A HOLYROOD inquiry has concluded arts organisation Creative Scotland’s decision-making on funding earlier fell well below the standard expected of a public body.
Confidence in the organisation was “badly damaged” by its actions, a damning letter from the Culture Committee to chief executive Janet Archer says. The committee held an inquiry after widespread criticism of Creative Scotland’s decision to axe funding to some companies, including Scottish Youth Theatre.
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A decision to hold an emergency meeting in February to reconsider some applications, without telling the wider sector, “appears to have undermined the sector’s confidence in Creative Scotland’s decision-making and underlying strategic approach to funding,” the letter says.
MSPs said it was a “serious matter” that while Creative Scotland said its board was unaware of any factual inaccuracies in assessment reports, this had been contradicted by written evidence from the companies involved.
The committee said it was “very concerned” by the handling of regular funding applications from touring theatre and dance companies which “fell well below the standard that is expected from a non-departmental public body”.
The approach the organisation had taken had “hampered the sector’s trust in Creative Scotland and added to ongoing uncertainty for the sector at a time when the funding pressures on the sector are already high”, the letter went on, and a failure to address strategic issues within the organisation at an earlier stage left the sector “in a very challenging position”. The committee called on Creative Scotland to urgently address its strategic failings.
Convener Joan McAlpine said: “We received unprecedented levels of representations from within the sector following Creative Scotland’s handling of regular funding for 2018-21. With more than 50 responses from artists and arts organisations, it is clear to us that the confidence of a significant element of the cultural sector in Creative Scotland’s regular funding process has been badly damaged.
“In particular we felt that the handling of the process in relation to touring theatre and dance companies fell well below the standard that is expected from a non-departmental public body.”
Deputy convener Claire Baker MSP added: “The committee has expressed serious concern over Creative Scotland’s regular funding for the 2018-21 period. We keenly await its written response to the issues we have raised and have set a deadline of August 31.
“We will also invite representatives of Creative Scotland to appear before the committee again when Parliament returns from summer recess.”
In an initial response, Creative Scotland chair Robert Wilson said he recognised “there needs to be full trust and confidence in the organisation”. He said: “We are conducting a formal, independent review of the last round of regular funding. This review is under way and we will be in a position to share the findings and recommendations after the summer recess.”
A wider organisational review is also under way. Wilson also said the committee’s call for evidence had come before discussions with individual organisations to address their concerns. He said: “It is of concern, therefore, that much of the criticism that has been made reflects unduly negatively on Creative Scotland and particularly on our staff.”
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