DD2608 Increasing Diversity in the Public Realm – Emblematic Programme

1.1.    On 9 June 2020, the Mayor of London announced the establishment of a commission to review and improve diversity across London’s public realm (the Commission), co-chaired by the Deputy Mayor for Communities and Social Justice (Dr Debbie Weekes-Bernard) and the Deputy Mayor for Culture and Creative Industries (Justine Simons OBE).

1.2.    The Commission works alongside a borough working group of local councils; and a Partners Board, whose members include ActionSpace, Art Fund, English Heritage, Shape Arts, Arts Council England, Black Cultural Archives, the Foundation for Jewish Heritage, Historic England, Queer Britain and the Institute of International Visual Art.

1.3.    A prior decision form (MD2814) approved a two-year programme to celebrate and support greater diversity in London’s public realm, increasing representation of Black, Asian and minority ethnic communities, women, the LGBTQ+ community, and disability groups in our public spaces. MD2689 set out the first phase of work which included: recruitment of a Commission for Diversity in the Public Realm; initial work to gather intelligence to support boroughs; and early engagement with a range of community groups. This work is jointly delivered by the Communities and Social Policy Unit, and the Culture and Creative Industries Unit.

1.4.    The first comprehensive audit of public sculpture and monuments across the capital was launched in October 2021. It’s part of a national research project by Art UK funded in part by the Commission.  Some findings include that out of almost 1500 monuments in the capital: 

•    Only four per cent are dedicated to named women. Out of the almost 50 sculptures of women, just three were dedicated to named Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic women 

•    14 sculptures across the entire city depict named men of colour. 

•    More than a fifth, 20.5 per cent, are dedicated to named men. 

•    The number of sculptures that feature animals - almost 100 - is double that of named women. 

1.5.    MD2814 delegated authority to the Executive Director, Communities and Skills, to approve detailed proposals for the expenditure of £750,000 allocated for the delivery of large-scale commissions (emblematic projects). Delegated authority for this decision has passed to the Executive Director, Good Growth, in consultation with the Executive Director, Communities and Skills as this is where the programme budget for delivery of this strand of the wider Commission sits. These are now set out in this Decision form. 

1.6.    First, the GLA proposes grant funding of up to £80,000 to the National Sikh War Memorial Trust (‘the Trust’) to support public engagement throughout the planning, commissioning and delivery of a Sikh War Memorial that recognises the contribution Sikh soldiers have made in military service for the UK. Public engagement will be required to influence the development of an artistic brief and identify a suitable proposal for the memorial. The Trust has already secured a site and has a commitment of funding for the production of the memorial. The contribution from the Commission will seek to ensure that the memorial is informed by diverse perspectives and an experienced advisory board; and that it employs a transparent and best practice selection process with appropriate governance structures. 

1.7.    Second, £150,000 is proposed to support a memorial that honours the memory of those lost to HIV and AIDS. While there are a number of memorials dedicated to this in the UK, there is no permanent site of commemoration in London, although a site has been agreed. It is intended that a member of the Commission will join the advisory board for this project; and that the money will contribute to wide-ranging and inclusive community engagement that will inform project delivery. This will take the form of a grant to the delivery partner, likely to be AIDS Memory UK.

1.8.    Third, up to £500,000 expenditure is proposed to support the delivery of a memorial to those affected by the trans-Atlantic slave trade. This includes an allocation for a G8 officer (part-time) over 12 months to oversee community engagement, which has already been approved by the Chief Officer under Establishment Control processes and is being paid for through this budget. The remainder of this budget is allocated to ensuring wide-ranging public engagement; developing and strengthening partnerships with key cultural bodies; support for a competitive and robust bidding and selection process; development of a fundraising strategy; seed funding for the project itself and evaluation. Some of this work will be delivered through external consultants through procurement as needed. 

1.9.    Fourth, up to £20,000 expenditure is proposed to scope a London-wide memorial, which can be adapted locally by boroughs and communities, that honours everyday Londoners. The model for this memorial is Postman’s Park in the City of London: a historic site that honours everyday acts of heroism. A brief will be developed to be contracted out, scoping the feasibility of this project’s format, for a future detailed project proposal.  This work may involve delivery through external consultants through procurement as needed.

