Boyle welcomes announcement of eight Commissioners.

James Boyle, head of the Cultural Commission, has welcomed the Culture Minister’s announcement of eight Commissioners.

Frank McAveety has agreed to the recommendations put forward by Mr Boyle, chairman of the independent Commission.

The Commission has been set up to provide practical recommendations for the Scottish Executive to ensure the right infrastructure is in place to deliver culture to the people of Scotland. The Commissioners will monitor the work as it progresses through the year, and produce a final report for the Minister of Tourism, Culture and Sport.

These non-executive Commissioners are:

Sheena Wellington, broadcaster and teacher
Lucy Mason, Chief Executive, Dance Base
Shonaig Macpherson, Senior Partner, McGrigors
Gordon Jeyes, Director of Children’s Services, Stirling Council
George Black, Chief Executive, Glasgow City Council
Brian Lang, Principal, University of St Andrews
Ian Ritchie, businessman
Colin Marr, director, Eden Court Theatre, Inverness.

What the Commission will do

The aim of the Commission is to create a future where Scots are enthusiastic, supportive of and participant in their culture, appreciative of world-class work, and correspondingly demanding of the cultural and leisure sectors as consumers and as creative people. In parallel, the cultural sector will have developed responsively and be well placed to satisfy both these demanding Scots and visitors from the rest of Europe and beyond. The establishment of cultural rights and entitlements will begin this forward-looking process. Culture will be recognised as the mainstream of activity and provision that conflates the arts, heritage, leisure, sport, festivals and tourism. The Commission will complete its report in June 2005.

How it will work

The Commission will involve people across the country in carrying out the detailed tasks of reviewing the cultural sector, examining research, canvassing opinion, exploring options and presenting recommendations. A first formal meeting will be sought with CoSLA.

Who will have a say

Anyone who wishes can put their views in writing to the Commission. There will be a website by mid June providing information about the work of the Commission, and inviting contact.

Where the Commission will be

The Commission will carry out its work across Scotland. Offices have been established thus far in Stirling University, Abertay University in Dundee, The Lighthouse in Glasgow, and Eden Court Theatre in Inverness – available on an ad hoc basis for meetings, discussions, and other local activities throughout the next 12 months. There will also be bases also in Aberdeen and Dumfries. The Commission’s secretariat will have a permanent base in Edinburgh thanks to Roy Jobson, Director of Education for Edinburgh. Broughton High School has set aside a room for the Commission.

How the Commission will be supported

The Executive has allocated a budget of £478,000 to cover salaries, travel, seminars, research and consultancy. A small secretariat is being set up to help manage the process, service the working groups, deal with correspondence, and coordinate meetings and discussions around the country. The secretariat will also deal with various housekeeping tasks and administer the budget. There will one full-time and three part-time members, as well as two secondees from the Scottish Executive.

Biographical information

Sheena Wellington is a distinguished Scots traditional singer, broadcaster and teacher. She has toured widely in the UK, Europe, North America, Egypt and the Far East and her recordings for Dunkeld Records and Greentrax have gained international acclaim.
Lucy Mason is Chief Executive of Dance Base, Scotland’s national centre for dance. She is an arts manager and producer who has worked in music, opera, dance and theatre; and has extensive experience of commissioning, producing and promoting the performing arts both in the UK and overseas. Lucy is advisor to Glasgow University’s Centre for Cultural Policy Research, and to the British Council’s Drama and Dance Department. She is a board member of Licketyspit (theatre for children).
Shonaig Macpherson is Senior Partner Scotland in McGrigors and is one of Scotland’s leading ICT and e-business specialists. Shonaig has practised in all areas of technology and intellectual property in the City of London and in Scotland. Shonaig advises a range of clients in the ICT sector including service providers and service purchasers. Shonaig is President of the Edinburgh Chamber of Commerce and Enterprise and a non-executive member of the Scottish Executive Management Group. She is also a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh.
Gordon Jeyes was appointed Director of Education Services for Stirling Council in 1995. Four years later he assumed additional duties for children’s social work, and became Stirling’s Director of Children’s Services. In addition to these duties Gordon was General Secretary for ADES (1999-2003), Education Adviser to CoSLA (1997-2001), and a management adviser to SNCT. Since 2001 Gordon has been chair of both the Raploch Regeneration Partnership and the Forth Valley Integrated Planning Group for Child Health.
George Black is Chief Executive of Glasgow City Council, the largest local authority in Scotland. Before that he was Glasgow’s Director of Finance, and named Director of Finance of the Year by the Bank of Scotland in 2003. His responsibilities have included Glasgow’s secondary schools PPP project, and the transfer of the Council’s housing stock to Glasgow Housing Association. George is involved in the regeneration of the River Clyde, the new riverside Museum of Transport, the lighting strategy for the city, and the further modernisation of primary schools across Glasgow.
Brian Lang has been Principal and Vice-Chancellor at the University of St Andrews since 2001. Prior to that he was Chief Executive of the British Library for nine years. In 2000 he was a visiting scholar at the Getty Institution, Los Angeles. Previous appointments have been with the National Trust and the National Heritage Memorial Fund.
Ian Ritchie has a range of business interests. He is a Director of the Edinburgh International Film Festival, a Non-Executive Director of Channel 4, and a Trustee of the National Museums of Scotland. He is a Non-Executive Director of Scottish Enterprise, a Member of the Board of the Scottish Higher Education Funding Council, and a Trustee of Bletchley Park.
Colin Marr started his career in theatre in Edinburgh where he was Hall Manager of the Queen's Hall from 1988 to 1992. He then went on to work as Theatre and Commercial Manager for the Traverse Theatre from 1992 to 1997, when he became Director of Eden Court Theatre in Inverness, increasing the number and variety of performances and the theatre's Education and Outreach.

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Martin Osler
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