About Us
Business Plan 2009-2011
Context
Wiltshire and Swindon Arts Alliance (W&SAA) has now been in existence for two years and has successfully accomplished the tasks set out in its Action Plan for 2008/09. These may be summarised as:
- Increasing members’ understanding of the arts in the sub-region, principally through the commissioning of two studies into the creative industries and audiences in Wiltshire and Swindon
- Developing the capacity for strategic leadership of the arts through its members, both through learning and support offered by mutual collaboration and through specific events such as the Devizes Open Day and the Salisbury Conference
- Communicating key messages, principally through the creation and use by members of a new website.
Values
The values of W&SAA remain as expressed on its formation:
- That the arts and creativity are central to the quality of life
- That everyone has creative potential and that access to quality arts experiences is a universal right
- That artistic and creative activity contribute to the lives of the community and should be championed and celebrated
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That dialogue between the sub-region’s decision makers is vital to informing strategic planning for the arts, ensuring effective, sustainable delivery of arts services and maximising their personal, social and economic benefits.
Role
The role of W&SAA is to enable those organisations charged with responsibility to develop provision and access to the arts in Wiltshire and Swindon.
- To share policies and practice which will better inform their individual work
- To collaborate where common effort offers effective means of action or influence.
In exercising that role, W&SAA acts as a forum whereby local government members, officers, arts practitioners, audiences and participants in the arts can also engage with, and inform, the development of those shared policies and practice and the taking of that action. In so far as there may be a need for a strategic arts agency for the sub-region, W&SAA has a unique structure, track-record and competence to make such an offer.
A Business Plan for a period of significant change
This Business Plan covers the years 2009-2011. These years will be characterised by a transition in local authority governance of half W&SAA’s sub-region. In April 2009 the new unitary Wiltshire Council will come into being replacing five former member authorities of W&SAA. The new Council is in the process of setting up its new arts office and, for the transitional year 2009/10, will honour the cash commitments in support of arts services made by its predecessor authorities. With elections for members of the new Council in June 2009, 2009/2010 will be a year in which strategies are developed across the Council. 2010/2011 is likely to be the first year in which change will be made. This key change in W&SAA’s landscape impacts upon W&SAA’s Business Plan in a number of ways.
This Business Plan is based upon the evaluation by W&SAA’s members of the most successful elements of the alliance since its formation, an assessment undertaken in November. These elements have been:
- Bringing together a group of people who represented local authority arts officials, the managers of arts promoting organisations and Arts Council England to develop a shared sense of purpose and priorities
- Creating this network
- Investing in this group of people
- Bringing together a wide range of organisations in support of the arts in this sub-region particularly through:
- The Salisbury conference
- The Devizes open space event
- Advocacy and profile raising (through these events)
- Developing understanding
- Opening doors and opening outlook to beyond the sub-region
- Promoting critical debate within the Alliance
- Working together to make good things happen
Action Plan
The new Plan reflects a changing nature of W&SAA’s role as a facilitator and enabler of debate and joint action, rather than the agent of commissions or projects. Where projects naturally arise, there will be capacity to take these forward. But priority is given to the mechanism for W&SAA’s regular hosting of debate and taking of action. Unlike the last Business Plan, there are no deliverables other than the facilitation itself.
Debate at the January 2009 Executive Committee confirmed the desire for a structure of events that allowed participation by existing arts networks and practitioners within a structure that was managed by W&SAA and which offered accountability to W&SAA’s stakeholders and funders.
Swindon & Wiltshire Arts Days
During the period 2009/011 W&SAA will host six regional arts days. The form of each arts day will provide for:
- Time during which W&SAA’s Executive Committee and any other sub-regional networks can meet to conduct their normal business
- An open platform session for arts practitioners, audiences and participants to facilitate debate and discussion of issues identified by those gathered. Issues raised may result in the formation of working groups to continue their exploration or resolution
- A programmed session to invite expert contributions from speakers on a chosen topic of concern or interest to W&SAA. These programmed sessions may be open to attendance by members of the public.
