With the General Election on the horizon – presenting a potential change of Government and with the economic situation posing a very real threat to arts and dance funding – Dance UK has launched DanceVote 2010, the national advocacy campaign to put dance on the agenda of local political candidates.

The NCA has drafted its response to Arts Council England’s (ACE) Achieving great art for everyone consultation, for which we are seeking members’ comments.

The results of the consultation will inform a ten-year strategic framework and ACE’s future investment decisions. The consultation represents the first time the Arts Council has brought together all art forms and development areas into one set of long-term priorities.

The Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) published its third partial review of the shortage occupation lists, making recommendations for the United Kingdom and for Scotland. These lists, which are used alongside Tier 2 of the points-based system for managing immigration, comprise skilled occupations where there are shortages that can sensibly be filled by enabling employers to recruit immigrants from outside the European Economic Area (EEA).

The Departments for Children, Schools and Families and Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) have published good practice guidance, aimed at local authorities, on providing positive activities for young people, particularly on a Friday and Saturday night. The guidance references some good case studies showcasing the work of the cultural sector and aims to encourage local authorities to partner with organisations who could help to deliver a diverse range of arts, culture and sports activities.

On Wednesday 24th March the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Alistair Darling, announced his 2010 Budget, the last one before the General Election. This budget confirmed the Government’s commitment to making £11 billion of savings a year by 2012-13 from efficiency and streamlining the centre of Government.

After a great deal of delay and grumbling from the sector, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) has finally published its review into libraries, following its consultation Empower, Inform, Enrich – the modernisation review of public libraries.

A number of national organisations, including the NCA, met this week to launch Cultural Capital: A Manifesto for the Future. Affirming that “culture is the catalyst for change”, the manifesto argues that a reduction of public investment would make poor economic sense given the multiplier effect of investment in the arts. Furthermore, the cultural sector can make a real contribution to social and economic recovery through offering work, learning, training and social engagement.

The Cultural Learning Alliance has launched its website, the first manifestation of its campaign to bring attention to the importance of cultural learning and participation. The Cultural Learning Alliance is for everyone who believes that children and young people should have an entitlement to quality cultural experiences.

Further raising the profile of the arts in political debates in the run up to the General Election, the Royal Society for the Arts (RSA) hosted a debate on the future for the arts, giving another opportunity for front-bench spokespeople to outline their parties’ policies regarding the sector.

The NCA has now submitted its reponse to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport’s (DCMS) latest consultation on the Licensing Act, which proposes to exempt live music events for audiences of not more than 100 people from the requirements of the Licensing Act 2003. The proposals are intended to make it easier for both licensed premises such as clubs and pubs, and unlicensed premises such as cafes, restaurants, scout huts, record shops, etc. to stage small, live music events. Furthermore, musicians will benefit, since the greater availability of venues will offer them a platform to perform and to be heard.

The response can be read here.

 

An audio recording of the arts funding debate held on 1 March at Kings Place is now available to listen to online for those who were unable to attend the event.

The Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) has today published Sarah Thane’s report into Child Performance regulations. The report makes a number of recommendations on how the licensing system for child performers can be overhauled and re-balanced.

During the third day of the House of Lords report stage into the Digital Economy Bill, Lord Clement-Jones once again drew attention to the Save Our Sound UK campaign, explaining that the programme-making and special events (PMSE) sector was unhappy with the way in which the Government had not made their intentions clear regarding compensation for the loss of spectrum and radio microphones.

The NCA is seeking members’ comments on its draft response to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport’s (DCMS) latest consultation on the Licensing Act, which proposes to exempt live music events for audiences of not more than 100 people from the requirements of the Licensing Act 2003. DCMS envisage that the proposals will make it easier for both licensed premises such as clubs and pubs, and unlicensed premises such as cafes, restaurants, scout huts, record shops, etc. to stage small, live music events. Furthermore, musicians will benefit, since the greater availability of venues will offer them a platform to perform and to be heard.

Hot on the tail of last week’s NCA arts funding debate at Kings Place, the NCA Arts Hustings was held at Tate Britain this week, during which arts and culture portfolio holders Rt Hon Margaret Hodge MBE MP, Ed Vaizey MP, and Don Foster MP were grilled by members of the sector on their parties’ arts policies. Chaired again by NCA Chairman Joan Bakewell, the event was both informative and entertaining, shedding light on numerous issues that the sector faces.

In a week filled with events, the NCA also held a seminar to examine the potential political landscape after the election, what implications these outcomes might have for the arts sector and what the sector can do to argue its case in the run up to, during and beyond the election campaign. Andrew Hawkins, CEO of political pollsters ComRes and analyst Daniel Hamilton presented an analysis looking at the likely outcome of the forthcoming election, considering why the outcome is so difficult to predict with any certainty, where the key battleground seats are, and what the implications are likely to be for policy making in the initial months of the new government.

A reminder to members that Arts Council England (ACE) launched Achieving great art for everyone – a consultation on future priorities for the arts, the results of which will inform a ten-year strategic framework and ACE’s future investment decisions. The consultation represents the first time the Arts Council has brought together all arts forms and development areas into one set of long-term priorities. The consultation is a very important one, to which the NCA will be responding. We invite members to submit comments and evidence to the NCA for inclusion before 2 April. These can be sent to campaigns@artscampaign.org.uk.

An eager and challenging audience arrived at Kings Place on Monday, 1 March to debate the motion that “This country can no longer afford to subsidise the arts”, curated by the NCA and chaired by Joan Bakewell.

The Association of British Orchestras (ABO) has published A Platform for Success: A Five Year Vision for Orchestras. The ABO’s vision sets out the following aspirations:

Maintain our programme of great performances at home and abroad, challenging audiences with a wide repertoire and diverse approach. Place orchestras within the national celebrations towards the London 2012 Olympic Games and Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games. Nurture home grown talent and attract the world’s best composers, performers and conductors to the UK. All these artists have at their disposal a hugely talented and highly skilled pool of musicians, with a rich orchestral heritage. Ensure every orchestra in the ABO commits to an environmental ‘touring charter’ by 2015.

DCMS is running another consultation on the Licensing Act, which proposes to “exempt small live music events for audiences of not more than 100 people from the requirements of the Licensing Act 2003 relating to the licensing of live music as regulated entertainment under the Act. “ It is hoped that this exemption will benefit small venues that wish to hold live music events, but are deterred by the licensing requirements and costs, as well as musicians who may find more opportunities to perform. As well as presenting an increased opportunity for the wider public to hear live music, the exemption is expected to make a number of administrative savings. People and organisations that currently use Temporary Event Notices to put on live music on an occasional basis, and licensed venues that put on small live music events for no more than 100 people are subject to a burden that the proposal will lift. It is estimated that this administrative saving could be around £406K - £881k per year. It is also estimated that there will be fee savings of around £379K - £503K. The full consultation can be viewed here.