Audit Committee finds provision of arts facilities in Wales is insufficient

The Arts Council for Wales’s provision of arts facilities is still insufficient at community and national levels according to a report by the Assembly’s Audit Committee published today.

The Audit Committee has also called on the Arts Council to be more proactive in supporting the continuing development of arts facilities and arts organisations in Wales and in promoting the benefits of its investment in the arts.

Members have also found that there is scope to make better use of the limited funds available through developing more effective partnership working with local authorities, capitalising on available European funding, and evaluating the outcomes achieved from capital investment in arts infrastructure to date to inform future investment.

The report also states that processes for managing risk and safeguarding its financial exposure are “demonstrably more robust” than in the early days of Lottery funding and that the Arts Council has progressively improved its procedures for assessing and monitoring risks in recent years, including effective management of the risks of cost escalation. It also applies well-established processes for ensuring consistency in assessing the merits of project proposals.  

Chair of the Committee David Melding said: “The committee is satisfied that the Arts Council for Wales has made significant improvements to its risk management procedures and has introduced a number of effective new measures to do this.

However, although the Arts Council actively supports its client organisations, it relies on them to come forward with viable proposals. The committee would rather see the Arts Council being more pro-active in helping organisations access other funding and in encouraging local authorities to make the most of European funding by helping them identify suitable projects and by promoting the significant contribution of the arts to community regeneration.”