Being a member of nalgao means being part of a regional network. Apart from the Society's Chair, Vice-Chair, Treasurer and Secretary, the nalgao National Executive is entirely made up of regional representatives. Local members meet together regionally and their views are represented by their regional representatives at Executive meetings. Local members can therefore directly inform the National Executive's decisions and direction.

Being a member of nalgao means being part of a growing network and a growing profession. The number of Arts Officers being appointed by local authorities is continuing to increase.

Being a member of nalgao means having access to a network of specialists. Some local authorities do not yet have arts specialists, yet they are being asked to respond to requests for information, advice and grant aid; they are expected to produce Arts Policies and Strategies; they are being asked to help organise or market Arts events and activities. Most nalgao members are Arts specialists and they can be called on for practical help and advice.

Being a member of the Association also means that you will have access to new training and research projects that nalgao may from time to time commission; it also means enjoying the relationship that nalgao has with many national arts and government organisations.

Being a member of nalgao means being part of an organisation that has direct experience of working with the Arts locally, regionally, nationally and internationally. It means being part of an organisation whose members work on projects of every possible type and scale; from working with a small group of people with special needs to organising events involving thousands, and from working with budgets of a few hundred pounds to working on major Arts projects with capital expenditure involving millions.

Access to the member’s area of the nalgao website at www.nalgao.org with many member-only access areas including a full directory and email/contact details of individual and corporate members. There is also a forum page where members can exchange information on a wide variety of issues affecting us all. There are also free facilities to advertise jobs and other opportunities to exchange information, skills and hardware. The site is regularly updated and has news, features and information sheets. All of this is only available to members, and a password will be issued to each member for access.

Being a member of nalgao gives you access to a weekly e-zine, full of information and opportunities for members to appeal for information on key issues and areas of arts delivery on work that you may need an extra opinion on. There are also sections for you to advertise job vacancies and commissions free of charge.

Heaven. Courtesy of Babbling Vagabonds

Being a member of nalgao also gives you access to a magazine issued 3 times yearly, and research bulletins and other information sheets that the Association may commission. Many sheets are already available on the members-only area of our website.

It means being part of an organisation whose members have experience of working in every imaginable kind of setting, from hospitals to hillsides, and schools to swimming pools, with every kind of creative experience from CD-ROM to choral concerts and South Indian dance to art-designed street lighting.


C.5 Performance indicators in the arts

So, how well are you performing? How well are the arts developing, to meet local authority targets? There are two areas of assessment to be aware of, which may impact on your work. If you are aware of these, it will help you demonstrate the effectiveness of your work.

There are:


C.5.1 the basket of local indicators

These demonstrate the range of work that happens in the local area, and as a result of the local council. There are 18 separate indicators which, taken together, show the overall health of the arts in the area – ranging from “is there a written strategy for the arts?” to financial value for money. These are often quantitative measures (eg how many people attend, and how often), and can be found on www.nalgao.org.uk site.


C.5.2 CPA performance indicators

The Council you work in will be heavily scrutinised to ensure it is effective and efficient in the way it provides services. One of the principle ways this happens is through the CONTINUOUS PROFESSIONAL ASSESSMENT, coordinated by the Audit Commission (see B8 above). This “rates” Councils on the basis of their performance, as excellent, good, fair, weak or poor. Not unnaturally, Councils will want to achieve as high a rating as it can. The role of CPA is explained more fully in B.8 above.

If you are working in a Unitary or County Council, there is a Culture Block to the CPA assessment and this is the most likely way in which you will contribute to your Council’s assessment. The Culture Block is as important in the assessment as, for example, Social Care, and will need to feature, if your Council aspires to an “excellent” rating. The Performance Indicators in the Culture Block are not defined yet, but nalgao will be able to advise you how these are progressing. Other officers will be leading on how your Council gets the best rating possible, and will look to you for evidence from your work; this may, for example, be about customer satisfaction, community involvement in fashioning services, partnerships, and so on. There is evidence that arts departments can make a significant contribution to the CPA, because of the strong links they have with local people, and the crosscutting contribution they can make to local services.

If you are working in a District or Borough, culture does not yet have its own block within the assessment. You will know if this happens, though internal information, particularly from your line-manager, or from nalgao mailings (if you are a member). It is worth emphasising that this process can be helpful to your work, although it will undoubtedly add to it!