Written evidence submitted by North East
Regional Renaissance Board (arts 21)
What impact recent, and future, spending cuts
from central and local Government will have on the arts and heritage
at a national and local level
Investment in museums through the Renaissance
programme and other funding, particularly from local government,
has led to unprecedented levels of people engaging with museums,
an increase in visitor numbers and a more diverse audience for
museums. This investment has also changed the nature of engagement
with museums from simply a passive visit to an interactive experience
which, evidence shows, contributes to learning and personal development
and to health and wellbeing, with individual benefits also being
realised at community level. Conversely a reduction in investment
will threaten this. Whilst some of the legacy of what museums
have achieved will last for a short while, its effect will be
limited if activities and programmes cannot be sustained. Museums
provide good value for the investment made by the public sector
but reductions in funding could disproportionately impact on outputs
and outcomes.
Our experience in the North East of England
is that Renaissance and related museum activities have not only
helped to change lives but have also had strong economic benefits,
in particular through playing a key role in the tourism infrastructure
(Heritage Tourism being one of North East England's most significant
drivers). We have also significantly developed opportunities for
volunteers to contribute (including developing their employability
skills), as well as really working to engage people with their
museums through consultation, co-production and involvement of
communities in programming and management.
It is worth pointing out that investment has
also allowed museums to increase staff capacity and with it knowledge
and an increased ability to engage with audiences at a higher
level in terms of public engagement initiatives, and collections
expertise etc. Public confidence in museums has grown as a result.
Renaissance investment in particular has also
helped raise standards of collections care. The Bowes is a good
example of this; Renaissance has assisted with the expansion of
our conservation department and related activities, consequently
our knowledge and confidence in dealing object movement and collections
care issues. It has also made us more able to support other museums
in the region through advice etc.
Cuts will inevitably impinge on our ability
to maintain standards and we will feel the loss of expertise through
lack of staff capacity.
More severe cuts may indeed lead to the loss
of some museums completely and with them the huge benefits that
they bring to communities and the economy.
What arts organisations can do to work more closely
together in order to reduce duplication of effort and to make
economies of scale
Museums in the North East already work closely
together, for example collaborating on projects such as creative
apprentices, and on outreach activities. The North East Hub is
led by Tyne and Wear Archives and Museums, already a "federation"
of five district councils and a university to provide good value
in delivery of museum services. Museums in Tees Valley are currently
looking at how they can work more closely together whilst in Northumberland
Woodhorn, Berwick and Tynedale museums have come together within
an independent trust to deliver a more efficient service. Bringing
together services across domains must also be considered as has
been achieved at Woodhorn and TWAM bringing together museum and
archive services.
NERMH initiatives such as Core Skills, the NECCF
and Curatorial Needs programmes are surely excellent examples
of working together as a sector to make the most of skills sharing
and dissemination to the whole region through training and support
networks. The hub has developed a number of specialist posts which
work across organisations to raise standards and develop best
practice, demonstrating economies of scale through partnership
and joint co-operation.
What level of public subsidy for the arts and
heritage is necessary and sustainable
It is important that there is a plural economy.
Beamish, the Living Museum of the North, for example, runs its
core operations on the funding it can generate itself but has
enhanced, in particular, its learning and outreach work with public
funding. At TWAM the outreach and inclusion work which has led
to the very strong involvement of non-traditional audiences has
been funded through the Renaissance programme. We have demonstrated
in the North East that public funding for museums should be seen
as an investment rather than subsidy, for example in areas such
as skills development, tackling worklessness through volunteering
and creating positive activities for young people.
Whether the current system, and structure, of
funding distribution is the right one
Whilst government will naturally wish to set
the agenda for the direction of funding, what is important to
museums is that this funding can be delivered with the minimum
of bureaucracy, that its purpose is transparent, and that it is
granted for a reasonable period of time (at least two to three
years) and that there is sufficient notice (at least six months)
as one programme comes to an end of what future programmes will
be. There remain some imbalances in public funding between museums
and with other parts of the cultural sector around the mix of
local and national government investment. Many museums are reliant
on local authority funding as their sole public revenue funder
with little or no access to other areas (unlike eg many arts organizations
who receive revenue funds from ACE and local authorities).
What impact recent changes to the distribution
of National Lottery funds will have on arts and heritage organisations
The changes to both the Heritage Lottery and
Arts Lottery will be beneficial for museums, supporting both smaller
grants and some larger grants—although many museums have
had significant capital investment there are still a number of
capital projects which, with lottery and other investment, could
produce significant benefits for jobs, for tourism, for lifelong
learning and for quality of life.
Whether the policy guidelines for National Lottery
funding need to be reviewed
It is believed that there is scope to review
these particularly in light of the fact that the lottery distributors
now have much more experience of the sort of projects which do
come forward. There opportunity to reconsider the prohibition
on soliciting projects. Equally flexibility over some rules could
significantly help some projects.
It is hoped that in future there can be a more
joined up approach between lottery distributors. For example,
Arts and Heritage lottery distributors tend to have good knowledge
of local/regional issues and strong relationships with local authorities
and agencies and to ensure that arts and heritage projects that
they fit align with local priorities. Where Big Lottery is awarding
grants that relate to arts or heritage it would be advantageous
if they could access the knowledge of the other distributors.
The impact 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
The key concern which museums in the North East
have expressed is the loss of the high quality regional support
which has been provided by Directors of Engagement and their teams.
It is clear that many functions of MLA will need to continue (Government
Indemnity; Acceptance in lieu; accreditation etc). Who takes them
on is more difficult to determine. The Renaissance programme must
continue to build on the achievements of museums in the region,
both within and without the Hub, and we need a straightforward
and effective way of delivering the funding and monitoring for
this. It is also very important that the museum development function
continues to be delivered to support regional museums. In the
North East this works successfully with the Museum Development
Officer working within the regional Renaissance team and working
closely alongside MLA officers.
We believe that is essential that there is a
clear structure for the ongoing delivery of Renaissance as soon
as possible. This is particularly important in the light of the
current pressures on public sector budgets.
In the North east we already have two major
mergers of museums and archives services (Tyne and Wear and Northumberland).
We would therefore have a particular interest and perspective
on how those functions of MLA should continue to interact in the
future.
Whether businesses and philanthropists can play
a long-term role in funding arts at a national and local level
Museums in the North East already work hard
to engage businesses and philanthropist, TWAM has just established
a new fundraising trust outside local authority control which
is led by business people and will actively fundraise for the
museums and archives.
In the North East however, there is a comparative
shortfall in the number of high net worth individuals with disposable
assets (amongst the wealthier people much investment is tied up
in fixed assets) and of head offices or large regional firms where
the decision on sponsorship is made locally. This significantly
reduces our ability for this type of fundraising. It is particularly
difficult to develop philanthropic funding to support revenue
costs.
One additional concern is where individuals
or organisations donate objects or collections which have ongoing
"maintenance" or care costs. A framework which promoted
the idea of endowments for care of collections alongside the donation
of collections could be of interest.
Whether there need to be more Government incentives
to encourage private donations
Increased tax incentives focused on encouraging
philanthropy in this area would be welcome. Specific government
initiatives to support the engagement of businesses with culture
are also important. It is important that this work goes beyond
the "easy win" of encouraging business, for example,
to hire paintings for board room walls. Valuable as that is, there
is much more that business and culture have to offer to each other.
August 2010
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