MD2811 Culture Programmes 2021-22

1.1. COVID-19 has had a devastating effect on London’s economy and society. The London Recovery Board, jointly chaired by the Mayor and the Chair of London Councils, was established in 2020 to plan for and oversee the capital’s economic and social recovery. It has committed to taking a missions-based approach to recovery and has developed a London Recovery Programme based around nine core missions. The GLA’s programmes and associated budgets have been reviewed and restructured in line with these London Recovery Missions, along with eight GLA Recovery Foundations which incorporate the broader, underpinning activities necessary to secure recovery.

1.2. London’s culture, creative and night-time industries have been among the hardest hit by the economic impacts of COVID-19 and the changes brought about by Brexit. Lockdowns, tier restrictions, social distancing measures and new regulations have significantly reduced income. Organisations such as music venues and nightclubs have been closed for over a year. Research commissioned in 2020 by the GLA and Oxford Economics showed that London’s creative industries were due to lose in the region of £16.5bn and 152,500 jobs by the end of 2020 due to the pandemic.

1.3. But these sectors will also play an essential part in the capital’s recovery, delivering jobs, growth and community support. They are some of London’s most important growth industries, with the potential to significantly drive economic and social recovery. Prior to COVID-19 and Brexit, the creative industries were London’s fastest-growing sector, contributing £58.4bn to the economy annually, and accounting for one in six jobs in the capital.

1.4. The Mayor is committed to ensuring that more Londoners, particularly those from disadvantaged backgrounds, can access the positive benefits of arts and culture. London must retain its status as a world-leading capital for culture and creativity. These goals are even more urgent in the context of London’s recovery from COVID-19 and Brexit.

1.5. The impacts of COVID-19 have magnified the challenges identified in the Culture Strategy, “Culture for All Londoners”. The policies and programmes that seek to address these issues are now even more vital. These challenges include the impact of austerity on public funding, local authorities' declining ability to support culture, stark losses of cultural infrastructure over the past 10 years, a lack of diversity in London’s creative workforce, international competition and the impact of Brexit. Continuity of policies and programmes which seek to address these issues is hugely important.

1.6. In March 2021 the Mayor approved the allocation of urgent funding of up to £3.324m for a number of critical programmes (under cover of MD2791) to provide resilience during continued transition out of lockdown. This decision seeks approval of expenditure of a further £463,000 from the Culture and Creative Industries Unit revenue budget for 2021-22, plus approval to receive and spend a further £125,000 of third-party grant funding from the Baring Foundation (to be spent over three years from 2021-22 to 2023-24), making a total of £588m in expenditure on key programmes. The proposed expenditure will fund activity that contributes to a range of key Recovery Missions and Foundations as outlined below:

24 Hour London

1.7. The Mayor’s Vision for London as a 24-hour city sets out 10 core principles. The London Night Time Commission published recommendations on how to implement this vision in 2019, as approved under cover of MD2246.

1.8. London’s high streets at night have been devastated by the pandemic, with many culture, leisure and hospitality businesses being the first to close and among the last to reopen. Prior to COVID-19, London’s night-time economy was worth over £26bn a year and employed 1.6m Londoners. It is not yet clear whether night-time spending will recover, how business models of licensed premises will need to adapt, and how many night-time businesses will remain open on London’s high streets following the pandemic.

1.9. This uncertainty poses a significant problem for London’s local authority and police licensing and regulatory teams. Licensing and other policies drawn up pre-COVID may no longer be appropriate to support the recovery of high streets at night. Pre-COVID data that informed council licensing and business policies also needs to be updated and improved to reflect the fast-moving and changeable situation. Licensing and regulation teams in local authorities have been stretched by the fast-changing landscape of regulations and guidance throughout the pandemic. Research, coordination and support are needed to help local authorities, the police and business to share knowledge and resources; develop new policies and procedures; protect the public, night-time workers and residents; and ensure the safe and successful recovery of London’s high streets at night.

