|
WELSH Conservative culture spokesman Jonathan Morgan is calling for a shake up of the Arts Council of Wales following its involvement in a High Court libel action. And he said that the arts quango’s chief executive, Joanna Weston, now needed to consider her position. Janek Alexander, director of Cardiff-based Chapter Arts Centre, lodged the case against the ACW and Ms Weston as he claimed he had been libelled by her comments during a press briefing two years ago. During the press briefing, ACW turned down Chapter’s application for funding for a new centre. Although the case was thrown out because it was found that Ms Weston’ s comments were covered by qualified privilege, Mr Morgan said that evidence during the nine-day London hearing had “exposed a culture of arrogance at the heart of the Arts Council of Wales”. Mr Morgan, who sits on the National Assembly committee currently conducting a wide-ranging arts policy review, said, “I have serious concerns about the breakdown in relationships between the Arts Council and its clients. “It is regrettable that the Arts Council’s name is now discredited in much of our cultural community. “This whole controversy has undermined the position of its chief executive, Joanna Weston. “It is time that Ms Weston considered her position as head of the Arts Council, before calls for its abolition become deafening.” However, Ms Weston said that she was merely doing her job. “As someone who is occupying a public post, I am required and it’s my duty to respond to any comment that’s made with regard to, for example, an unsuccessful funding bid. “We are now looking forward to the outcome of the current review of arts and culture in Wales and also intend to co-operate fully with any recommendations that may come out from the management review.” Following the hearing, ACW spokeswoman Sian Thomas said thaht Ms Weston and other senior managers would seek to meet with National Assembly officials “so that a greater degree of clarity can be achieved over the open transparency issue with public institutions”. She said, “We’re obviously delighted with the Judge’s ruling. We have always argued that any publication was made on an occasion with qualified privilege. “I am also delighted that the Judge has ruled that there was no evidence of malice against the chief executive |
| Western Mail web site: www.icwales.com |
| Karen Price e-mail: karen.price@wme.co.uk |
Saturday, July 22, 2000 |
Older news
stories have been carefully archived.
2006 | 2005 | 2004 | 2003 | 2002 | 2001 | 2000 | 1999