The BBC Trust published The BBC’s Strategy: Putting Quality First on Tuesday 14 December. The strategy is the final conclusions of the Trust’s review of BBC’s services that has been conducted since July 2009.

It was announced this week that on Wednesday 15 December 2010 the CMS Committee will take evidence on the new BBC licence fee settlement.

The BBC has this month published the Trust’s initial conclusions of the proposals submitted by Director-General Mark Thompson, following consultations with the public and audience research undertaken.  The Trust welcomed plans to improve content and better manage public money.  The board had outlined as its top priorities greater value of content and creativity, and financial transparency and responsibility, with an overall aim of doing fewer things better.

On Thursday 10 June 2010, the NCA and Arts & Business launched a new forum to represent the UK’s cultural sector in the debate on how best to reanimate private sector cultural funding in this period of economic difficulty.

The NCA was in attendance at Toynbee Hall as Munira Mirza unveiled the Mayoral Cultural Strategy for 2012 and beyond. Topics addressed during the presentation included education, environmental sustainability and the improvement of arts provision for London’s outer boroughs.

Following the rather gloomy news from the Treasury we can, perhaps take some small comfort from two recently announced consultations which may pave the way for new avenues of funding for the sector.

Andrew Dixon, Chief Executive of Creative Scotland, the organisation set to take over the reins of Scotland’s cultural stewardship from the Scottish Arts Council and Scottish Screen, has announced that he wants to see Scotland in the top 10 ‘cultural nations’ within five years.

The NCA attended the new Secretary of State’s inaugural speech to the arts community, themed ‘Arts and Philanthropy’, at the Roundhouse on Wednesday, 19 May. Accompanied by his Minister for Culture, Ed Vaizey and Jesse Norman, the new Conservative MP for Hereford and South Herefordshire (whose father, Torquil, was the driving force behind the Roundhouse’s restoration), Jeremy Hunt outlined his central tenets on the arts.

On Thursday 20 May, the Conservative/Lib Dem Coalition Government published the full text of the agreement that forms their programme for Government.

In March, the BBC Trust published a proposed strategy for the BBC, inviting views from the public and industry on the future direction for the Corporation.

Two weeks ago, the NCA launched its Cultural Workforce Survey in order to gather data from everyone who works in the cultural sector, including CEOs, Chairs, Board Members/Trustees, Employers, Employees, Freelancers, Interns and Volunteers. With this data, we hope to create a snapshot of what the cultural workforce looks like today and find out how people really feel about the work that they do.

In March, The BBC Trust published a proposed strategy for the BBC, inviting views from the public and industry on the future direction for the corporation.

This week the deadline passed for nominations for candidates in the General Election and so too did the deadline for them to withdraw their candidature. The list of people standing for election is now fixed and the NCA took this opportunity to get in touch with all Parliamentary candidates asking them to pledge their support for the arts, the arts manifesto and, crucially for supporting funding for the arts at current levels.

In their paper ‘A Private Sector Policy for the Arts’ Arts & Business (A&B) outlines recommendations on how to best adapt the mixed economy funding model for the arts to the current situation. 

The Arts Council of Northern Ireland (ACNI) held a seminar for arts groups on lobbying in the wonderful surroundings of the newly refurbished Crescent Arts Centre in Belfast on 21 April. 

The UK has a thriving, world-class cultural sector which is nurtured and supported by its human capital, the cultural workforce. Without this workforce, the sector would not be where it is today.

As promised, we have been working hard making useful additions to our Vote Arts 2010 webpage to help you with all the advocacy and campaigning efforts during these final weeks of the General Election.

In March, The BBC Trust published a proposed strategy for the BBC, inviting views from the public and industry on the future direction for the corporation.

We would like to bring your attention to Vote Arts 2010, the NCA’s online home for arts advocacy and campaigning. With Polling Day only weeks away on 6 May, we have compiled some vital resources to help you raise the profile of the arts and culture during the election campaign.

This week the political parties published the manifestos which they hope will convince the electorate of their suitability to run the country and form the next government.