berenschot

Municipalities cannot be trusted with culture money. Therefore, they should preferably get everything.

by Wijbrand Schaap
1 March 20211 March 2021
4 min read
FAITS DIVERS, APPRECIATE & DONATE!

The most recent bulk of cultural rescue money was distributed to municipal councils without the obligation to actually spend that money on culture. Indeed, that so-called 'earmarking' was too cumbersome and time-consuming, according to now outgoing culture minister Ingrid van Engelshoven. (Malicious people suggest that this way Rutte and Wiebes were willing to cross the bridge, because the money would not...

Province of Brabant makes FvD threat come true after all: halving art budget sold as support in Corona era

by Wijbrand Schaap
10 December 202029 March 2022
4 min read
ACTUAL, For members only, APPRECIATE & DONATE!

When it talks about 'some adjustments', of course, you have to be careful. They know that at the province, so they don't mention details. And those details include a cut of 1.3 million from previously promised amounts.

There are also problems with the region in Limburg (and people suspect the advisers of being arbitrary and pre-emptive)

by Barbara Nieuwkoop
14 September 202014 September 2020
4 min read
ACTUAL, MUSIC, APPRECIATE & DONATE!

The cultural centre of gravity in Limburg has been in the south for years. However, to encourage southern institutions to programme outside the region, only 1 extra point is available. Examples of the problem of geographical spread also exist at the Council of Culture and the Performing Arts Fund.

The disaster surrounding the eastern orchestras only intensifies. A reconstruction

by Henri Drost
23 November 201518 March 2016
13 min read
ACTUAL, MUSIC

A damning report by organisational consultancy Berenschot, the voluntary or involuntary departure of director Harm Mannak, repeated bickering in the State Assembly and panting reports of high salaries for directors and artistic directors, all the way to the national newspapers. It marks the chaos at HET Symfonieorkest and the lack of any form of direction, not only at the orchestra itself,...

HET Symphony Orchestra director steps down - just before scathing report on business plan

by Henri Drost
6 November 201530 March 2022
3 min read
ACTUAL, For members only, MUSIC

Failing directors stay put, the Supervisory Board disqualifies itself. No other conclusion is possible after reading the counter-expertise commissioned by the province of Overijssel and carried out by Berenschot. The provincial millions intended to make the orchestra subsidy-independent have not only evaporated, but show a negative balance in every aspect. Every estimate was too optimistic,...

Overijssel is sweeping away culture. But like everywhere else, it is not an election issue

by Henri Drost
17 March 201529 March 2022
5 min read
ACTUAL, For members only

82% cut in Overijssel's culture budget No, the VVD did not become the largest party in Overijssel in the last provincial elections, the PvdA attracted 1.6% more voters, but if there is a province where Halbe Zijlstra's nationally initiated policy had an effect, it was that province. Residents soon noticed this, but research by consultancy firm

Stakeholders beware. From now on, the art is about you.

by Wijbrand Schaap
11 February 201530 March 2022
2 min read
ACTUAL, For members only

Always thought art was something of creative wildlings, obsessed autistics, genius tinkerers in spite of themselves? Wrong. Art is something where 'strong communicators' call the shots. At least if it is up to minister Jet Bussemaker, and her oh, so progressive idea of making art primarily useful. For society. Just watch the horror video above. What we fear...

‘Beperkte meting’: minister gooit rapport Berenschot in prullenbak

by Wijbrand Schaap
25 February 201430 March 2022
2 min read
ACTUAL, For members only

Minister Bussemaker vindt het nog veel te vroeg om alarm te slaan over de bezuinigingen die gemeentes nog gaan doorvoeren op cultuur. Onderzoeksbureau Berenschot had earlier this year berekend dat er nog vele procenten van het lokale cultuurbudget af zouden gaan. Onze eigen bronnen vertelden dat Berenschot nog aan de zonnige kant zat. Volgens de minister is het onderzoek echter te beperkt: er is maar onder 65 gemeentes gecheckt, en bovendien is het nog veel te vroeg.

4 reasons why the arts are going to lose a lot more. Municipal culture congress wrongly optimistic

by Wijbrand Schaap
31 January 201411 July 2016
6 min read
ACTUAL

It was ball in Rotterdam on Thursday, 30 January. At the Municipal Culture Congress, a few hundred officials, local politicians and arts organisations gathered to talk about where they could help each other. It was supposed to be a positive day. There had been long enough complaining and arguing: look ahead, hopeful into the future. Even if the worst is yet to come.

