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Funding for a group set up to celebrate the richness of Jersey’s cultural diversity has been cut as part of a move to “re-prioritise” Government investment, it has emerged.
Deputy Inna Gardiner raised concerns about the future of the International Cultural Centre (ICC) in the States Assembly this week.
The organisation, which was set up a year and a half ago to promote cultural diversity and integration as part of former Chief Minister Kristina Moore's 100 Day Plan, has been inactive since January.
The ICC was behind numerous cultural celebrations last year – it was involved in organising events such as Eid al-Adha, the French Festival, Ukraine Day, the Corn Riots Harvest Festival, Democracy Week, Black History Month, Polish Independence Day, Diwali, Romanian Great Union Day and Hanukkah.
No further cultural celebrations have been organised since, and a response to a request made under the Freedom of Information Law revealed that, due to the change in Government following the Vote of No Confidence, "no funding was provided from the International Culture Centre Jersey" towards January's Chinese Lunar New Year festival. Instead, the Creative Island Partnership contributed around £31,000 towards it.
Chief Minister Lyndon Farnham confirmed on Tuesday that the £300,000 budget for the International Cultural Centre has been cut.
He added that he will continue to support the work of the ICC and there will be continuity with the previous format.
Pictured: Deputy Inna Gardiner sought assurance from the Chief Minister that work would continue to support the inclusion of minority communities in Jersey through the ICC.
The Chief Minister said: “I do apologise for the delay but it's part of our work to reprioritise spending to make sure our spending is going absolutely to where it is needed.
“So I do undertake to get things back up to speed as soon as possible.”
Deputy Farnham did not confirm in yesterday's States sitting the extent as to which the funding for the ICC would be cut.
Express has asked the Government to confirm the revised funding amount, and is awaiting a response.
It was separately confirmed in a response to a request under the Freedom of Information Law earlier this year that the cost of staffing the ICC, holding events and running projects totalled £161,857 in 2023.
It added that “due to the change in Government and Ministers in January 2024, a review of the ICCJ is currently underway".
When Deputy Farnham was making his bid to become Chief Minister back in January, he told States Members he believed Government had "become too cumbersome", adding: "It tries to do too much and, in reality, achieves too little, so we must streamline."
It came at a time of pressure to bring down spending from political commentators and the business community.
In a column shared to social media last month, Deputy Farnham made his first clear statement his Ministerial team were now looking closely at where public money was spent and seeking to "re-prioritise" in order that the “best outcomes” were delivered for islanders.
Pictured top: The ICC delivered the successful Lunar New Year celebrations in 2022 and 2023.
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