Minutes National Council Date Wednesday 21st March 2018 Time 13:00 – 16:00 Location The Foundling Museum, 40 Brunswick Square, London, WC1N 1AZ Present Sir Nicholas Serota CH Chair of the Arts Council Maria Balshaw CBE National Council Member (Items 9 – 13) Ciara Eastell OBE National Council Member Sukhy Johal MBE Midlands Area Chair David Joseph CBE National Council Member Andrew Miller National Council Member George Mpanga National Council Member Elisabeth Murdoch National Council Member Paul Roberts OBE National Council Member Tessa Ross CBE National Council Member Veronica Wadley CBE London Area Chair Kate Willard North Area Chair Apologies Roni Brown South East Chair Dame Rosemary Squire DBE South West Area Chair Francis Runacres Executive Director, Enterprise and Innovation Also Darren Henley OBE Chief Executive Present: Laura Dyer Deputy Chief Executive, Places and Engagement Simon Mellor Deputy Chief Executive, Arts and Culture Richard Russell Executive Director, Chief Operating Officer Elizabeth Bushell Executive Director and Chief Financial Officer Mags Patten Executive Director, Communication and Public Policy Ruth Alaile Director Governance and Planning Jane Dawson Director, Funding Programmes (Item 5) Peter Heslip Director, Visual Arts (Item 8) Jill Constantine Head, Arts Council Collection (Item 8) David Bryant Senior Governance Officer (minutes) Action 1. 2. 3. 1. WELCOME AND APOLOGIES 3.1 1.1 Sir Nicholas Serota welcomed council members and Executive Board to the 3.2 meeting. 1.2 It was noted that apologies for absence had been received from Roni 3.3 Brown, Rosemary Squire and Francis Runacres. 1.3 The Chair welcomed Ciara Eastell to her first National Council meeting. 2. 2. DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST 2.1 National Council members reviewed their register of interests. Council members were asked to declare any connection or relationship that they had with any organisation or item due to be discussed at the meeting. 2.2 …………………………………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………… [Information has been withheld here in line with the requirements of section 43(2) of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 – prejudice to commercial interests. A public authority is entitled to withhold information under this provision where disclosure of that information would be likely to prejudice the commercial interests of any persons or organisations, including the Arts Council itself.] 3. MINUTES OF THE MEETING HELD ON 7 FEBRUARY 2018 3.1 The minutes were agreed as an accurate record of the meeting. 3.2 …………………………………………………………………………………………………………… …………………………………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 3.1 [Information has been withheld here in line with the requirements of section 22 of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 – information intended for future publication. Under section 22 we are entitled to withhold information until the intended publication date as Page 2 of 11 long as there is a clear intention to publish the details in the future, and where it is reasonable in all the circumstances to maintain the original timetable for publication.] 4. CHAIR AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE’S REPORT 4.1 National Council reviewed the Chair and Chief Executive’s Report. The Chair discussed the possibility of a Government spending review in 2019 and how the Arts Council ought to prepare for it. 4.2 Members were also informed that the Associated Board of Royal Schools of Music (ABRSM) are presently undertaking a project examining barriers and challenges around opportunities and progression for young people in music. A study report will be published later this year. 4.3 National Council also noted the recent discussions with DCMS over libraries and the library taskforce. 5. 2018-22 NATIONAL PORTFOLIO FUNDING AGREEMENTS (………………………………………………………………………………………………………… …………………………………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………) [Information has been withheld here in line with the requirements of section 43(2) of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 – prejudice to commercial interests. A public authority is entitled to withhold information under this provision where disclosure of that information would be likely to prejudice the commercial interests of any persons or organisations, including the Arts Council itself.] 5.1 Jane Dawson introduced this item which updated National Council on the progress made in reviewing business plans and developing funding agreements for those organisations in receipt of conditional offers for the 2018-22 portfolio. 5.2 …………………………………………………………………………………………………………… …………………………………………………………………………………………………………… …………………………………………………………………………………………………………… …………………………………………………………………………………………………………… …………………………………………………………………………………………………………… Page 3 of 11 …………………………………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………… (……………………………………………………) [Information has been withheld here in line with the requirements of section 43(2) of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 – prejudice to commercial interests. A public authority is entitled to withhold information under this provision where disclosure of that information would be likely to prejudice the commercial interests of any persons or organisations, including the Arts Council itself.] 5.3 National Council were provided with an overview of organisations who will now not be joining the portfolio. ………………………………………………………… …………………………………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………. [Information has been withheld here in line with the requirements of section 43(2) of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 – prejudice to commercial interests. A public authority is entitled to withhold information under this provision where disclosure of that information would be likely to prejudice the commercial interests of any persons or organisations, including the Arts Council itself.] 5.4 National Council approved the proposal to reprofile the NPO grant allocations for the Southbank Centre and Manchester International Festival (MIF), noting that this did not impact on overall budget profile of the portfolio. 5.5 As a result of the above, Executive Board agreed that the 2018-22 investment should be reprofiled, increasing the 2018/19 proportion of the total offer by £500,000 with £250,000 less confirmed in 2019/20 and 2020/21. (………………………………………………………………………………………………………… …………………………………………………………………………………………………………… …………………………………………………………………………………………) 5.6 …………………………………………………………………………………………………………… …………………………………………………………………………………………………………… …………………………………………………………………………………………………………… …………………………………………………………………………………………………………… Page 4 of 11 …………………………………………………………………………………………………………… …………………………………………………………………………………………………………… …………………………………………………………………………………………………………… …………………………………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………………………… [Information has been withheld here in line with the requirements of section 43(2) of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 – prejudice to commercial interests. A public authority is entitled to withhold information under this provision where disclosure of that information would be likely to prejudice the commercial interests of any persons or organisations, including the Arts Council itself.] 5.7 National Council AGREED to (a) note the Update; and (b) Agree to the reprofiling of Southbank Centre and Manchester International Festival Funding (c) ………………………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………… [Information has been withheld here in line with the requirements of section 43(2) of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 – prejudice to commercial interests. A public authority is entitled to withhold information under this provision where disclosure of that information would be likely to prejudice the commercial interests of any persons or organisations, including the Arts Council itself.] 6. BRISTOL VISUAL ARTS REVIEW 6.1 Simon Mellor introduced this item which presented the findings of the Bristol Visual Arts Review to National Council and asked National Council to consider and approve the Arts Council’s response. 6.2 …………………………………………………………………………………………………………… …………………………………………………………………………………………………………… …………………………………………………………………………………………………………… …………………………………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………………….. Page 5 of 11 [Information has been withheld here in line with the requirements of section 43(2) of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 – prejudice to commercial interests. A public authority is entitled to withhold information under this provision where disclosure of that information would be likely to prejudice the commercial interests of any persons or organisations, including the Arts Council itself.] The Director of the Henry Moore Foundation, Godfrey Worsdale, and the co-director of Artangel, James Lingwood, were commissioned to lead a review of Visual Arts in Bristol with the following objectives: (a) To deliver a programme of internationally significant visual arts activity (b) To invest in the development of artists based in the greater Bristol region at all career stages (c) To maximise audiences for the visual arts in Bristol (d) To support the development of partnerships and collaborative working (e) To develop a sustainable business model, founded on prudent financial assumptions 6.3 Following the commission, Godfrey Worsdale and James Lingwood undertook a consultation process including artists, audiences, organisations and other interested parties to consider the future of visual arts in Bristol. Arts Council England was asked to work with partners in Bristol