Depending upon its organisational resource, not every arts day may host all three elements: but each will host at least two.
The locations of each arts day will be determined a year ahead by the Executive Committee and, in terms of venues, catering and house management, will be facilitated by a member organisation. The topics chosen for the programmed session will be chosen six months ahead to achieve a balance between currency of issues and time to engage contributors.
New Audiences campaign
Of all the projects commissioned by W&SAA in the last two years, that of the Audience SouthWest’s research into audiences and participants offers the prospect of the most fruitful joint action of W&SAA’s members. It is envisaged that a number of joint initiatives may be taken in programming and promotion. The nature of these will be the task with which the Audience Development Sub-Committee is charged.
Website
The website requires more management and attention than it has had since its launch. The Plan proposes that either the marketing officer (or equivalent) of a member organisation or a freelance web manager should take primary responsibility for this ongoing task, with the Secretary feeding in materials from W&SAA itself.
Supplementary projects
The open-ended nature of the open platform sessions at the Swindon & Wiltshire Arts Days will lead to the development of a number of issue groups. Some will just get on with the issue they have chosen to take action on. Others, where issues may be more substantial, may look to W&SAA for more structured support. The Plan allows for limited support of this kind.
Structural Issues
There are a number of structural issues which require to be addressed, where what W&SAA is now doing, or proposes to do, departs from some of the procedural rules laid down two years ago.
Terms of reference
W&SAA’s terms of reference (in effect its constitution) changed with effect from 1st April 2009.
Membership
From that date W&SAA’s membership is:
Regional agencies:
Arts Council England (South West)
Local authorities:
Swindon Borough Council
Wiltshire Council
Regularly Funded Organisations:
Salisbury Arts Centre
Salisbury International Arts Festival
Salisbury Playhouse
Sixth Sense Theatre for Young People
Swindon Dance
Wiltshire Music Centre
This membership represents an unincorporated association which is liable for the good governance of W&SAA, its contracts and liabilities. It is financially accountable to the local authorities which provide its core funding.
Committees
The governance of W&SAA shall be conducted, as at present, by representatives of these members sitting as its Executive Committee. The members shall, annually, inform the Secretary of who their representative will be and who will be their alternate. The Committee shall meet no less than four times a year. Its quorum shall be 50% of its members (five), of which one must be a representative of a local authority member.
The Executive Committee shall set up such sub-committees and working groups as its business may require. Each Committee shall be chaired by a member of the Executive Committee but its membership may be drawn from other representatives of member organisations, and others who are not representatives of member organisations. For the next two years covered by this Business Plan there will be a:
- A Chair’s Group, comprising the Chair, Honorary Treasurer and Vice-Chair which shall prepare and conduct W&SAA’s business between meetings of the Executive Committee
- An Audience Development Sub-Committee, charged with carrying through W&SAA’s collective action in response to the 2008/09 survey of audiences and participants.
Officers
The Committee shall elect annually a Chair and a Vice-Chair. The Honorary Treasurer shall be the representative of the organisation providing treasury services for W&SAA. The Chair and Vice-Chair may come from any constituency of W&SAA’s membership provided that, of the three officers, one must be the representative of member organisations in Wiltshire or Swindon.
Secretary
W&SAA shall employ a secretary on such terms and conditions as shall be determined by the Executive Committee.
Budget
W&SAA’s budget for 2009/10 is:
Income:
Swindon Borough Council £5,680
Wiltshire Council £13,320
c/f from 2008/09 £1,615
Project funding/New Audiences Campaign £0
Total Income £20,515
Expenditure:
Regional Arts Day
Direct costs (net of income)
10 July 2009 £3,000
23 October 2009 £3,000
05 February 2010 £3,000
Programming/project support £43,000
New Audiences Campaign £0
Web management £2,500
Secretariat £5,000
Miscellaneous £1,015
Total Expenditure £20,515
Helen Miah (Chair)
Maria Bota (Vice-Chair)
Ben Eccles (Vice-Chair)
April 2009