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Puketāpapa
Local Board
18 June 2020
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Arts
Community and Events venue partners interim service approach
File No.: CP2020/07975
Te take mō te
pūrongo
Purpose of the report
1. To
seek approval for an interim service approach for Arts Community and Events
venue partners for 1 July 2020 to 30 September 2020.
Whakarāpopototanga matua
Executive summary
2. More
than half of the Arts Community and Events (ACE) venues portfolio is managed by
122 partners.
3. Fifty-five
of these partners (including one partner in the Puketāpapa Local Board
area) have contracts and funding agreements that expire on 30 June 2020.
4. Key
concerns for these partners are:
· the
council’s expectation of service delivery from 1 July 2020
· levels
of activity they should be delivering
· funding
availability
· their
responsibilities as employers.
5. The
recommended approach is, firstly, a clarification that services should continue
from 1 July 2020 to 30 September 2020.
6. Secondly,
it is to ensure a sustained level of service from the ACE venues portfolio
while Emergency Budget deliberation is underway.
7. Finally,
it is to provide a pro rata interim payment (12 weeks of the annual amount)
covering the first quarter of FY 2020/2021, to ensure the above can be delivered.
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Ngā tūtohunga
Recommendation/s
That the Puketāpapa Local
Board:
a) approve
interim payment be made to Wallace Arts Centre for $99,551 plus CPI.
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Horopaki
Context
8. Auckland
Council provides spaces in the community where all Aucklanders can come
together to do things that interest them, stretch themselves, have fun,
participate, connect, interact, discover new things and learn about each other.
9. There
is an Arts Community and Events (ACE) venue in almost every neighbourhood
across Auckland, and the ACE team ensures this diverse portfolio –
including community centres, community art galleries, theatres and both rural
and urban community halls – is delivering for local communities.
10. This
portfolio contains more than 240 ACE Venues with 122 partners managing over
half of these on behalf of the council.
11. These
partnerships are managed with a variety of contracts and agreements in place
and funding of over $8m per annum, in addition to in-kind support and
resources, including asset provision.
12. To help
protect Aucklanders during the COVID-19 response, Auckland Council made the
decision to temporarily close the Arts, Community and Events venues including
community centres, community art galleries, theatres and venues for hire and to
support its partners to do the same.
Partner
insights
13. Staff have
continued to be in close contact with ACE venue partners through all Alert
Levels to answer queries where possible and offer support to their
decision-making where appropriate, including:
· varying
contracts to explicitly relieve them of responsibilities under their contracts
and funding agreements, as they could not deliver their service under Alert
Level Four or Three
· prioritising
final contract payments due in Q3 and Q4 of the current financial year
· supporting
the reopening of venues at Alert Level Two, including implications of group and
capacity restrictions.
14. Staff
surveyed ACE venue partners during this time to gather insights on the impacts
of COVID-19. Key considerations for partners were:
· financial
security, including uncertainty of funding that might be available in FY
2020/2021
· concern
about their ability to continue to pay staff and deliver expected services and
programmes to their local communities.
15. Fifty-five of
these 122 partners have contracts and funding agreements that expire on 30 June
2020.
16. From survey
results and subsequent conversations with partners, the key concerns being are
as follows.
· Are
they expected to open and deliver services from 1 July 2020?
· What
level of service should they be delivering?
· What
funding is available for them to continue to deliver services?
· Concerns
regarding their responsibilities as employers.
17. While our ACE
venue partners are aware that the Emergency Budget consultation and
deliberation is underway, a number have notified us that without an arrangement
they may have to suspend services until the Emergency Budget is adopted and
implemented in August 2020.
18. Staff are
also aware of concerns raised by local board members and these were discussed
in workshops when ACE staff visited local boards to discuss facility reopening
plans over the last month.
Tātaritanga me ngā tohutohu
Analysis and advice
Interim service delivery support
19. The
recommended approach is to clarify that services should continue from 1 July
2020 to 30 September 2020, ensuring a sustained level of service from the ACE
venues portfolio while Emergency Budget deliberation is happening.
20. In
consultation with Auckland Council’s Commercial & Finance and Legal
departments, staff have determined that the best approach to both sustain
service and to address the level of uncertainty that exists with ACE venue
partners is to provide interim funding covering the first quarter of FY
2020/2021.
21. To do this
will require a pro rata interim payment (12 weeks of the annual amount).
22. Interim
funding will enable ACE venue partners to operate throughout July, August and
September. In August 2020, after local boards approve their work programmes
staff will make contract/grant payments to for the balance of approved funding
to partners for the remaining quarters of FY 2020/2021.