1.10. The Night Czar and 24 Hour London team have worked with the Regeneration and Economic Development units and other teams across the organisation to coordinate the GLA’s emergency business impact response. They have established and continue to lead a High Street Reopening Group to support local authorities and the police, and to provide coordination with business groups, as well as helping deliver the Mayor’s £2.3m Culture at Risk Business Support Fund and carrying out casework for the Culture at Risk Office.

1.11. The Night Czar and 24 Hour London team have also helped develop a new High Street Data Service, which will give local authorities faster access to data about the performance of London’s high streets at night, and have published guidance and research to help local authorities produce Night Time Strategies and set up Night Time Enterprise Zones.

1.12. Funding of £101,000 will enable the competitive procurement of consultants to carry out research into the impact of the pandemic on licensed businesses, and on London’s licensing and regulatory systems. This research will help regulators and policymakers understand new and developing business models and emerging ways of working at local level, particularly among licensing and regulation, planning, and regeneration teams. The researchers will be asked to assess the challenges and opportunities that the pandemic has presented, and recommend what changes are required to maintain safe and successful high streets at night as London recovers from the pandemic.

1.13. The funding will also support: regular meetings of a licensing and regulation recovery group; a new forum for night-time businesses to inform the research; pilot activity to be carried out in response to the recommendations of the report; and the delivery of a pan-London event to disseminate the findings of the research and support the implementation of the recommendations.

London Music Fund

1.14. Music-making has a profound effect on children and young people. It helps to develop communication, concentration, literacy, numeracy and teamwork. However, music tuition is expensive and participation in learning an instrument is out of reach of many families and young people – an issue that the London Music Fund helps to address.

1.15. The Mayor is the Patron of the London Music Fund, an established charity with an excellent reputation for providing support and opportunities for young people in the capital and achieving outstanding outcomes for these young people.

1.16. Since 2011, the Fund has supported nearly 600 young instrumentalists with four-year scholarships, all of whom are from low-income families. 62 per cent of scholars are from Black, Asian or ethnically diverse backgrounds.

1.17. It has also funded a further 50 collaborative and imaginative projects with Music Education Hubs, schools, professional arts organisations and other education providers, involving more than 10,000 of London’s children and young people. In total, the Fund has invested more than £3m in music education across the capital.

1.18. In February 2020, the London Music Fund launched Amplify London, a partnership with YouTube Music to support small, grassroots organisations providing non-formal musical activity and training to young people who normally face barriers to accessing such opportunities.

1.19. COVID-19 had a significant impact on the London Music Fund and has inevitably impacted on students’ musical progress this year. While scholars were able to continue some form of musical learning online, face-to-face interaction was limited, as was any kind of ensemble activity. The ability to raise funds was also impacted, leading to increased pressure on the charity’s reserves. Continued Mayoral support is needed to help students catch up following the difficulties of the pandemic year, and to maintain ongoing donor confidence, using the Mayoral commitment to leverage further funding.

1.20. GLA funding of £26,000 will support the charity’s scholarship programme, allowing young Londoners to continue their tuition with their local Music Education Hub during 2021-22. Without this funding, talented young musicians will lose out.

World Cities Culture Forum

1.21. The World Cities Culture Forum is a global network, currently comprising 40 cities, convened by the Mayor of London and chaired by Justine Simons OBE, Deputy Mayor for Culture and Creative Industries. Its members – senior leaders from city governments – are influential officials, advocating for culture as a vital part of urban policy, as well as being key to building a city’s quality of life, reputation and economic prosperity.

1.22. This international network is currently focused on cities’ COVID-19 recovery strategies. It provides a platform for practical leadership support through sharing experiences, and learning about policies and funding to support culture, creative industries and workers, and night-time economies impacted by COVID-19. For example, through the forum, the GLA is learning from the exit strategies of member cities across the world who are beginning to come out of COVID-19 lockdown scenarios, feeding directly into London's transition and recovery strategy and planning. It is also focusing on impacts on diverse communities through a strand of knowledge-sharing on equity, diversity and inclusion. Another key strand is on culture and climate change, which looks at how cities can address environmental challenges through culture.