Municipalities pass on most cuts to the arts

by Wijbrand Schaap
29 January 201430 March 2022
2 min read
ACTUAL, For members only

Culture cuts have now reached 450 million euros. The Lower House earlier decided on cuts of 200 million. The cut in the municipal budget by the same House of Representatives now leads to a further cut of 250 million euros. This is calculated by research firm Berenschot in a report which will be presented on Thursday 30 January in Rotterdam.

Halbe Zijlstra: 'nothing to do with local arts policy'

by one of our members
27 August 20128 July 2016
10 min read
ACTUAL

Halbe Zijlstra is proud of his policy, and keen to come and tell it in front of the entire cultural sector. So on Sunday 26 August, he appeared on stage during the annual 'Paradiso Debate' to reiterate how well things had gone with the 200 million cut in the arts sector. He praised the resilience of the affected art world, and would be happy to do the same again.

'Windfall cuts': bricks saved, people sacrificed

by Wijbrand Schaap
25 August 20128 July 2016
2 min read
ACTUAL

The major research and management consulting firm Berenschot has calculated that, on balance, the cuts to the arts turn out to be not too bad. Client of the study, De Volkskrant, then headlined that big. And indeed, it is kind of good news that the pile-up of cuts (the state 24% less, the provinces 20% less and the municipalities only 9 % less) is so low in net terms. We were surprised for a moment, but when we asked around, we found out

Eastern orchestras settle 40% rebate on musicians' salaries and union is sidelined

by Henri Drost
9 March 201229 March 2022
3 min read
ACTUAL, For members only, MUSIC, OPERA

[recap] To avoid having to merge and to bring in an extra half a million each, the orchestras in Overijssel and Gelderland made very ambitious plans. Which bear striking similarities. Both orchestras requested and received money from the province, albeit much less than requested. In theory, this would compensate for the reduction in the state subsidy, but that provincial money is mainly meant to reform the organisation. However, it is not enough for that. Not by a long shot.

How two orchestras sold an international revenue model as regional

by Henri Drost
6 March 201230 March 2022
6 min read
ACTUAL, For members only, MUSIC, OPERA

Recap: There are too many orchestras in the Netherlands, the government thinks, and so a few have to go. Or merge. Now that forced merging doesn't seem to go very heartily. But you can make money out of it. In Gelderland and Overijssel, this leads to bizarre scenes. It would have been comical if it hadn't cost so much money.

To bring in an extra five tonnes, the Netherlands Symphony Orchestra and the Gelderland Orchestra are pulling together. And with success: the provincial governments of Overijssel and Gelderland are absorbing the state's subsidy cut. However, it now turns out that the plans used to rake in that bailout are dubious. Politicians have hardly looked into it. Questions about the business plan came mainly from the PVV in Overijssel, but in Gelderland that same party enthusiastically agreed to the injection of millions after a - remarkably damning - counter-expertise.

Weekers (finance): 'No reason yet to reverse VAT increase' despite dramatic start to season

by one of our members
19 October 201130 March 2022
2 min read
ACTUAL, For members only

The story continues. On 1 July the VAT increase came into effect, on 8 July NRC quoted Halbe Zijlstra as saying that 'it was not the most mature scheme' of this cabinet, words he later nuanced during parliamentary questions. In late August, the Berenschot report came out with startling figures: the VAT increase would mainly cost the Netherlands money rather than generate it. Meanwhile, the Music...

"1 billion loss? There are other figures." Halbe Zijlstra refers Berenschot report to trash.

by Wijbrand Schaap
23 September 201130 March 2022
4 min read
ACTUAL, For members only

At the end of August came the figures. And what figures they were. Due to the stacking of extreme cuts by government, provinces and municipalities, the abolition of the successful Work and Income for Artists Act and the equally successful culture card, plus the VAT increase on the arts, the Netherlands' cultural sector would end up missing out on €1 billion in revenue. Berenschot had estimated that in...

Rotterdam alderman shocks cultural sector over total lack of knowledge

by Wijbrand Schaap
29 August 201130 March 2022
4 min read
ACTUAL, For members only

'And why do all these art institutions have to open on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and even Thursdays? I don't understand that. I'm far too busy working on those days.' Just a question during the Paradiso debate,

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