,
the National Association of Choirs, the National Operatic and
Dramatic Association, the National Association of Decorative and
Fine Arts etc). Most of these umbrella bodies are small, unfunded
members' clubs which produce a newsletter and run occasional conferences
or other events. A few are more substantial with professional
offices and staff to provide training and advice to their member
groups. Voluntary Arts was created in 1991 by some of these umbrella
bodies to link them together and provide a single voice for the
amateur arts sector in the UK and Ireland. Much of our work is
about making better use of existing resources by linking existing
organisations—eg helping local amateur arts groups to access
funding, training, advice and support from the wider voluntary
(non-profit) sector as well as the arts sector. Voluntary Arts
provides a single point of contact with the vast amateur arts
sector. This organic network of 200 bottom-up infrastructure organisations
gives the amateur arts sector a resilience and vibrancy.
6.4 We are concerned that the "infrastructure"
bodies, even those embedded in the grassroots of their sector
are vulnerable to cuts. The recent decision by the Arts Council
of Wales to withdraw core funding from a range of infrastructure
and support bodies including Voluntary Arts Wales is a case in
point and we would vigorously oppose cuts to other departments
of Voluntary Arts.
7. Individual philanthropy and business support
7.1 Amateur arts groups do receive business
support and donations from individuals but it is usually on a
small, local scale and is often because an individual donor is
a amateur arts practitioner. Historically, large donations have
been made to high-profile, prestigious, mostly London-based arts
organisations. Voluntary Arts does not foresee this situation
changing and if the Government's focus is to encourage large donations
in lieu of grant aid, the amateur arts sector could be diminished
as a result.
7.2 Voluntary Arts would welcome better
tax incentives to individual givers but would like to see a greater
emphasis on the promotion of benefits of arts activity to health,
wellbeing and social cohesion. Individual donors could be encouraged
to see the wider benefits of their donations, eg the savings on
prescription drugs for older people who sing in choirs.
September 2010
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