ACE is organised into regional offices, which take on the development of priorities, which are specific to each region. Officers will have artform responsibility, which may be useful to you in planning new initiatives – they will have a regional perspective and be able to show you what is already going on in your sector. They will also be able to advise on funding, and guide you through the Grants for the Arts process.

Partnership Agreements are a commitment between the Arts Council and the local authority that we will match money put in by the authority. In two tier areas, this means a commitment with all the districts as well as the county authority. These were agreed for an initial two years, ending March 2006, and are widely seen as a successful measure to ensure a joint approach to arts development. The priorities for the funding, to be decided locally, were:

• The creative economy
• Healthy communities
• Vital neighbourhoods
• Engaging young people

Your authority will be a partner in the Partnership Agreement, and indeed be contributing funds to it, so you may well be part of the group that administers the process. You should familiar yourself with the priorities of the local PA group and how that can support the work in your area.

Also, you will be consulted by ACE on applications for the Grants for the Arts funds that come from organisations or individuals in your area. This will be on the basis of whether your authority is broadly supportive of the project’s aims, and how it meets local priorities; you will not be asked to assess the project.


C.2 Regional development agencies and Sub-strategic
Partnerships

C.2.1 RDAs

The eight Regional Development Agencies (RDAs) set up in the English Regions are non-departmental public bodies. Their primary role, along with a ninth RDA, the London Development Agency, is as strategic drivers of regional economic development in their region. The RDAs aim to co-ordinate regional economic development and regeneration, enable the regions to improve their relative competitiveness and reduce the imbalance that exists within and between regions.
Each Agency has five statutory purposes, which are:

• To further economic development and regeneration
• To promote business efficiency, investment and competitiveness
• To promote employment
• To enhance development and application of skill relevant to employment
• To contribute to sustainable development

The RDAs' agenda includes regional regeneration, taking forward regional competitiveness, taking the lead on regional inward investment and, working with regional partners, ensuring the development of a regional skills action plan to ensure that skills training matches the needs of the labour market.
Because the RDAs have driven by economic development, they will have a regional perspective, rather than a local one, and their cultural engagement is likely to focus on creative industries and boosting retailing or skills development around that sector.

Northwest Regional Development Agency – www.nwda.co.uk
Yorkshire Forward – www.yorkshire-forward.com
One North East – www.onenortheast.com
Advantage West Midlands – www.advantagewm.co.uk
East Midlands Development Agency – www.emda.org.uk
East England Development Agency – www.eeda.org.uk
South West of England Regional Development Agency – www.southwestrda.org.uk
London Development Agency – www.lda.gov.uk
South East England Development Agency – www.seeda.co.uk

Courtesy: METROBOULOTDODO

C.2.2 Regional Cultural agencies

A Regional Cultural Consortium has been established by DCMS in each of the English regions outside London. The Regional Cultural Consortiums bring together representatives from regional agencies working in the arts, heritage, museums, tourism, libraries, sport and archives, and from local government, as well as others including individuals from the creative industries.

The Consortiums are charged with drawing up a strategy that sets out the future of culture in their region. They provide a strong voice for culture in the region and encourage a 'joined-up' approach to the delivery of regional cultural services. They also work closely with the Regional Development Agencies.

The Regional Cultural Consortiums therefore cover the same geographic region as RDAs, and are:

Culture East Midlands
Culture North West
Yorkshire Culture
Living East
Culture North East
Culture South East
Culture South West
Culture West Midlands


C.2.3 Sub-regional Strategic Partnerships (SSPs)

SSPs are linked to the Regional development agency, and are partnerships of business, voluntary sector, public sector and the community. SSPs are also driven by the Regional Economic Strategy, and focus on part of the RDA area; the RDA region will be subdivided into 4 or 5 SSPs. . Around 60% of the RDA’s annual budget is controlled by the SSPs, but the RDA now scrutinises and has to approve all significant projects.


C.3 Statutory requirements

C.3.1 Protection of Children

Most arts workers will, as a matter of course, be checked by the Criminal Records Bureau (called a CRB check). You should expect to see an up-to-date CRB document for each artist, which is no more than 12 months old.
The Police Act 1997 makes it a criminal offence for an employer not to check an employee working with children or vulnerable adults and/or to knowingly give a job to someone who is inappropriate to work with children or vulnerable adults.
’s first step towards establishing a coherent framework for identifying those adults considered to be unsuitable to work with children. The Act requires childcare organisations to make use of the Disclosures Service in their recruitment and reporting processes (and strongly urges other organisations involved with children and young adults to do so). The Criminal Justice and Court Services Act 2000 superseded the Protection of Children Act 1999, which is specifically about disclosures and child protection issues.
See http://www.artscouncil.org.uk/information/publications_search.php?
search= keeping+arts+safe+

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