Artlink: Negotiating flexibility
| 'Direct
local authority funding is really not an option any
more. We have to reduce our costs to provide a competitive
service, but we also have to promote ourselves as a
quality service.' |
Edinburgh-based Artlink have 14 staff and 134 volunteers
and an annual income of £412,000. They provide arts
activities and workshops for people with disabilities and
recently considered funding options in the contracting environment.
Artlink's director, Jan-Bert van den Berg, explains: 'One
of the most pressing issues for us is how we can ensure our
survival in the current climate. Direct local authority funding
is really not an option any more. We have to reduce our costs
to provide a competitive service, but we also have to promote
ourselves as a quality service. The way we work is expensive
because we use freelance artists.'
One option is to charge service users at the point of delivery,
which has had a mixed reaction from clients.
Artlink are subcontracted by other voluntary organisations
and day-care providers, but Jan-Bert feels that it would be
helpful to have a direct contract and so direct negotiations
with the council. 'We are trying to negotiate flexible service
agreements whereby the council buys a bulk of sessions from
us, rather than one which rigidly specifies how many sessions
we have to deliver to how many people over what amount of
time. We need to ensure we retain flexibility for our clients.'
|