1.23. The Forum holds an annual summit which is hosted and funded on a rotating basis by member cities. Each year, a gathering of deputy mayors and cultural officials comes together to share ideas and knowledge about culture’s role in public policy in a world-city context. The summit is a chance to share successes, learn, and build the evidence needed to make the most of culture’s social and economic impact. London has hosted the summit twice (in 2012 and 2015).

1.24. The 2020 summit was held digitally due to COVID-19, and digital or hybrid options are being explored for 2021, with a physical meeting planned for 2022.

1.25. In 2021-22, under cover of MD2791, the Mayor approved:

• the extension of the concessionary agreement for an external consultant to deliver the activities of the network, take membership fees from participating members and develop research;

• work on the transition towards a new governance model for the Forum; and

• funding for the costs of a 12-month fixed-term contract grade 12 post, subject to approval through the GLA’s HR processes, to deliver the transition programme and outcomes.

1.26. As part of this work, additional funding of £41,000 is now sought to support business planning, fundraising and communications consultancy to ensure the smooth transition of the Forum to a new governance model. These steps are designed to mitigate risks and reduce costs to the GLA over the longer term, with the GLA tapering and reducing its financial commitment over time.

1.27. The GLA budget will also cover costs of a research trip to the host city for the 2022 summit, to visit venues, discuss the planned content and ensure the viability of the event.

Diversity programme

1.28. London’s creative sector does not reflect the diversity of Londoners. There is an urgent need for a gear shift across the creative industries. The Diversity programme seeks to ensure that Londoners from every background can pursue a career in the creative industries, removing the barriers that stand in their way. The programme aligns with the Recovery Missions: New Deal for Young People and Helping Londoners into Good Work. This commitment also supports the Mayor’s preventative approach to crime, aiming to create positive alternative opportunities for young Londoners (particularly access to training, new skills and employment).

1.29. The proposed GLA funding of £74,000 will fund the ‘Unpacking the Credits’ project and the external evaluation framework for the current Creative JobCentre pilot.

1.30. Unpacking the Credits is a strategic intervention at Key Stage 3 for young people (aged 11-15) that will solve a critical gap in careers advice, open up awareness of and access to jobs in the creative sector, and challenge negative perceptions about working in the creative industries.

1.31. It is particularly aimed at young people from Black, Asian, minority ethnic or lower socio-economic backgrounds. The project will deliver a series of industry-led films and educational resources to shine a spotlight on the huge range of jobs in the sector, from carpenters to caterers. These resources will highlight available employment and career paths along with visible role models young people can identify with.

1.32. The three industry-led films will ‘unpack’ three different creative sectors, focusing on the different kinds of ‘behind the scenes’ jobs that make creative production happen. The films and resources aim to show young people a variety of jobs they were probably not aware of. The films and their accompanying educational resources will be distributed through a variety of channels, of which secondary schools and pupil referral units will be the most important.

1.33. The Creative JobCentre project is piloting new ways of building recruitment pipelines between job centres and creative employers in the screen industries. It is targeting parts of London where there is a significant disparity in unemployment rates between white unemployed Londoners and unemployed Londoners from Black, Asian and ethnic minority communities. Delivery of the project has been funded from the current approved Culture and Creative Industries Unit budgets, but additional funding is needed to deliver an evaluation framework that may help to scale the project to other creative sectors.

1.34. This decision therefore seeks approval for the GLA to commission an external evaluation of the Creative JobCentre pilot programme. The objectives for the external evaluation will be to determine the extent to which the programme can achieve sectorial change in the job market, and to identify an appropriate framework for other creative industries partners to work alongside the Department for Work and Pensions and the GLA to enhance the talent pool of the sector. This work could enable us to reach a wider cross-section of diverse Londoners and employers, subject to securing further funding.

