ARTS COUNCIL'S SHODDY TREATMENT OF WATERMANS
(8 July 2008)

Following on from Mr Justice Langstaff's ruling, Watermans came a step closer to having its judicial review of Arts Council England's (ACE) decision to cut its funding enforced, further evidence has come to light regarding the Arts Council's cavalier treatment of the famous West London arts centre. It seems that the ACE Executive Board ignored the advise of its internal departments when deciding to axe Watermans' £500,000 grant. The ACE has also remained silent on Watermans request for interim funding to help the venue launch the 2012 Cultural Olympiad in West London.

"The Arts Council's treatment of Watermans has been extremely shoddy" said Redhotcurry.com Editor Lopa Patel. "Quite frankly, the whole funding review process has been called into question by their behaviour towards Watermans. The ACE should face up to the fact they lost the judicial review and should pay up immediately, instead of drawing out the process any longer".

As a result of a Freedom of Information Act request, Watermans has discovered that the advice of two separate departments within the ACE was ignored in the final recommendation to cancel funding. Separately, two departments within ACE realised the huge potential damage that a cut of such magnitude would have on Watermans and the provision of BAME Arts in West London. They both recommended that the funding should be retained. We have learnt that neither issue was presented to the Arts Council London board by the executives responsible for making this destructive recommendation.

Now, recognising that a full judicial review (involving, as it will, an examination of ACE's conduct throughout the funding review process) is not in its interest, ACE has offered to reconsider the original recommendation on condition that the request for a review is withdrawn. This clearly throws into question the quality of the original decision to cut Watermans' funding.

Watermans has asked ACE to enter into a fair consideration of its request for interim funding, whilst the issue of permanent funding is sorted out, as a condition of withdrawing its request for a judicial review.

In a statement today, Karam Bhullar, Chair of Watermans, said: "Several months ago we offered to settle this matter with ACE without going to court and they declined. Now they have been found out, they are trying to settle it as quietly as possible hoping no-one will notice the damage that they have done. Jobs have been threatened. Contracts with artists have been delayed. Activities have been postponed and even cancelled. Watermans would have been delighted to have settled and expended its energies on planning for the launch of the 2012 Cultural Olympiad. Instead, ACE's failure to recognise its own mistakes has allowed the action to drag on and to cast a shadow over this 'once in a lifetime' opportunity. I hope now that this affair can be settled amicably and quickly before any more damage is done"

ABOUT WATERMANS

Watermans is a popular multi-disciplinary arts centre in Brentford, West London. It was opened in 1984 and has received support from the Arts Council for over 15 years. Watermans' Arts Council funding has supported Asian, New Media and Participative Arts. Recent work that Watermans commissioned has been short-listed for inclusion in the leading Digital Media exhibition in Europe, Prix Ars Electronica 2008.

Watermans attracts funding from Hounslow Council, London Councils, The Baring Foundation, the Department of Culture, Media & Sport, and the UK Film Council, among others. Its' main funding was, until 31 March 2008, from the Arts Council.

To support Watermans visit www.watermans.org.uk

FURTHER INFORMATION

Click below for all Redhotcurry.com stories on the Watermans funding issue and news of petitions on the 10 Downing Street website:

Asian Arts to suffer from funding withdrawal
http://www.redhotcurry.com/news/watermans.htm

Arts Council axe falls heavily on Asian Arts
http://www.redhotcurry.com/news/arts-council_funding.htm

Watermans applies for judicial review of the Arts Council's funding cut
http://www.redhotcurry.com/news/arts-council_watermans.htm

Watermans wins judicial review of Arts Council decision
http://www.redhotcurry.com/news/watermans2.htm

Funding of the Arts petition - read the PM's response click below:
http://www.pm.gov.uk/output/Page15752.asp

Stop the Cull petition - read the PM's response, click below:
http://www.pm.gov.uk/output/Page15387.asp