23. For the
Puketāpapa Local Board area the partnership under consideration
is:
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ACE
venue partner
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Interim
payment
amount
+CPI
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Annual
contract amount
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Funding
mechanism
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Expiry
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Budget
source
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Key
relationship holder
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Wallace
Arts Centre (Pah Homestead)
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$99,551
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$398,202
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FA**
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FY20
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ABS opex
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Arts
and Culture
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24. Staff
are aware of the concerns this uncertainty is causing ACE venue partners and
have advised them in writing that this approach will be brought to local boards
as governors of local facilities and locally funded services.
25. This approach
requires a commitment to advance funding for the first quarter of FY 2020/2021
ahead of the Emergency Budget approval and decisions to finalise local board
work programmes for FY 2020/2021.
26. Options for
consideration by the board are:
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Option
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Option
one
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Option
two
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Recommended
Approach
Option
three
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Description
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Defer funding
decision until the Emergency Budget is confirmed
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Allocate interim
partial payment
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Allocate
full pro rata 12 weeks payment
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Action
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No
interim payment is made
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A
payment of less than pro rata amount is made at a later date
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An
interim payment can be made early July
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Implications
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· Possible suspension of services
· Risk of these partners not being able to
reopen
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· Negotiations on level of service and new
Key Performance Indicators would need to be entered into for the first
quarter
· New contracts generated and agreed
· Neither Auckland Council nor ACE venue
partners have resources or time to manage this
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· Service is sustained at
current level – doors remain open
· The impact of different
funding scenarios can then be workshopped with board and partners as the
Emergency Budget is considered
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Tauākī whakaaweawe
āhuarangi
Climate impact statement
27. ACE venues can have a positive climate impact as they enable people
to connect, participate and recreate locally without having to travel long
distances. They help foster a sense of community and contribute positively to
people’s views of where they live.
Ngā whakaaweawe me
ngā tirohanga a te rōpū Kaunihera
Council group impacts and views
28. Auckland
Council provides fair, easy and affordable access to safe and welcoming venues
through the Arts, Community and Events department of the Customer and Community
Directorate.
29. The Community
Places and Arts and Culture units manage the relationship and contracts with
ACE venue partners.
30. Subject to
the outcome of this decision, staff will work with Community Facilities to
manage implications for council-owned assets.
Ngā whakaaweawe
ā-rohe me ngā tirohanga a te poari ā-rohe
Local impacts and local board views
31. A number of
local board workshops were conducted through May and early June 2020 on the
Auckland Council approach to COVID-19 Level 2 and the phased reopening of local
community facilities.
32. During these
workshops local boards:
· were
informed the majority of ACE venue partners reopened promptly at Level Two
· expressed
an interest in the status of ACE venue partner delivery and FY2020/2021 funding
· considered
additional funds due to marked loss in revenue from classes and bookings.
Tauākī whakaaweawe
Māori
Māori impact statement
33. Art Community
and Events venues support diverse, equitable, and affordable
access to spaces to all Aucklanders, including Māori.
34. Programming
through Arts Community and Events venues supports Māori outcomes, and
showcases work from Māori content creators and artists.
Ngā ritenga
ā-pūtea
Financial implications
35. This approach
requires a total commitment of $99,551 from the Puketāpapa Local
Boards Asset Based Services opex funding in advance of the Emergency Budget
approval and decisions to finalise local board work programmes for FY
2020/2021.
36. This total
amount will not be available for reallocation in future decision making.
Ngā raru tūpono me
ngā whakamaurutanga
Risks and mitigations
37. Risks
associated with this decision and mitigations are
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Risk
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Mitigation
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A decision could
preempt significant budgetary decisions
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This is an
interim approach, consistent with the council’s managed provision in
this portfolio
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The
recommended approach may not provide sufficient surety for partners
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Staff
will communicate with partners and inform them of the Emergency Budget
consultation process
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Ngā koringa ā-muri
Next steps
38. Subject to
local board approval, staff will organise agreements and payments to partners
no later than mid-July 2020.
39. Staff will
continue to work with these partners to assess the impact of different funding
scenarios, if any, to funding levels, service delivery, outcome areas, or key
performance indicators for the remainder of FY 2020/2021. This will inform
discussions on local board work programmes once the Emergency Budget has been
approved.
Ngā tāpirihanga
Attachments
There are no attachments for
this report.
Ngā kaihaina
Signatories
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Author
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Kat Teirney – Senior Project Lead –
Community Places
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Authorisers
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Graham Bodman – General Manager – Arts
Community & Events
Nina Siers - Relationship Manager for Maungakiekie-Tāmaki
Puketāpapa
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