MD2247 Notting Hill Carnival 2018

The GLA has powers and duties under the Greater London Authority Act 1999 (GLA Act) to promote the economic and social development of London, and improve the environment in, and promote tourism to, Greater London. Events have a profound potential to bring economic and social benefits to the city, and major events can raise the city’s profile and present a positive image to the world’s media and potential visitors.

The Notting Hill Carnival has been taking place in London over the August bank holiday weekend, every year since 1965. It is a great celebration of Caribbean culture and one of London's highest profile public events, attracting people not only from across the capital, but the UK and overseas. Attracting approximately a million visitors over the weekend, it is Europe’s largest carnival event.

The artistic vision of Carnival is to foster the creative development and enhancement of diverse artistic excellence, and transform perceptions of Carnival culture locally, nationally and internationally. The event celebrates the history of Carnival, reflecting diverse artistic elements, cultural identity, heritage and community cohesion. There are 5 different independent Carnival ‘arenas’ that make up Notting Hill Carnival, as follows:

• Carnival Arts and Masquerade Foundation (CAMF),
• Caribbean Music Association (CMA),
• British Association of Static Sounds (BASS),
• British Association of Steel bands (BAS), and
• Association of British Calypsonians (ABC).

Additionally, it has an impact through the work that is built up over the year, for example through the Carnival Arts education programmes.

Following the devastating fire at Grenfell Tower in June 2017, the community tensions between the North Kensington community and the local authority in particularly, and the wider public authorities more generally was brought to the fore. On a more positive note, it also led to the wider community engaging more actively in Notting Hill Carnival and wanting a much wider community voice to be heard in the planning of this event.

Organisation of Carnival

The event occurs across two London boroughs, the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea (RBKC) and Westminster City Council (WCC), and impacts Brent Council on its periphery.

Unlike many other large-scale events, Notting Hill Carnival has developed organically as opposed to being driven by a single group or individual. As such, the lines of responsibility and management have never firmly been drawn. Whilst there has always been an ‘oversight organising body’, this has been subject to change over the years.

The ‘oversight organising body’ is supported in their operational planning and delivery of the event by key statutory agencies which form the Operational Planning Safety Group (OPSG): Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea (RBKC), Westminster City Council (WCC), Brent Council, Metropolitan Police Service (MPS), London Fire Brigade (LFB), Transport for London (TfL), National Health Service (NHS) and their partner, St John’s Ambulance (SJA).

There is also a Notting Hill Strategic Partners Group (SPG) to advise on strategic issues related to Carnival, in which senior members of MOPAC, GLA, WCC, RBKC, TfL, MPS, Arts Council, London Ambulance and the event organising body are represented.

After Carnival 2017, it became apparent through public consultations and direct communication from local groups with the relevant authorities that greater engagement was needed with the wider (and vast) carnival community, and that they should have greater say in the planning process, which they believed was being denied them by the organisers, London Notting Hill Carnival Enterprises Trust (LNHCET), and the public authorities. This call for change was particularly noteworthy in the light of the Grenfell fire.

Given this, and the fact that RBKC’s previous funding agreement of £100,000, which had ran from 2015–2017 required a new agreement for 2018, and following the joint statement of the Strategic Partners Group of 8th September 2017, that “they must see real improvements for a safer Carnival in 2018, with an aspiration to see a more artistic event that continues to celebrate the important historical and cultural aspects of Carnival”, RBKC put their core funding out to a community bidding process.

Subject to a final formal decision from the Leader of Kensington and Chelsea Council, a new organisation – Carnival Village Trust (CVT) was successful in this bidding process, and thus from the perspective of RBKC, are taking over organisation of carnival from the previous body, the London Notting Hill Carnival Enterprises Trust (LNHCET). Given the complexity of carnival, this new organising body will face significant challenges around creating a more joined up carnival, which includes a plan fully integrated across the individual arenas, their components and the wider carnival community in order to deliver a coherent and well-managed event.

Crowd Safety

The sheer numbers of people attending the Notting Hill Carnival in a relatively small residential area necessitates a significant police and stewarding presence. The GLA has historically provided funding for stewarding at Carnival to support the organisers, the community and the police to help improve safety at the event, and looks to continue with this support, enhancing it still further in 2018. This would be by way of a funding agreement with CVT.