1.35. The GLA funding will be used to procure (in accordance with the GLA Contracts and Funding Code) programme design, delivery, research costs, training and events to deliver the above activities. This will be supplemented by additional industry funding.

Culture, Health and Wellbeing programme

1.36. The Mayor’s Culture strategy, Culture for All Londoners, outlines the benefits that arts and culture bring to health and wellbeing. Evidence shows that being creative and taking part in the arts makes a significant difference to people’s physical and mental health and wellbeing, and can support recovery from long COVID and associated conditions.

1.37. The Executive Director of Good Growth approved a programme of policy work to develop cultural social prescribing for Londoners by bringing together the health and culture sectors under cover of DD2444. Not all Londoners have equal access to cultural health and wellbeing provision, with poor referral pathways between primary care networks, social care and cultural providers. This, together with the Mayor’s approval of activity supporting Dementia Friendly City goals under cover of MD2632, has enabled the GLA’s Culture and Creative Industries Unit to improve understanding and activity between the interlocking systems of social care, NHS primary care networks and the cultural sector. One outcome of this work is a new funding partnership with the Baring Foundation to the value of £125,000 to support the next phase of this work.

1.38. COVID-19 has resulted in significant increases in children and young people experiencing acute mental ill health, in those experiencing acute social isolation and in referrals to social prescribing services. According to the NHS, one in six children aged 5-16 were identified as having a probable mental disorder as of July 2020. In response to these impacts, many organisations in the culture sector have pivoted their work to support vulnerable Londoners through a range of activities including play-packs distributed via food banks and mutual aid groups, long COVID rehabilitation support, and online creative workshops.

1.39. In support of two of the London Recovery Missions – Mental Health and Wellbeing, and Building Strong Communities – the Culture and Creative Industries Unit will continue to work with the GLA Health Team and Team London to: increase the sustainability of cultural social prescribing which is currently at stretch from increased demand; provide resources to deepen understanding and connections between the culture and health sectors; and build more effective referral routes for all Londoners.

1.40. The CCI Culture, Health and Wellbeing programme allocation of £246,000 includes a Baring Foundation grant of £125,000 which has been secured over three years, commencing in 2021-22. This funding will enable the programme to continue and grow by supporting the following six areas of investment: creation and evaluation of a Creative Health and Wellbeing programme pilot; phase two of the Dementia Friendly Venue Charter, including network and training support; delivery of an action plan for children and young people, including a World Mental Health Day Festival in partnership with Thrive LDN; resources to support people working with children and young people with mental ill health; training to build connections between primary care networks, social care and cultural providers; and co-convening of the London Arts & Health Action Group with Arts Council England and London Arts in Health.

1.41. Prioritising an area of social and economic deprivation and serving vulnerable Londoners and their support networks, the proposed pilot Creative Health and Wellbeing Zone builds on findings from the 2019-20 social prescribing demonstrator projects and will be co-designed in consultation with the culture and health sectors, including those with lived experience of ill health (physical and mental). The pilot will support the delivery of the following objectives:

• champion and advocate best practice in cultural social prescribing across London, nationally and internationally, ensuring equality of sustained access for Londoners and growing the evidence base;

• support initiatives that improve young people’s mental health through culture;

• support the Mayor’s Dementia Friendly City goals through new culture-led approaches to working with older people and those living with dementia, including the Museum of London’s venue network and the new Dementia Friendly Venue Charter; and

• build on a strong partnership with Arts Council England, co-founders of the Action London, Arts and Health Network, which was established with London Arts and Health and the GLA Culture and Creative Industries Unit. A joint post to support this programme is under discussion with Arts Council England, who would provide the necessary funding if successful.

Culture strategy

1.42. The Mayor has a statutory duty to deliver a Culture strategy and to appoint a Mayoral Cultural Leadership Board (MCLB) to advise him on the strategy and its delivery.

1.43. The MCLB also provides advice to the Mayor on a range of issues to ensure the needs of culture are accounted for across all his strategies. The MCLB will need to inform the capital’s recovery programmes and provide evidence-led advice that is informed by cultural organisations and businesses in the creative industries.

