Committee
Education, Culture and Sport Committee, 25 Sep 2001
25 Sep 2001 · S1 · Education, Culture and Sport Committee
Item of business
Scottish Ballet
Lorne Boswell (Equity):
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On behalf of the dancers, I thank the committee for holding its inquiry because this is the first opportunity that the dancers have had to air publicly some of their concerns. I also abuse the privilege of appearing before the committee by asking it to scrutinise the Executive's budget in relation to arts expenditure—particularly for next year. Perhaps that is something that we could talk about on another occasion.As Paul McManus said, there are financial implications to the matter. The main thing that concerns the dancers is their jobs. There are proposals, which are vague and have not been explained well, for 12 apprentices and which appear to suggest that 12 jobs will be replaced with 12 apprenticeships. There also appears to be an abandonment of ambition. There will be a scaling-down of the company to one that is not performing on a large scale, but which is acting as a promoter to import on a large scale. The dancers believe that that significantly affects their job prospects.The second aspect affects the income of the company, which will not be playing on a large scale, in large auditoriums and to large audiences. It is more expensive to produce for medium-sized auditoriums.The dancers also believe—as the committee has highlighted—that Scottish Ballet and Scottish Opera seem to be treated differently. There appears to be one rule for the ballet and one for the opera. As far as the dancers and I understand it, that is financially driven. The same strictures do not seem to apply to the opera.There are disadvantages in having the merged board. I highlight the proposed move of the facilities—which appeared in The Sunday Times this week—from 261 West Princes Street to Edington Street. The facilities in 261 West Princes Street are terrible and an upgrade is long overdue. However, those facilities are in a residential area and are accessible, particularly for the ballet's outreach work.Edington Street is just under the motorway, on an industrial estate. It is not somewhere that I would like to walk with any of my children on a dark winter night. The intention to move to Edington Street is probably more to do with the fact that Scottish Opera is on the site than with its being the best place to relocate the ballet.The dancers think that it is strange that those uncosted plans—it is vital to come back to that point—were endorsed by the SAC. There are two significant points of disagreement that the dancers have with what we have heard before. The first of those is about consultation; there has been no consultation by any process that the dancers understand. An announcement was made and they had several meetings with the management and the board, but there appears to have been no change. The announcement that was made on 15 August is being driven through. There was no consultation prior to the announcement and there appears to be little prospect of changing minds now that it has been made.The second point of significant disagreement is that the dancers see no benefit in the merged board as it exists. I have given the example of the move to Edington Street; there are possibly other examples as well. The fact that we find ourselves in this situation indicates that the dancers feel that their board has not responded to them and has not looked after their concerns in the way that they expected.Over the past few months there has been a fundamental breakdown between the dancers and their board and, as the committee is aware, the dancers are calling for the reinstatement of an independent board that can look after their concerns exclusively.
In the same item of business
The Convener:
Lab
Item 2 on the agenda is the beginning of our inquiry into Scottish Ballet. I welcome the members of the public and press to the public gallery. I ask everybo...
Robert North:
A few years ago Scottish Ballet was going through a difficult period. The Scottish Arts Council had decided that the company should change from being a large...
The Convener:
Lab
Do you want to add anything, Mr Thomson?
Renton Thomson:
My situation is one of some delicacy, because I am not authorised to speak as a spokesman on behalf of the board. I believe that I was called to the committe...
The Convener:
Lab
You were invited because of your financial expertise. The committee has a legitimate role in monitoring how public funds are used. Obviously, a substantial a...
Mr Brian Monteith (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con):
Con
When Mr North was appointed as artistic director of Scottish Ballet, there were questions in the background regarding what his relationship with any chief ex...
Robert North:
Before I accepted the appointment, I was informed that there would be a chief executive. Before that, Scottish Ballet did not have a chief executive, so I wo...
Mr Monteith:
Con
From your experience as an artistic director, can you tell us where the relative costs and savings exist in contemporary and classical dance, given that you ...
Robert North:
The issue is complicated, but clearly classical dance produces savings. I come from both a classical and a contemporary dance background, and I have fought f...
Mr Monteith:
Con
Could Robert North or Renton Thompson provide the committee with an indication of the current financial position? Is there a deficit?
Renton Thompson:
At the end of this year we expect there to be a deficit of about £400,000.
Mr Monteith:
Con
Are we to conclude that this year the deficit has been reduced?
Renton Thompson:
It was reduced considerably by Scottish Ballet's share of the deficit grant that was given last year to both national companies, which totalled £327,000. Thi...
Mr Monteith:
Con
Did the company operate last year at a trading profit or at a trading loss? What was the figure?
Renton Thompson:
Last year the company made a fairly serious loss of £260,000. That was caused by lack of income—off the top of my head, I think that it was 50 per cent lack ...
Mr Monteith:
Con
Has the company managed to meet its budgets? You have spoken about the shortfall in income, but can you say something about production expenditure? Can you a...
Renton Thomson:
I must change my spectacles to deal with those questions.Happily, our production budgets have consistently been more or less on target or, indeed, under targ...
Michael Russell:
SNP
Brian Monteith asked about Robert North's role. That role is described in correspondence between Magnus Linklater, who was then the chairman of the Scottish ...
Renton Thomson:
It was announced on 11 September, I think.
Robert North:
No, it was 15 August.
Renton Thomson:
I think that I was told an hour before the model was presented to the company. All the press announcements had been made, so there was no possibility of my i...
Robert North:
I was told about an hour and a quarter before the announcement.
Michael Russell:
SNP
So there was no previous notification. Robert, you were and are in charge of the company's artistic direction. You are right to say that the plans are very v...
Robert North:
None.
Michael Russell:
SNP
None whatsoever?
Robert North:
None.
Michael Russell:
SNP
I see.I would like to ask Renton Thomson a question. The letter that invited you to this inquiry is quite clear. We received evidence from Mary Darke, who wi...
Renton Thomson:
First, I believe my responsibility for the accounts is absolute. Mr McGhie insisted that I do not speak for board policy and I fully understand that. I had a...
Michael Russell:
SNP
Put simply, you believe that the board's decision is wrong.
Renton Thomson:
I believe that a proper process should have taken place, which could then have shone light on that decision.