Creative Scotland set for funding restructure overhaul

Theatre In Schools Scotland (TiSS) production of "Jason and The Argonauts" by the Visible Fiction theatre company,

Birds of Paradise, Catherine Wheels, Lung Ha, Visible Fictions and the Dunedin Consort have all had three-year deals restored following Scottish Government intervention.

The reprieves were rubber-stamped by Creative Scotland’s board less than a fortnight after being unveiled by the government agency’s chief executive, Janet Archer.

Scottish culture secretary Fiona Hyslop, who was targeted in social media campaigns with First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, insisted ministers had “no role” in the decision-making process.

Blanche & Butch

L to R Garry Robson and Kinny Gardner. Birds of Paradise and Tron Theatre present Blanche and Butch — Blanche & Butch L to R Garry Robson and Kinny Gardner. Birds of Paradise and Tron Theatre present Blanche and Butch

Creative Scotland has reallocated £2.6 million from other budgets to focus more on “excellence and experimentation, theatre for children and young people, and companies led by and working with disabled people”.

Facing growing calls for change, Ms Archer revealed the quango would review how it allocates funding in future.

The quango has raided £2.6 million from other budgets to pay for the climb-down, which has been announced in the wake of widespread criticism online and an  intervention from the Scottish Government, which has instigated a “Year of Young People”.

Ms Hyslop was particularly critical over the cuts for children’s theatre companies Catherine Wheels and Visible Fictions. Lung Ha and Birds of Paradise specialise in working with disabled artists, while the Dunedin Consort is a leading classical music ensemble. The reallocation of the £2.6m will also pay for Stellar Quines, which works with women and girls, to have a 22 per cent funding cut over the next three years reinstated.

Children's theatre company Catherine Wheels is one of 20 organisations to be stripped of long-term funding deals by Creative Scotland.

However, there is no reprieve as yet for another 15 companies who lost out when Creative Scotland announced how a £99m “regular funding” budget would be spent.

These include the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, the Edinburgh Unesco City of Literature Trust, dance company Plan B, the Ayr Gaiety Theatre and the Transmission Gallery in Glasgow. Creative Scotland said the 116 organisations awarded three-year funding deals in the original announcement were unaffected by the rethink.

Two board members – Ruth Wishart and Maggie Kinloch – had resigned ahead of Friday’s emergency summit amid claims of a “flawed” decision-making process. Ms Wishart admitted Creative Scotland was a “family at war with those it seeks to serve” in the wake of a shake-up which saw 19 companies win three-year deals.

Ms Archer said: “The board met last week to take stock on Creative Scotland’s recent regular funding decisions. The outcome was a decision to adjust our overall budget and increase regular funding, enabling us to include five more organisations in the network.

“Alongside this, we will be reviewing how we fund in the future and will engage with as many people as possible as part of this process. We recognise his round of funding decisions has been challenging. We must, and will, learn lessons for the future.”

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