1.44. To achieve this, the Culture Unit will establish a Recovery Observatory for Culture, which will be delivered from within the Culture Unit with external research commissioned as appropriate through external procurement. The Observatory will enable a strategic approach to commissioning new research into key areas such as the economic and social benefit of investment in London’s culture, in order to support evidence-led policy.

1.45. GLA funding of £100,000 will deliver the Observatory and research, alongside supporting the statutory MCLB itself (events, access) and delivering on key priorities for culture and the creative industries set out in the Mayoral manifesto.

24 Hour London

2.1. The objective of this investment is to support the recovery of London’s high streets at night.

2.2. The GLA investment of £101,000 will deliver the following outputs:

• a series of pan-London regulatory meetings (high street reopening, licensing and regulation coordination);

• research to understand the changing landscape for businesses operating at night post-pandemic;

• research to support the development of recovery-focused licensing and regulatory practices across London, post-pandemic;

• a pilot project to increase collaboration between boroughs on recovery-focused licensing and regulation across London; and

• a forum for night-time businesses to support intelligence-gathering and inform policy.

2.3. This will achieve the following outcomes:

• the continued and coordinated reopening of London’s high streets at night, as well as during the day, in a safe and managed way;

• provision of data and insights for boroughs, businesses, and the police to help them navigate and operate in post-pandemic London at night;

• a clear understanding of the new environment in which London’s high streets are operating, and recommendations to support their development and future resilience;

• support from the Mayor and GLA for businesses, local authority licensing and regulatory teams, and the police in ensuring the safe and successful recovery of London’s high streets at night;

• evidence of borough licensing teams working more collaboratively to help navigate the post-pandemic licensing environment and providing certainty and clarity to businesses; and

• greater consistency in the application of licensing policies across London, supporting London’s night businesses and jobs.

London Music Fund

2.4. The objective of this investment is to provide grant funding to the London Music Fund to enable young Londoners on the scholarships programme to learn a musical instrument and develop their musical talent.

2.5. The GLA investment of £26,000 will enable instrumental lessons for young London musicians, plus access to weekend music tuition and special projects.

2.6. This will achieve the development of musical and social skills for disadvantaged young Londoners including those from under-represented backgrounds, through participation in instrumental tuition, projects and performances, improving their life chances.

World Cities Culture Forum

2.7. This investment will deliver the following objectives:

• achieve policy impact through knowledge-sharing and innovative policymaking, particularly with regard to COVID-19 recovery planning;

• benefit London’s culture and creative sector and creative workers by putting into place learning from international cities’ responses to COVID-19;

• benefit Londoners by learning from other cities on best practice and embedding these findings into GLA work;

• demonstrate London’s leadership to international peers, building London’s reputation on the global stage at a key point when the UK has left the EU; and

• help transition the Forum into a new governance structure that is less reliant on the GLA for future funding.

2.8. The GLA investment of £41,000 will support delivery of the following outputs:

• nine international webinars;

• four global bulletins relating to COVID-19 recovery and the culture sector;

• research and development of a World Cities Culture Report (to be delivered in 2022-23);

• an international summit bringing together world cities to discuss future of culture and recovery;

• a transition roadmap to set up a new governance structure;

• legal, commercial and communication support to deliver a new governance structure; and

• research trip and development of 2022 summit plans.

2.9. This will achieve the following outcomes:

• stronger and evidence-based policymaking at the GLA, particularly in response to COVID-19, across policy teams including Culture, International, Economic Development and Communities, and Social Policy, developed through accessing learning and evidence from international case studies;

• demonstration of London’s best practice and collaboration with other cities to help inform policy internationally and strengthen London’s global reputation; and

• a more sustainable governance model for the Forum in the future.