1.10.    These projects have been agreed by the Commission on the basis of the values and principles set out by the Commission (see para 2.1 below), and of deliverability within the current Mayoral term, during which time the members of the Commission, with approval of the Deputy Chief of Staff, have agreed to remain in place to provide input into and oversight of this element of the programme.

1.11.    As mentioned above, the programme is managed by the Culture and Creative Industries Unit and the Communities and Social Policy Unit. Commission members will support the delivery of these programmes, and the Partners Board will additionally advise on the delivery of the above projects. Members of the Partners Board include Historic England, Arts Council England and Black Cultural Archives, amongst others.

1.12.    Where projects are being delivered in partnership, robust funding agreements will be put in place; and payments will be made against clearly defined milestones and, where appropriate, in arrears. Responsible GLA officers overseeing grant-funded programmes will closely monitor delivery and meet regularly with delivery partners and partners will be required to provide an evaluation of their project, aligned with the overall evaluation of the Diversity in Public Realm programme.
 

2.1.    The overall objectives of the emblematic projects strand of the Commission’s work are to:

•    increase representation of under-represented communities and histories through emblematic, site-specific projects 

•    increase opportunities for wide-ranging public engagement to inform project development and delivery

•    lead best-practice examples of commissioning which puts into action the principles set out by the Commission, which are to:

o    substantively change the narrative in ways that are surprising, enjoyable, thoughtful and empowering, and instil pride 

o    promote learning and engagement, mentoring and knowledge-sharing 

o    engender wider cohesion through consultation and continuous engagement 

o    demonstrate sustainability (of materials and processes) 

o    represent a diversity of rigorous approaches, valuing both tradition and innovation 

o    educate and inform, while having emotional resonance 

o    relate specifically to their location 

o    enable grassroots representation. 

2.2.    All of the projects outlined above will seek to meet the desired relevant outcomes of the overall programme of the Commission, namely:

•    public engagement and debate that builds on a greater understanding of London’s multifaceted histories

•    greater transparency of how decisions that affect the public realm are made

•    support for Londoners to feel involved in shaping and influencing public spaces

•    greater awareness of under-represented groups, their histories and their contributions to the city

•    embedded good practice that considers diverse representations across the public realm and the built environment, including local authorities and place managers.
 

3.1.    Section 149 of the Equality Act 2010 provides that, as a public authority, the GLA must have ‘due regard’ to the Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED); that is, the need to:

•    eliminate unlawful discrimination, harassment and victimisation
•    advance equality of opportunity
•    foster relations between people who have a protected characteristic and those who do not.

3.2.    The principles to which the Commission holds relate to all three elements of the aforementioned PSED. The Commission’s work seeks to educate and inform Londoners and those visiting the city, which leads to a greater understanding of the contribution and experiences of under-represented communities.

3.3.    Through effective engagement as a foundation for all activity, the Commission has an ambition to strengthen transparency around public-realm decision-making; and to increase the opportunities to empower London’s diverse communities to influence and get involved in shaping public spaces, with a focus on enabling greater grassroots representation.

3.4.    By broadening the perspective and shifting to a more inclusive narrative of London’s culture and heritage, the Commission, and these projects, are also acting to widen community representation in the public realm; increase the sense of belonging for all Londoners; and encourage engagement and debate both within and across London’s communities. 

3.5.    The Culture and Creative Industries Unit and the Communities and Social Policy Unit will ensure any organisations that engage in projects relating to diversity in the public realm have robust equalities policies in place; and are committed to proactively applying the principles of the Equality Act 2010, and regularly refreshing their equality and diversity policies and practices. This will be included in any funding agreements where grants are made to support projects.
 

4.1.    The programme activities outlined in this decision support London’s Recovery Missions, and the GLA’s Recovery Foundations, to help Londoners recover from Covid-19. The specific Missions/Foundations are: Equality, Diversity and Inclusion; High Streets for All; and Engaging Londoners.