Over recent years, and especially following NHC 2016, concerns were raised by key agencies regarding safety of the event due to crowding, including a review by the London Assembly’s Police and Crime Committee. As a result, the Strategic Partners Group commissioned an independent crowd dynamic review to make recommendations on improving crowd safety at the event. Movement Strategies, the independent consultants commissioned, completed the review and made several recommendations for improvement in strategic areas over the next few years, including the community-led organisers being supported by professional event management and co-ordination. Movement Strategies also observed the 2017 event and issuing from their report were commissioned to make further recommendations to enhance the safety of carnival moving forwards.

Stewarding carnival is complex. This is why the GLA is requesting to commission directly the services of the incumbent stewarding company that has delivered the stewarding of carnival since 2013, McKenzie Arnold, to oversee the safety planning of the event, and provide direct advice and guidance to the GLA.

The GLA is committed to increasing community engagement and cohesion at carnival in response to community concerns that the community are not being given sufficient opportunity to be part of the stewarding of their Carnival. As a result, the GLA is requesting to engage McKenzie Arnold directly to put in place a community stewarding programme to train up members of the carnival community to help steward the event. This would also ease the pressure currently put on the Metropolitan Police Service, allowing suitably trained and qualified community members to be more actively involved in the stewarding of the event.

Additionally, the GLA is requesting funding of £565,000 to support CVT in implementing a stewarding plan for the event, this is an uplift in funding from 2017. This is to support and increase the stewarding provision at the event, assists in the implementation of the recommendations from the independent crowd dynamic review. This uplift in stewarding also supports the MPS in ensuring the policing operation is focussed on public safety in the context of the threat level and on the prevention of crime and disorder.

Exemption from the Contracts and Funding Code

Seeking an exemption from the normal procurement requirements in the Contracts and Funding Code to directly appoint McKenzie Arnold to deliver a community steward training and consultation role is on the basis of the previous significant experience McKenzie Arnold has had in stewarding this complex major event. They have been the stewarding provider contracted by the community, via a competitive tender process, for Notting Hill Carnival since 2013. During this period there has been significant change in the security and stewarding requirements to deal with the unique challenges of this international and community sensitive event, including significant work with the Metropolitan Police on implementing plans to support CT (counter terrorism) requirements. Furthermore, the training that McKenzie Arnold will provide will be bespoke to Carnival based on their long-standing experience, providing additional value to the contract. We would also seek comparative rates from other training providers to ensure value for money.

Supporting the stewarding provision at the event will help CVT deliver the crowd management plans produced to ensure a safer event and minimise the impact on agency services and local communities, as well as respond to community pressure seeking more engagement with the community on the stewarding provision. GLA, through the Operational Planning Safety Group, will monitor the outcomes against the stewarding plan and an agreed set of deliverables.

The wider benefits of the event are:

a. Increased positive global reputation of London.
b. Positive profile for London, encouraging economic investment.
c. Education and increased awareness of other communities in London encouraging social integration and cohesion.
d. Increased skills through training, volunteering and employment opportunities.

Whilst difficult to measure, there are other additional benefits including:

a. Increased sense of community through volunteering opportunities and social interaction at the event.
b. Encouraging a sense of pride in Londoners for the city they live.
c. 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 the arts and entertainment which they may otherwise not be able to experience).

Notting Hill Carnival is one of London’s largest cultural events, delivered primarily by London’s Black Caribbean and Black African communities. Community stakeholder groups are engaged in the planning and promotion of the event and ensure that it is appropriate and representative of the carnival community for which it promotes. As a BAME community and volunteer-delivered event that has international profile, there are limited resources to provide the infrastructure that an event of this scale requires. By providing this funding, we are supporting its safe and successful delivery, both for the community, Londoners and the many national and international visitors who attend.

Whilst primarily delivered by, and engages, London’s Black Caribbean and Black African communities, Notting Hill Carnival is a major international event that is inclusive and aimed at bringing people from different communities together to help foster good relations between people. This is achieved through the programme content, and the widespread media coverage and profile it receives.

The preparation for Carnival involves many outreach programmes in music and arts education for all.

Key risks and issues

Whilst the GLA has no direct responsibility for public safety at Notting Hill Carnival, it is considered important that, where practicable, the GLA takes reasonable steps that assist to mitigate against public safety risks in so far as is possible.

