The Arts Council will be making changes to the national and regional councils following an independent review of its non-executive governance undertaken by David Norgrove.
The key changes are:
- National Council will be reduced from 17 members to 14 in order to streamline decision-making
- In line with the changes to the Arts Council’s structure, which will come into operation in July 2013, five area councils will replace the current nine regional councils
Arts Council England has also accepted recommendations from the report in order to improve the efficiency of the national and regional councils, and to consider the balance of skills and knowledge needed on them. In consultation with the Secretary of State, it has been agreed that:
- Six members of National Council will retire and four new members will be recruited with expertise in museums, fundraising, digital media and education
The Norgrove report was commissioned by the Arts Council’s previous Chair, Dame Liz Forgan, and is published alongside a response to the report from our current Chair, Peter Bazalgette, who said:
‘The restructuring of the Arts Council has given us a valuable opportunity to reflect on our non-executive governance. We want a governance that supports us in our goal of achieving excellent and exciting art, but also reflects our new priorities. David Norgrove’s recommendations help us to do this.’
For further information about the change from regional councils to area councils, please see the full media release.