Diversity programme

2.10. This investment will deliver the following objectives:

• pilot and test specific policy and programme interventions which the Mayor can make in partnership with relevant stakeholders;

• establish programmes of work that will have the greatest impact in helping London’s creative workforce become more diverse; and

• identify new links across GLA Policy on workforce diversity, joining up programmes where relevant.

2.11. The GLA investment of £74,000 will deliver the following outputs:

• delivery of a series of three films accompanied with an educational resource pack to be distributed to young people, working with partners and the London Enterprise Advisors Network and various social media channels;

• production of an evaluation report, including a scale up model, on the impact of the Creative JobCentres pilot programme, which helps unemployed Londoners, especially Black, Asian and minority ethnic Londoners, to roles within culture and the creative industries; and

• further research, stakeholder engagement and training events.

2.12. This will achieve the following outcomes:

• increased number of employers in the industry taking active steps to recruit a more diverse pool of employees and talent; and

• increased awareness of culture and creative industries as a career opportunity, particularly among young diverse Londoners.

Culture, Health and Wellbeing programme

2.13. This investment will deliver the following objectives:

• help cultural social prescribing to become a routine and visible part of community support across London;

• empower Londoners to more easily improve their own and their communities’ health and wellbeing;

• increase understanding of the benefits of culture in supporting children and young people experiencing mental ill health;

• support the Dementia Friendly City goals through new culture-led approaches to working with older people to live well with dementia;

• demonstrate the social and economic benefits of improved connections between culture, health and social care;

• encourage and create new employment opportunities for cultural practitioners to support the delivery of cultural social prescribing and work with health and social care systems; and

• improve understanding of best practice and quality work undertaken by arts organisations in health and wellbeing settings.



2.14. This will achieve the following outputs:

• one pilot Creative Health and Wellbeing Zone to test viability and scalability, engaging with 50 Londoners, 20 cultural organisations, five health and social care connections, and 20 volunteers;

• 40 cultural venues signed up to Dementia Friendly Venue Charter and 80 people undertaking training;

• one World Mental Health Day Festival 2021 led by the Mayor’s Peer Outreach Group and Thrive LDN;

• three new podcasts and articles for the Cultural Social Prescribing Myth Busting online guide;

• 250 training opportunities for cultural practitioners working in health settings; and

• five meetings of the co-convened London Action for Culture and Health Network.

2.15. The GLA’s 2021-22 investment of £121,000, together with the Baring Foundation grant of £125,000 over three years, will deliver the following outcomes:

• a Creative Health and Wellbeing pilot and impact report;

• a pilot quality assurance and evaluation framework for cultural social prescribing;

• an action plan for children and young people supporting those experiencing mental ill health through cultural activities;

• effective connections between link workers, doctors, cultural practitioners and venues to improve access to creative health opportunities for Londoners; and

• new funding connections between the cultural sector, the NHS and social care commissioners.

Culture strategy

2.16. This investment will deliver the following objectives:

• ensure that the Mayor’s statutory requirements are met (delivery of the Mayor’s Culture strategy, and the Mayor’s Cultural Leadership Board);

• ensure GLA policy and strategy is underpinned by a breadth of appropriate advice and research; and

• maximise opportunities to benefit culture and the creative industries, informing both programme development and advocacy.

2.17. The investment of £100,000 will deliver:

• the Recovery Observatory for Culture, including two pieces of new research into the benefits of London’s cultural investment to the rest of the UK and the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on London’s cultural and creative sector. The investment will also cover the publication, communication and dissemination of these pieces of research; and

• support for the statutory Mayor’s Cultural Leadership Board including meetings and events (including the Mayor’s annual reception); ambassador expenses; research/initiatives requested by the Board; and recruitment of Board members.

2.18. The investment will deliver the following outcomes:

• engagement of the culture sector in the Mayor’s recovery strategy for culture;

• engagement of the culture sector in the Mayor’s manifesto commitments around culture;

• mayoral cultural strategy and policy informed by up to date advice and research;

• GLA communication of new research/policy to key stakeholders including the culture sector, London boroughs and the national government; and

• advocacy for culture and the creative industries that is underpinned by up-to-date evidence and research.

