RESPONSE TO RICHARDS COMMISSION : THE POWERS OF
THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY FOR WALES.
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| FROM Lydia Bassett, Wales Coordinator, Voluntary Arts
Wales |
| In what practical ways do the powers of the Assembly,
and the limits of its power, impinge on your organisation
or the people whom you serve and what are the best examples
of this from your point of view? |
| Voluntary Arts Wales is an arts organisation –
promoting and supporting participatory arts in Wales and
providing free mentoring, training and advocacy for more
than 1400 voluntary and community arts groups. |
| Culture as an issue is devolved to the Welsh Assembly.
One of the first acts undertaken by the Assembly was a
review of Culture in Wales – leading to the production
of the "A Culture in Common" report. This was felt to
be the first serious and wide ranging review of Wales’
many and varied cultures and felt like a breath of fresh
air having worked with the somewhat tense relationship
between the Arts Council of Wales and the DCMS in Westminster. |
| Cultural policy must, and should be set in Wales and
the advent of a Culture Committee has been universally
approved of by the sector. The current minister has also
undertaken several reviews of the Arts Council in Wales
and the subsequent restructurings are still settling down.
The recent addition of a Culture Fund managed personally
by the Minister has caused some concerns about accountability
and these will be brought up by the sector over the coming
months. |
| My own work, acting as an advocate for the voluntary
and community arts, has both increased in quantity and
in impact since the advent of the Assembly. The Assembly
as a structure has felt very consultative in its policy
development – both directly and via ACW - and this
has led to a strengthening of infrastructure bodies in
the voluntary sector in order to ensure quick responses
to policy consultations. It has also stretched the resources
of organisations such as ours in trying to ensures all
arts groups can feed in to responses where possible. |
| I am also a member of the Voluntary Sector Partnership
Council at the assembly. This has improved the relationship
of the voluntary sector with the Assembly through its
formal meetings but also through informal contact. In
my own case it has also strengthened partnerships both
with other voluntary sector networks and with Assembly
Members whose remit does not directly include culture.
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| The best examples of the changes the Assembly has
brought are:- |
| The consultative process which led to the Culture in
Common report |
| The promised changes in Child Protection registration
brought about through pressure from the Voluntary Sector
Partnership Council. |
| In general a far more open, responsive and consultative
process of Government which Welsh organisations can feel
more ownership of. The caveat to this being that in some
case skill levels, particularly among civil servants,
did not rise in tandem with responsibilities and this
has been a steep learning curve for some staff and AMs
– and for the voluntary sector in its relationship
to the Assembly. |
| Does the Government of Wales Act provide the Assembly
the powers it needs to meet the expectations of the people
of Wales? Should powers be extended and how? |
| In direct relation to my own work the Assembly’s
power over culture is pretty wide ranging – except
in areas of legislation such as the Licensing Bill which
is discussed later. |
| On a wider basis any extension of power would need the
ability to raise taxes and having seen the development
of the Scottish parliament and the changes tax raising
ability has allowed eg. In relation to student fees and
care for the elderly I would support tax raising power
for the Assembly. |
| Role of the UK Government |
| For some time it appeared the UK Government’s power
over the cultural policies of Wales was minimal. |
| However, there are two areas in which it has recently
cause great concern. These are:- |
| Lottery distribution |
| In relation to the Lottery distribution I would agree
wholeheartedly with the request from the Assembly that
policy in relation to Lottery Distribution should be made
in Wales and the Assembly should be responsible. Lottery
policy must relate to wider Assembly policies for the
voluntary sector and to developments such as European
programmes and Communities First. |
| The Licensing Bill |
| This seems a particularly odd anomaly under the current
system in that it is Westminster legislation which will
have a profound effect on culture, a devolved issue, but
on which the Assembly was not consulted. The legislation
will not apply to Scotland but would drastically affect
Wales. I would argue that no such legislation should be
passed based on a DCMS bill without the approval of the
Culture Committee in Wales. |
Lydia Bassett
Voluntary Arts Wales
02920 562656
Lydia@vaw.org.uk |
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