In its strategic role for London the GLA supports Notting Hill Carnival, as a major event of significant benefit to the city by providing funding to the organiser (CVT) to support the stewarding, and thus public safety at the event.

The GLA may have a level of influence on planning, in respect of the terms of its funding granted to CVT. To help discharge these duties the GLA attend the regular Operational, Safety, Planning Group meetings with the statutory authorities.

The provision of stewards is an essential element of Carnival crowd management, and without funding support, CVT would not being able to appoint a stewarding contractor, and therefore unable to implement the recommendations made in the independent crowd dynamics review. Additionally, there would be a greater reliance on the police to manage crowd safety at the event, or indeed the statutory agencies would not be able to approve this important community event taking place.

The GLA’s financial support for this project is provided via a funding agreement. As such, the organisers have to reach agreed milestones before funding is released.

Whilst there are undoubtedly benefits that would result from reducing the visible presence of policing at the event (and ultimately the public sector cost), it is important that at this time of increased security risk, the policing resource remains appropriate and proportionate to the current threat levels.

There is a risk that CVT will be unable to generate income and similar funding requests will be made to the GLA and other partners in future years. However, our increased funding helps mitigate this, and also provides additional leverage in seeking increased funding commitments from other funders (for example, RBKC/WCC increasing or committing funding towards event management and other project elements). Any future funding requests to the GLA would be considered on the basis of the application and the benefits for London to be achieved.

Mayoral Strategies and priorities

In approving this programme to support Notting Hill Carnival, it directly links to:

• Manifesto Commitment – Access to the Arts: Continue to back major cultural festivals to celebrate London’s religious and racial diversity.

• 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.

• Draft Culture Strategy: The Mayor will continue to fund festivals and events with an emphasis on more community involvement, increasing quality, raising profile and increasing volunteering.

Impact and assessments

The impact and assessment of the event will be through the multi-agency planning process (Operational, Safety Planning Group) and other sub groups, including WCC, RBKC, MPS, TfL, LAS, LFB, LNHCET, MOPAC and other key stakeholders. This is to ensure that the event is delivered safely and adheres to the regulations regarding Licencing, noise, crowd management and infrastructure.

The Strategic Partners Group provides strategic support for the event from RBKC, WCC, MPS, TfL, MOPAC, and GLA alongside the event organiser.

CVT engages with the wider community and stakeholders to ensure that the community is represented from all generations. Public correspondence via the GLA Public Liaison, WCC and RBCK and market research at the event is also considered for future planning of the event where negative comments and improvement suggestions are made and may be reasonably implemented.

The total cost of this proposal to the GLA is £710,000 and will be funded from the Events for London Programme budget for 2018-19 (£355,000) and a drawdown from the Authority’s Major Events Reserve (£355,000).

As detailed within the main body of this report, the £710,000 budget allocation earmarked for Notting Hill Carnival will be administered by way of grant funding to the ‘Carnival Village Trust’ of up to £565,000 and the procurement of ‘McKenzie Arnold’, a stewarding provider for £145,000. Payments on both the proposed funding agreement and contract for services will be dependent on specific milestones being met following robust monitoring by the GLA.

The foregoing sections of this report indicate that the decisions requested of the mayor fall within the statutory powers of the Authority to promote and/or to do anything which is facilitative of or conducive or incidental to social development within Greater London and in formulating the proposals in respect of which a decision is sought officers 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.

In taking the decisions requested of him, the mayor 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 mayor should have particular regard to section 3 (above) of this report.

Decision 3 above requests an exemption from the GLA’s Contracts and Funding Code (the “Code”) regarding a contract for services between the GLA and McKenzie Arnold valued at up to £145,000. For a contract of this value, the GLA is required either to call off the required services from an accessible framework or conduct a competitive procurement exercise for the same (see section 9.1 of the Code). The mayor may however, approve an exemption from this requirement under section 10 of the Code upon certain specified grounds. One of those grounds is that the proposed service provider has previous involvement in a specific current project. Officers have indicated at section 1.18 of this report that this ground applies. Accordingly, the mayor may approve the proposed exemption if satisfied with the supporting content of this report.

Should approval of the exemption be granted, officers must ensure that appropriate contract documentation be put in place and executed by the GLA and McKenzie Arnold before the commencement of the services.