3.1. Under Section 149 of the Equality Act 2010, as a public authority, the Mayor of London must give ‘due regard’ to the need to eliminate unlawful discrimination, harassment and victimisation, as well as to advance equality of opportunity and foster good relations between people who have a ‘protected characteristic’ as defined in the Equality Act 2010 and those who do not.

3.2. The proposed programmes outlined in this decision form will enable the continued creation of opportunities for Londoners, providing social and economic benefits in the capital, as well as helping to ensure maximum support to those particularly vulnerable to the impact of COVID-19. The programmes and projects seek to ensure that all Londoners, regardless of whether they have protected characteristics or not, are able to enjoy, experience and benefit from being creative and taking part in London’s cultural offering.

3.3. The World Cities Culture Forum will run a specific equality, diversity and inclusion policy strand sharing examples of good practice.

3.4. The 24 Hour London programme helps to protect the vulnerable LGBTQ+ community, increase

protection of women’s safety at night and ensure safe access to high streets for all. The 24 Hour London team also supports the Culture and Community Spaces at Risk Office.

3.5. The London Music Fund specifically provides opportunities for young people from low-income backgrounds to realise and fulfil their potential through musical education, increases their and skills, and provides them with an equal opportunity to nurture their musical talents and pursue musical aspirations.

3.6. The growth of social prescribing sits within strategic objective 33 of the Mayor’s Equalities, Diversity and Inclusion strategy for London: “To co-produce with partners, including the Voluntary and Community Sector, NHS and local authorities, a social prescribing vision and next steps for London that set out the approach to expanding social prescribing across London and particularly with the most deprived communities including the elderly, those with long term medical conditions and those with complex medical and social needs.”

3.7. The Unit’s diversity programmes will specifically provide awareness of careers within the creative

industries for young people, through the Unpacking the Credits programme. The Creative JobCentre Pilot will increase awareness of the careers in the screen industry for entry-level jobseekers, and support jobseekers transferring from other sectors. It will support the screen industries to recruit from a more diverse workforce no matter their background and support Black, Asian and minority ethnic mid-career professionals progressing into more senior roles.

3.8. The Unit will ensure that all organisations who are in receipt of GLA grant funding, or who are contracted by the GLA, have equality policies in place and are committed to proactively applying the principles of the Equality Act 2010, and to regularly refreshing their equality and diversity policies and practices.

4.1. In June 2020, the Mayor and the GLA established the London Recovery Board. It is supported by a Recovery Taskforce, which will coordinate actions to meet these challenges. The programmes and activities outlined in this decision play an important role in supporting the following Recovery Missions and Foundations, to help Londoners recover from COVID-19:

Missions

• High Streets for All

• Health and Wellbeing

• Building Strong Communities

• A Green New Deal

Foundations

• Spatial Development

• Engaging Londoners

• Equality, Diversity and Inclusion

• Supporting Businesses, Jobs and Growth

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

• A City for All Londoners, wherein culture is seen as the golden thread, key to the capital’s future success, for both integrating and strengthening communities, and supporting more liveable and successful places.

• 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.

• The Mayor’s objectives for Healthy Streets, which are more welcoming to people and encourage them to make active and sustainable travel choices, for example by contributing to the Healthy Streets’ aspiration of ‘things to see and do’.

• The Mayor’s vision for London as a 24-hour city (diversifying London’s night-time offer and making it more safe, welcoming and accessible for a wider range of people).

• The Mayor’s Police and Crime Plan (Women’s Night Safety Summit) and the new London Plan (strategic policies for supporting London’s night-time economy and its diverse range of artistic, cultural and entertainment enterprises, and the cultural, social and economic benefits they offer to its residents, workers and visitors).

