DD2122 Africa on the Square Festival 2017

1.1 Under the Greater London Authority Act 1999 (GLA Act) the Mayor has a statutory duty to promote the economic and social development and improve the environment in London. Events have a profound potential to bring economic and social benefits to London, and major events in particular can raise the city’s profile and present a positive image to the world’s media.

1.2 The core events programme responds to the Mayor’s manifesto pledge to “Continue to back major cultural festivals to celebrate London’s religious and racial diversity.” These events mean that we are able to celebrate our diversity as a city, and be proud of the enormous range of different communities that call London their home.

1.3 London is home to significant numbers of communities from across the African continent. More than 600,000 people were recorded in the 2011 Census as having been born in Africa, of which around 365,000 were from Nigeria, Somalia, Kenya, Ghana and South Africa. Since 2014 the GLA Events for London team has successfully delivered Africa on the Square within its annual programme. These events sought to connect with the capital’s African communities and included live music, an African market and talent and fashion shows.

1.4 The Africa on the Square Festival has a strong focus on London’s diverse communities and celebrates the cultural offering of food, literature, music, fashion and heritage. The event is recognised as a cultural festival and has been developed by established relationships with cultural institutions and grass root organisations which provide a positive platform to promote London’s creative industries and to promote tourism and investment.

1.5 A Programme Partner, through an advertised application process, with experience in delivering Africa-themed cultural programmes, including music, markets and festivals, will be contracted to collaborate on programming the stage content and market stall offer.

2.1 Events bring economic and social benefits to London, and can raise the city’s profile, promote London as a leading global city encouraging investment and tourism, and present a positive image to the world’s media.

2.2 Through the events we actively promote wider mayoral priorities directly to key community groups or audiences, and to captive audiences. This can be evaluated through the attendance at events and market research at the event on recall, and through digital traffic and click through rates on the GLA website.

2.3 The additional benefits of the event are:

• Increased positive global reputation of London.

• Positive profile for London, encouraging economic investment.

• Education and increased awareness of other communities in London encouraging social integration and cohesion.

• Increased skills through volunteering opportunities.

2.4 Whilst difficult to measure, there are a number of additional benefits that we are actively trying to foster through staging events, including:

• Increased sense of community through volunteering opportunities and social interaction at events.

• Encouraging a sense of pride in Londoners for the city they live.

• Enjoyment and satisfaction to support the well-being of Londoners and improving their health and wellbeing and quality of life (particularly where Londoners disposable income is limited as free events offer access to arts and entertainment which they may otherwise not be able to experience).

3.1 The events programme is planned to be inclusive and aimed at all Londoners, culturally and socially, achieved through the programme content, the broad and targeted approach to marketing channels, and access facilities at the event.

3.2 The Africa on the Square Festival engages with grass root organisations and cultural institutions via community stakeholders and other networks via the GLA’s Diversity & Social Policy team, International team and Community Relations team.

3.3 As a high quality outdoor festival the event invites diverse communities to come together to enjoy the rich cultural offering which represent the diverse African communities in London, thereby supporting social integration.

4.1 Key risks

4.2 Links to Mayoral strategies and priorities

4.2.1 In approving the Africa on the Square Festival, this directly links to:

• Manifesto Commitment – Access to the Arts: Continue to back major cultural festivals to celebrate London’s religious and racial diversity, and ensure Pride continues to be a fantastic, community-led showcase of all London’s LGBT+ communities.

• City for all Londoners: Making London a fairer and more tolerant city open and accessible to all, and one in which we can all live and prosper free from prejudice. Enabling all Londoners to benefit from the city’s fantastic arts and culture.

4.3 Impact assessments and consultation

4.3.1 The impact assessment of the Africa on the Square Festival will be through the multi-agency planning process (Licensing Operational Safety Planning Groups), including Metropolitan Police Service, Transport for London, London Ambulance Service, London Fire Brigade and other key stakeholders. This is an essential part of the Local Authority Premise Licence process in approving the event. Key agencies will be consulted as part of this multi-agency process.

4.3.2 The Africa on the Square Festival is organised by the GLA Events Team and they work with the GLA Communities, Public Liaison Unit, International and Diversity & Social Policy teams as well as external organisation such as London and Partners to ensure consultation takes place.

4.4 Procurement

4.4.1 The Africa on the Square Festival delivered by the GLA will be procured via the Events Framework, for event production services. The Africa on the Square Festival will be managed by an events officer from within the Events for London team.

5.1 As part of the 2017-18 GLA budget process, an allocation of £75,000 has been earmarked from within the Events for London Programme budget to fund Africa on the Square 2017.

5.2 The GLA will seek additional income via sponsorship to enhance the event and where appropriate reduce the Authority’s contribution to the event. It should be noted that no contractual commitments on enhancing the event will be made until funding sources earmarked to fund the enhancements have been formally confirmed.

6.1 The foregoing sections of this report indicate that the decisions requested of the executive director fall within the statutory powers of the GLA to promote and/or to do anything which is facilitative of or conducive or incidental to the promotion of social development in Greater London and in formulating the proposals in respect of which a decision is sought officers have set out above how they have complied with the Authority’s related statutory duties to:

(a) pay due regard to the principle that there should be equality of opportunity for all people;

(b) 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; and

(c) consult with appropriate bodies.

6.2 In taking the decisions requested of him, the executive director must have due regard to the Public Sector Equality Duty; namely the need to eliminate discrimination, harassment, victimisation and any other conduct prohibited by the Equality Act 2010, and to advance equality of opportunity between persons who share a relevant protected characteristic (race, disability, gender, age, sexual orientation, religion or belief, pregnancy and maternity and gender reassignment) and persons who do not share it and foster good relations between persons who share a relevant protected characteristic and persons who do not share it (section 149 of the Equality Act 2010). To this end, the executive director should have particular regard to section 3 (above) of this report.

6.3 Officers have indicated that they intend to call off the event production and management services from the TfL/GLA events framework agreement. To this end, the officers should ensure that they comply with the call off procedure set out in the said framework and that a written call off agreement be entered into between the GLA and the service provider(s), before they start to provide services to the GLA.

6.4 Officers must ensure that sponsorship is sought in accordance with the sponsorship policy and appropriate sponsorship agreements are put in place between and executed by the GLA and sponsor(s) before any reliance is placed on the sponsorship income and/benefits in kind.