4.2.    The programme and policies outlined in this decision also link to the following Mayoral strategies:

•    Culture for all Londoners, the Mayor’s landmark strategy for culture, which outlines an ambitious vision to ensure all Londoners can engage with, and contribute to, the capital’s rich cultural offering on their doorsteps.

•    Inclusive London, the Mayor’s Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Strategy, which sets out that: a successful city needs to work well for all residents; and everyone should be able to share in its prosperity, culture and community life, regardless of age, social class, disability, race, religion, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, marital status, or whether they are pregnant or on maternity leave.

•    The Mayor’s Social Integration Strategy, which aims to: reduce barriers and inequalities so Londoners can relate to each other as equals; increase opportunities for people to connect with each other positively and meaningfully; and support Londoners to play an active part in their communities and decisions that affect them.

4.3.    The work of the Commission and this work programme include community and partner engagement at its core. These processes inform all activities delivered by and on behalf of the commissioners. 

Conflicts of interest

4.4.    The Commission members and partners declare conflicts of interest in accordance with the GLA’s policy and guidance for registering and declaring interests as they arise. None have been declared to date.

4.5.    There are no conflicts of interest to note for any of the officers involved in the drafting or clearance of this decision form.
 

5.1.    Approval is being sought for expenditure of up to £750,000 to support the delivery of up to four emblematic projects, seeking to increase representation of diverse culture and heritage in London’s public realm as set out in this report. 

5.2.    The proposed expenditure is to span three financial years as follows: 

Staffing

5.3.    A fixed-term Public Engagement Officer role is included in the budget for the delivery of the memorial to those impacted by the trans-Atlantic slave trade – as outlined in 2.2, above. This role is shared with the External Relations unit, meaning only 50 per cent of costs are covered through this budget. The estimated cost of this post is £55,000. This cost will span financial years 2022-23 and 2023-24 and will be funded by a £30,000 contribution from the External Relations and Events budget. The remaining amount to be funded by the approved programme budget. This cost will span 2022-23 and 2023-24 and adjustments will be made as necessary from appointment.

5.4.    MD2814 set aside £750,000 for the emblematic projects as part of the wider Commission for Diversity in the Public Realm Programme, with the budget provision held within the Authority’s reprofiling reserve for draw-down in each subsequent financial year. The programme expenditure will be accounted for within the Culture and Creative Industries Unit.

5.5.    All appropriate budget adjustments will be made. 

6.1.    The foregoing sections of this report indicate that the decisions requested of the Executive Director of Good Growth concern the exercise of the GLA’s general powers, falling within the GLA’s statutory powers to do such things considered to further or that are facilitative of, or conductive or incidental to, the promotion of economic development and wealth creation, social development or improvement of the environment, in Greater London.

6.2.    In implementing the proposals in respect of which a decision is sought, officers should comply with the GLA’s related statutory duties to:

•    pay due regard to the principle that there should be equality of opportunity for all people

•    consider how the proposals will promote the improvement of health of persons, health inequalities between persons and to contribute towards the achievement of sustainable development in the United Kingdom

•    consult with appropriate bodies.

6.3.    In taking the decisions requested, as noted in section 3 above, the Executive Director of Good Growth must have due regard to the PSED under section 149 of the Equality Act 2010, namely the need to eliminate discrimination, harassment, victimisation and any other conduct prohibited by the Equality Act 2010; to advance equality of opportunity between persons who share a relevant protected characteristic (race, disability, age, sex, sexual orientation, religion or belief, pregnancy and maternity, and gender reassignment) and persons who do not share it; and to foster good relations between persons who share a relevant protected characteristic and persons who do not share it. To this end, the Executive Director of Good Growth should have particular regard to section 3 (above) of this report.

6.4.    Section 1 of this report indicates that part of the sought budget will amount to the provision of funding. Officers must ensure that the funding is distributed fairly; transparently; in accordance with the GLA’s equality policy and subsidy control rules; and in a manner that affords value for money in accordance with the GLA Contracts and Funding Code. Officers must ensure that an appropriate funding agreement is put in place and executed by the GLA and the recipient before any commitment to funding is made.
 

7.1.    The table below sets out the key actions required to deliver the objectives outlined above: