ACW publishes five-year blueprint

Specifically, the strategy aims to redress the problems arising from standstill funding from central government in the 1990s, when grants to the arts failed to keep pace with inflation. Key priorities highlighted in the document include the strengthening of the arts infrastructure, creating opportunities for individual artists, improving equal opportunities, supporting participation in and access to the arts, developing artistic work in and through the Welsh language, and encouraging greater education and training.

A stabilisation programme, initially aimed at the current portfolio of annually-funded revenue clients, will be phased in this year and three-year funding agreements are being set up with 120 organisations. Partnerships with a wide range of organisations are seen as integral to the strategy, especially with local authorities. ACW aims to develop and strengthen the capacity of local authorities to fund and support the arts, and a written working protocol is being prepared with the Welsh Local Government Association (WLGA) to ensure that every opportunity is taken for ACW to collaborate with the 22 local authorities in Wales. At a local level ACW will be running a programme of financial support to enable each local authority to access funding for an arts development post; and where both ACW and a local authority fund an arts organisation, ACW will be seeking to enter into joint funding agreements which outline the funding and expectations of both partners.

Over time, ACW will be looking at the potential for transferring the management of these funding agreements to individual authorities. Supporting Creativity has been published following an eighteen month period of open consultation with individuals and organisations from the arts sector and related areas.

Jenny Randerson AM, Minister for Culture, Sport and the Welsh Language described it as 'a key document in terms of taking forward the Welsh Assembly Government's Culture Strategy, Creative Future: Cymru Greadigol.'

At the launch of the report, ACW's outgoing Chairman, Sybil Crouch, whose post was recently re-advertised as a paid position and who is to be succeeded by Geraint Talfan Davies, welcomed the Assembly's enthusiasm for the new strategy; but she also warned of the dangers of decisions relating to the arts being too closely allied to government agendas. The strategy itself will be reviewed each year, following an arts conference to be held annually in May. Recommendations from the annual conference will be used to inform the annual corporate plan bid to the Welsh Assembly Government.