Terms of council grants to theatre and gallery supported

The terms of council grants to Chichester Festival Theatre and Pallant House Gallery over the next four years have been supported.
DM17114802a.jpg The Queen visits Chichester Festival Theatre. Performance by Chichester Festival Youth Theatre. Photo by Derek Martin Photography. SUS-171130-173807008DM17114802a.jpg The Queen visits Chichester Festival Theatre. Performance by Chichester Festival Youth Theatre. Photo by Derek Martin Photography. SUS-171130-173807008
DM17114802a.jpg The Queen visits Chichester Festival Theatre. Performance by Chichester Festival Youth Theatre. Photo by Derek Martin Photography. SUS-171130-173807008

The current eight year funding agreements between the two organisations and Chichester District Council are set to expire in March.

Back in December 2016 the council’s Cabinet committed to grants from 2018 to 2022, which would then be formalised by separate funding and monitoring agreements.

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The proposed terms of these were scrutinised by members of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee last Tuesday (January 16).

While the funding agreements are described as ‘broadly in line with the current agreements’ they do require regular monitoring.

Chichester Festival Theatre is set to receive £187,500 a year from the council, while the Pallant House Gallery would be given £130,000 per annum.

This compares to between 2010 and 2018 where the council gave CFT £250,000 a year and PHG £144,500 per year.

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Eileen Lintill, the council’s cabinet member for community services, said: “We recognise that both organisations are large contributors to the local economy and attract millions to the district each year.

“The theatre and gallery are nationally and internationally recognised, and attract large numbers of visitors to the district.

“They also both play an important role in the community and carry out a great deal of outreach work.

“We recognise that being able to demonstrate clear support from their local authority is vital for each organisation and enables them to unlock further funding from other sources, including grants from Arts Council England (ACE).”

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According to officers: “Payments over the four years will be subject to the requirements outlined in the agreement, but the commitment is secure in the presumption that both parties can continue to satisfy this council of their respective performance.”

Monitoring and evaluation meetings are set to take place every six months, while each organisation will have to provide reports at least quarterly.

A formal report would also be provided to the Overview and Scrutiny Committee every year.

The council funding would be subject to continued Arts Council England (ACE) grants.

Although both CFT and PHG are portfolio organisations for 2018-22, ACE’s own funding is only confirmed up to 2020.

The agreements therefore have a break clause if ACE funding is stopped after 2020.