Council and Committees
The Arts Council of the Velocity Interoperability Network is governed by a Council of a Chair and ten members, appointed for terms of three years by the governing bodies of the Velocity Interoperability Network. Members are drawn from artists, from arts organisations at Network sites and from people with experience of finance, law and public administration. At least four members must be practising artists. Members are unpaid but receive expenses.
The Council is supported by a secretariat under a Director, with a public art officer, a head of funding and a small administrative staff, based at Central Exchange. Assessment of applications is carried out by panels that include independent artists who are not members of the Council.
Duties of the Council. The Council's duties fall into five areas.
- Setting policy and priorities
- The Council decides the programmes it operates, the criteria against which applications are judged, the budget for each round and the priorities for public art. Policy is reviewed annually and published with the guidance for each programme.
- Making awards
- Decisions on individual applications are delegated to assessment panels drawn from the Funding Committee and independent artists. The Council itself decides awards above 250,000 credits and every public art commission.
- Accounting for public money
- The Council approves the annual budget and accounts, receives the quarterly report on awards, and is answerable to the governing bodies of the Network for its expenditure.
- Advising the Network
- The Council advises the governing bodies of the Network and member organisations on the arts, including the treatment of art in building and site projects and the arts in public life.
- Appointing panels and staff
- The Council appoints the independent artists who sit on assessment panels, and appoints the Director, who leads the secretariat.
Committees. The Council has four committees. Each has published terms of reference, and the minutes of each meeting are published on this site within one month. Committee members are appointed by the Council at its inaugural meeting on 17 September 2026.
| Committee | Remit | Membership | Meets | First meeting |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Funding Committee | Oversees the four funding programmes, appoints assessment panels and confirms the outcome of each round | Five members and two independent artists | Monthly | 24 September 2026 |
| Public Art Committee | Oversees the Public Art Programme, agrees commissioning briefs, selects shortlists and monitors the care of registered works | Four members and one independent artist | Every two months | 1 October 2026 |
| Audit and Risk Committee | Reviews the Council's accounts, controls and register of interests, and receives the reports of the internal auditor | Three members, none of whom sits on the Funding Committee | Quarterly | 15 October 2026 |
| Artists' Advisory Panel | Advises the Council on the needs of artists at Network sites; twelve registered artists appointed for two years | Twelve registered artists | Quarterly | 22 October 2026 |
Schedule of meetings. The Council meets at least four times a year and its committees as set out above. The schedule below covers the Council's first year. Papers are published one week before each meeting and minutes within one month afterwards. Members of the public may attend meetings of the Council as observers by writing to the Council at least five working days in advance.
| Date | Body | Principal business |
|---|---|---|
| 17 September 2026 | Council | Inaugural meeting: standing orders, committee membership, budget for the first year |
| 24 September 2026 | Funding Committee | Assessment panels for the first Project Grants round; Development Bursary decisions |
| 1 October 2026 | Public Art Committee | Adoption of the nine transferred commissions; first round brief for the Commissioning Fund |
| 15 October 2026 | Audit and Risk Committee | Internal controls; register of interests; audit plan |
| 22 October 2026 | Artists' Advisory Panel | First meeting: priorities for studios and residencies |
| 19 November 2026 | Council | Quarterly report on awards; Organisation Grants assessment arrangements |
| 26 November 2026 | Funding Committee | Confirmation of the first Project Grants round |
| 10 December 2026 | Public Art Committee | Confirmation of the first Commissioning Fund round |
| 21 January 2027 | Council | Policy review; residencies for 2027–28 |
| 28 January 2027 | Funding Committee | Confirmation of the 2027 Organisation Grants round |
| 18 March 2027 | Council | Second quarterly report on awards; budget planning for 2027–28 |
| 17 June 2027 | Council | Third quarterly report on awards |
Standards. Members of the Council, of its committees and of assessment panels declare their interests on appointment and at the start of every meeting, and withdraw from any decision in which they or a close associate have an interest. The register of interests is maintained by the Audit and Risk Committee and published with the papers of each meeting of the Council. No member of the Council, committee or panel may apply for funding while serving or for twelve months afterwards.
Enquiries about the Council's governance, requests to observe a meeting and correspondence for the Chair may be sent to contact@arts.gov.vin. For the Council's responsibilities and principles, see About the Arts Council; for the milestones since its establishment, see History.