As organisations and individuals within the brass banding movement seek to address the issues of diversity and inclusion, it has been reported that Arts Council of Wales has admitted it is "failing to meet the mark"in terms of equality in the arts.

Reflect

It comes after a group set up by artists and organisations warned the sector would "inevitably lose people" if diversity was not addressed and that arts should "reflect the society we live in".

Data it provided for 2019-2020 showed there were only 17 black, Asian or minority ethnic (BAME) people out of 349 overall on boards of management in 39 of its regularly funded organisations.

Drive change

In response, the Arts Council of Wales said it would create a new senior role with a mandate to "drive change" within the organisation, with its chair, Phil George, saying that they had been "conscious for a long time that we have a long way to go on equalities ourselves".

"We recognise structural inequalities in our own organisation and in the arts sector. That's why we set out to do something about it now in a more urgent way."

Too slow

It was reported by the BBC that Nicole May, a theatre producer and an arts associate of the Arts Council of Wales said the pace of change in improving diversity in Wales was too slow.

"I came to Wales when I was 18 and 10 years later I'm in a similar position where I think, 'why isn't it changed?"

The Arts Council of Wales is set to appoint a senior figure who it is aid will be an "agent of change" for the organisation and its 67 revenue funded organisations.

The Arts Council of Wales is set to appoint a senior figure who it is aid will be an "agent of change" for the organisation and its 67 revenue funded organisations4BR

Much more diverse

Mr George added: "We're saying to them, that in their boards of management, in their workforce, in their programmes of activity, they need to diversify, to be much more diverse.

It's about us as an organisation and understanding structural inequality in our own organisation and it's about structural inequality in that whole sector that we fund and develop."