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7 PROGRAMME MANAGEMENT AND PROCESSES
7.1 As described in Chapter 2, the Programme was managed by the Culture Division in the Europe, External Affairs and Culture Directorate of the Scottish Government, and the management process was generally 'light touch'.
7.2 Our review of the application and assessment process identified no significant issues. The scoring of project applications was clear and transparent and triangulated responses from different staff to arrive at a consensus view of which projects to support.
7.3 Thereafter, the awards, contracting and funding processes appeared smooth and no issues were raised in the consultations about any of the processes or about the diligence or responsiveness of the Scottish Government team.
7.4 Although a number of the projects were delayed, these delays were generally accepted as reasonable, and project managers were positive about the flexibility of the Scottish Government on these issues.
7.5 Throughout our consultations, there was universal praise for the Scottish Government team with project managers feeling that the overall approach to the management of the Programme struck the right balance between being supportive when needed, but 'hands off' in relation to project management. Most also felt that the team were genuinely interested in the projects, and welcomed their attendance at meetings and consultation/feedback events. At least one authority also made specific mention of the fact that they now have a strong relationship with the Scottish Government as an important benefit of the Pathfinder Programme, and a couple also noted the level of Ministerial interest as very positive.
7.6 There was a report of some disquiet amongst authorities that had not been selected as Pathfinders, but as the evaluation process did not engage extensively with these authorities this cannot be verified.
7.7 It was also reported that the communication with Pathfinders over the change on national policy direction (as described in Chapter 2) was both prompt and clear, although views on the policy shift itself were very mixed indeed, as mentioned in the final chapter.
7.8 In relation to other aspects of the Scottish Government role in the Programme, the preceding chapter provides an assessment of the feedback on the Evaluation Toolkit and the Learning Collaborative. While there is perhaps room for some improvement in each, the support and guidance provided by the Scottish Government was widely welcomed, and the Toolkit was intended to be piloted through its use in the Programme.
7.9 Finally, and as mentioned in previous chapters, it was considered important that the Scottish Government itself took on the role of managing the Programme rather than devolving it to a public agency. It was felt that this gave the Programme a legitimacy and status that helped engage partners and raise the profile of culture across the local authority sector.
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