Submission - Government Plan Review - Arthouse Jersey - 18 November 2022

ArtHouse Jersey Greve de Lecq Barracks

St Mary JE3 3AA

Deputy Moz Scott

Chair EIA Scrutiny Panel Scrutiny Office

States Greffe

Morier House

St Helier

JE1 1DD

14 November 2022 Dear Deputy ,

Thank you for your letter of 9 November regarding your panel's review of the Government Plan 2023-2026.

ArtHouse Jersey is a charity that serves our Island community through the arts. We produce large-scale exhibitions, theatre pieces, concerts and community-focused workshops and projects, working with artists from every discipline and all backgrounds. We support the creation of art that is accessible to the full-breadth of Island audiences and that improves the lives of Islanders. To achieve this we seek to work with artists who have ambition and talent to create inspiring, high-quality work. Crucially, we provide Jersey-based artists with financial investment, free advice and artist-led development opportunities, ranging from facilitated workshops and projects, guided residencies, and industry networking, to drop-in sessions with our team.

We recognise the ability of the arts to deliver transformational change that serves our community. Government provides funding to ArtHouse Jersey in recognition of our contribution to population level objectives as set out in the Jersey Performance Framework.

We thank the panel for their interest in our sector and public funding directed to the arts, as set out in the Government Plan 2023 – 2026, which maintains commitments to fund Arts, Heritage and Culture (AHC) at 1% of revenue expenditure.

Please find below responses to your questions.

Do you think the 1% is adequate to be divided amongst all the Arts and Heritage Strategies?

It is very difficult for us to offer a view on this for two reasons.

We recognise that we are not privy to the full picture. The Minister and his officials, being responsible for the entire sector, have a more complete grasp of the situation and are best placed to judge the competing demands and opportunities that might be pursued in order to ensure the best possible outcomes for the general public.

Secondly, it is important to note that the sector and government are still in the process of collectively assessing its needs and opportunities for the future. At this stage, it would be surprising if there was more funding available than was required, given the years of dire underinvestment that preceded. The uplift in funding has enabled organisations to do more than firefight, and work being undertaken now, guided by the new Arts Strategy (an essential tool that will help guide the future development of the sector) will build a platform on which investment decisions can be taken in future with confidence.

There is increasing recognition that the arts have the potential to transform lives and improve the lot of Islanders across our community; government may well conclude that they are a key tool in delivering even more progress across a range of population level objectives and invest accordingly.

What proportion of the 1% do you envisage Arthouse Jersey receiving?

We understand that we are to receive grant funding of £1.13m in 2023; judging from the figures provided in your letter this would equate to 11.9% of £9.52m.

Is this sufficient for your business plan for the year?

Yes. We have an ongoing dialogue with the officials and the Minister which enables us to develop an appropriate business plan and associated programme of activity where expectations are aligned. It seems clear to us that they are trying to move forward in a manner that will deliver long-term benefits for the creative ecosystem and Islanders.

We've found that the departmental team listen to our needs, but also take their responsibility for public funds seriously, as they should, providing robust challenge as part of the dialogue with reference to measurable outcomes and value for money. Sometimes this means that we do not get the outcome that we might hope for, but we generally find that there is a willingness to explain decision-making set against a wider context. Our experience is that funding is provided as an investment, with us being expected to deliver key objectives through our programme of work.

Government's investment is essential. We have stretching income diversification targets that need to be met to make up our full budget. Public sector funding enables us to generate this additional income, albeit against the backdrop of a challenging financial climate.

What process does Arthouse Jersey use to claim funding?

Government has helpfully recently written to us to confirm the process for H1 2023 grant payments, which is set out below:

31 October 2022: provide draft business plan

16 December 2022: final review of 2022 business plan including KPIs to ensure alignment with Common Strategic Priorities as well as review of 2022 governance checklist

31 January 2023: Grant Assurance Statement for 2022 grant received along with draft unaudited accounts

Is this process straightforward or do you think it could be improved? It is relatively straightforward, but it could be improved.

We've seen positive developments over the past two years, in large part due to the bolstered policy team in place, with whom we have been able to have informed discussion, something that stands in contrast to our past experience. Perhaps most notable and significant has been government's willingness to indicate the likely levels of funding that may be available earlier in the calendar year for the following year (not confirming grant levels, but maintaining a commentary of what looks likely), along with providing guidance as to the probable funding trajectory for the years ahead. This enables organisations to plan and programme effectively and will make a great difference over time.

A further helpful step forward was the recently convened meeting for organisations in receipt of public funding to discuss how partners and government can most effectively and efficiently work together. The session had input from the Chief Minister, Minister for EDTSC, Treasury Minister, Chief Executive, Chief of Staff, Director General and Group Director of the Department for Economy, as well as the Comptroller and Auditor General, which underlined the significant focus being placed on developing partnership and joint-working. It focused on exploring what works well and what can be improved with reference to the experience of the variety of organisations in attendance, and as such demonstrated a refreshing new approach to partnership. The Director General and Group Director of the Department for Economy were clear throughout that issues encountered by grant-receiving organisations in the past were best avoided in future by close partnership working and continued dialogue.

What option do you have if you do not receive a sufficient proportion of the funding?

We would need to reduce our activities and deliver less by cutting the programme and reducing the headcount, which would result in a smaller impact for the population. The money that Government invests in us goes beyond the visible programme that we produce; it also enables an extensive outreach programme within schools and across the community. We are a key driver of the local arts eco-system with a significant proportion of our budget being invested back into the creative economy through commissions, grants and paid work in addition to providing affordable workspaces for a number of Island creatives.

It is also important to note that the funding gives us the resource to raise money from other sources and there is a direct correlation between the funding we receive from Government and the amount we are able to raise elsewhere.

Is sufficient support being provided by government to assist creatives in commercialising their work through technology, digital skills/support or otherwise?

Yes at this early stage since the investment became available we believe that there are appropriate levels of support in these areas. It is important to recognise that the uplift in funding and re-invigored focus on the sector are still at a nebulous stage and that it will take time for this work to fully bear fruit.

Thank you again for the opportunity to provide comment on these areas.

Kind regards,

Tom Dingle

Director of ArtHouse Jersey