• Inclusive London, the Mayor’s Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Strategy, which sets out that a successful city needs to work well for all residents. 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 improve social integration in London. This means enabling people to have more opportunities to connect with each other positively and meaningfully and supporting Londoners to play an active part in their communities and the decisions that affect them. It involves reducing barriers and inequalities, so that Londoners can relate to each other as equals.

Impact assessments and consultations



4.3. The GLA’s Cultural Strategy Group for London (known as the Mayor’s Cultural Leadership Board) is a statutory group comprising senior leaders from across the creative and cultural industries. These ambassadors shape the Mayor’s Culture strategy and represent diverse voices across the industry. The Board has continued to meet over the past year to advise on the GLA’s recovery response.

4.4. The GLA has held over 14 culture roundtables during the pandemic, as well as 29 workshops and roundtables with 24 Hour London stakeholders to ensure its response is industry and local authority led. These meetings have helped shape recovery activity in relation to culture.

4.5. During 2018-19, the Mayor’s Culture Strategy was subject to a 12-week consultation with stakeholders and the public. Feedback was gathered through events, roadshows, written feedback and via Talk London. The Culture Strategy also underwent an integrated impact assessment during the initial drafting, and a further review following consultation feedback. Some of the key positive findings from the strategy consultation were that arts and culture have a positive influence on health and wellbeing, and this link should be promoted and better facilitated. The consultation also found that participation in culture supports social cohesion, inclusion and sense of identity, and creates vibrant places and communities.



Risks

5.1. Approval is sought for the expenditure of up to £588,000 for various Culture and Creative Industries programmes. This expenditure is funded by £463,000 from the 2021-22 Culture budget and the receipt of a £125,000 grant from the Baring Foundation across three financial years from 2021-22.

5.2. The proposed expenditure in 2021-22 of £538,000 will be funded from the unit’s agreed budget and an initial £75,000 grant funding from the Baring Foundation (to supplement the Health and Wellbeing programme). A summary of total spend is detailed below:

5.3. The remaining proposed expenditure of £50,000 will be funded from continuation of the Barings Foundation grant awarded in the following two financial years: £30,000 in 2022-23; and £20,000 in 2023-24.

6.1. The foregoing sections of this report indicate that:

6.1.1. the decisions requested of the Mayor concern the exercise of the GLA’s general powers, falling within the GLA’s statutory powers to do such things considered to further or which are facilitative of, conducive or incidental to the promotion of economic development and wealth creation in Greater London; and

6.1.2. In formulating the proposals in respect of which a decision is sought officers have complied with the GLA’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 and health inequalities between persons; and contribute towards the achievement of sustainable development in the UK; and

(c) consult with appropriate bodies.

6.2. In taking the decisions requested, 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 and foster good relations between persons who share a relevant protected characteristic (race, disability, gender, age, sexual orientation, religion) 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.

6.3. In addition to seeking grant funding from third parties the GLA may seek to secure third-party funding from:

6.3.1. third parties under its power to charge for its provision of discretionary services under section 93 of the Local Government Act 2003 (provided that the charges levied do not exceed the costs of provision); and

6.3.2. third-party local authorities under its powers to provide and charge for its provision to them of goods and/or services under the Local Authorities (Goods and Services) Act 1970.

6.4. Should the Mayor be minded to make the decisions sought, officers must ensure that:

6.4.1. any services and supplies required for delivery of the proposed business support are procured by TfL Commercial, in accordance with the GLA’s Contracts and Funding Code, and the GLA and service providers/suppliers enter into an execute contracts for the provision of the same before the commencement of such services and supplies;

6.4.2. to the extent that any of the expenditure concerns the award of grant funding, that funding is distributed fairly, transparently, in manner which affords value for money and in accordance with the requirements of the GLA’s Contracts and Funding Code, and grant-funding agreements are put in place between and executed by the GLA and recipients of grant funding before any commitment to fund is made; and

6.4.3. no reliance is place upon any third-party funding (including, without limitation, the Baring Foundation funding) without being content that the GLA can comply with all and any conditions applicable to the same and until a legally binding commitment to the provision of funding is secured from such third parties.