MD3267 Notting Hill Carnival 2024 – additional support

1.1    The sum of £650,000 was approved by the Mayor of London, in MD2950, for Notting Hill Carnival events in 2022, 2023 and 2024. This decision form seeks the Mayor’s approval of additional funding of up to £296,300 in 2024 to Notting Hill Carnival Ltd. This additional funding, which was also provided in 2023 under cover of MD3150, is a contribution to the costs of enhancing Notting Hill Carnival’s stewarding and crowd-management resources. The funding is specifically to cover increased stewarding costs, and additional stewarding provision and crowd-management support. The total cost to the GLA for the event will be up to £946,300 in 2024. 
1.2    Whilst not an event for which the GLA is responsible, the GLA considers it important to take, where and to the extent to which it can, reasonable steps to assist Notting Hill Carnival Ltd to mitigate public safety risks.
1.3    The GLA has powers and duties under the Greater London Authority Act 1999 (GLA Act) to promote wealth creation, economic and social development, and improvement of the environment in Greater London; and to promote tourism to, in and through Greater London. Events have a profound potential to bring economic and social benefits to the city. Major events can raise the city’s profile and present a positive image to the world’s media and potential visitors. 
1.4    The Notting Hill Carnival has been staged in London over the August bank holiday weekend every year since 1966 (except 2020 and 2021, due to COVID-19). It is a great celebration of Caribbean culture and one of London's highest-profile public events, attracting people from across not only the capital, but also the UK and overseas. 
1.5    The artistic vision of Carnival is to foster the creative development and enhancement of diverse artistic excellence; and to transform perceptions of Carnival culture locally, nationally and internationally. The event celebrates the history of Carnival, and reflects diverse artistic elements, cultural identity, heritage and community cohesion. 
Organisation of Carnival
1.6    Unlike many other large-scale events, Notting Hill Carnival has developed organically rather than being driven by a particular group or individual. As such, the lines of responsibility and management have historically been blurred. This has necessitated a higher level of support from the local authorities and agencies to support the delivery of a safe event.
1.7    The event occurs across two London boroughs: the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea (RBKC), which covers most of the event footprint; and Westminster City Council (WCC). Both councils support Notting Hill Carnival with funding, as well as through trading stalls, enforcement, and provision of infrastructure and utilities such as toilets and water. The London Borough of Brent, on the periphery, is also impacted. 
1.8    Carnival is supported in the operational planning and delivery of the event by key statutory agencies, which together form the Licensing Operational Safety Planning Group (LOSPG). These are the two boroughs; the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS); London Fire Brigade (LFB); Transport for London (TfL); and the NHS and its partner, St John Ambulance. 
1.9    There is also a Gold Strategic Group (GSG) that oversees the strategic operational planning and delivery of the event, which meets monthly and is attended by senior members of the GLA, WCC, RBKC, TfL, the MPS, LAS, LFB and other key stakeholders and partners. 
1.10    The purpose of the Notting Hill Carnival Strategic Partners Group (SPG) is to create a forum for the key funders and contributors of Notting Hill Carnival to provide strategic oversight, support and guidance to the Event Organisers, Notting Hill Carnival Ltd, in the development and acceleration towards sustainable future growth and long-term development of Carnival. This is attended by senior members of the GLA, WCC, RBKC, the MPS and the official Notting Hill Carnival event organiser.
1.11    Carnival Village Trust (CVT), trading as Notting Hill Carnival Ltd, is the current official event organiser for Notting Hill Carnival. 
Increase in stewarding costs
1.12    The economic impacts of the pandemic and Brexit are significant, and have created a challenging future for the events industry. This effect has been exacerbated by interest rate hikes and the cost-of-living crisis. Many businesses within the events sector, including stewarding companies, did not survive the pandemic, while some suppliers effectively created a monopoly in the market. Additionally, with people moving out of the events industry following the impact of COVID-19, the reduced people-resource has also driven up prices. Cost increases have been in the region of thirty per cent. 
1.13    A standing contract with the Carnival stewarding company, which finished in 2022, had prices that were fixed in 2019. As was the situation in 2023, Carnival organisers have highlighted that providing stewarding numbers at a similar level to recent years (and to that provided in 2023) would again require increased funding to that previously agreed in MD2950. This is because stewarding costs have significantly increased, reflecting increased costs across the industry, and therefore without additional funding, the stewarding provision would be reduced. 
Additional stewarding provision
1.14    The sheer numbers of people attending the Notting Hill Carnival in a relatively small residential area necessitates a significant crowd-management and stewarding operation. As a community-led event with limited income streams, the organisers of Carnival have been unable to fully provide this, resulting in a high police presence to ensure crowd safety and protect public order.
1.15    To help reduce the reliance on policing to manage crowds, and improve both safety and community cohesion at the event, the GLA has provided funding to the Carnival organisers to enhance the crowd-management and stewarding operation.
1.16    In 2023, it was recommended that the stewarding plan should be expanded to include two new areas within the event. Additional GLA funding was provided to deliver the required additional stewarding and comprehensive plans – which will also be required in 2024. Other key strategic partners (WCC and RBKC) also enhanced their funding to support this in 2023 and have confirmed they will do so for 2024.
Funding costs
1.17    Approval is sought for additional expenditure of up to £296,300 in 2024. This will enable Notting Hill Carnival Ltd to implement a stewarding plan that at least replicates the number of stewards from 2023, when this level of additional funding was also provided. It will also facilitate crowd-management support in the planning and delivery of the event.
1.18    This funding, to support the stewarding provision at Carnival, also supports the MPS, who provide significant resource, in ensuring the policing operation is focused on public safety, in the context of the threat level, and on the prevention of crime and disorder, rather than being drawn in to support crowd management. 
 

2.1    Providing funding to support the stewarding-provision costs at the event will help Notting Hill Carnival Ltd deliver the crowd-management plans produced to ensure a safer event and minimise the impact on agency services. The GLA, through its membership of the Operational Planning Safety Group, will monitor the outcomes against the stewarding plan and an agreed set of deliverables.
2.2    Without adequate stewarding provision at Notting Hill Carnival, the ability to realise the wider benefits of the event will be impacted. These benefits, whilst difficult to measure, are:
•    an enhanced positive profile for London, encouraging economic investment and tourism
•    education and increased awareness of other communities in London, encouraging social integration and cohesion
•    increased skills through training, volunteering and employment opportunities
•    increased sense of community through volunteering opportunities and social interaction at the event
•    encouraging Londoners’ sense of pride in their city
•    enjoyment and satisfaction to support the wellbeing of Londoners and improving their health and quality of life: this is particularly applicable to Londoners with limited disposable income, as free events offer access to the arts and entertainment, which they may otherwise not be able to experience.
2.3    This activity, and the impact of the GLA funding proposed, will be measured through feedback from the multi-agency LOSPG and strategic partners throughout the planning process for Carnival. In addition, market research carried out by the organiser will identify the profile of event attendees; audience engagement; awareness and sentiment; and digital traffic and click-through rates on the official website.
 

3.1    Under section 149 of the Equality Act 2010, the Mayor and the GLA are subject to the public sector equality duty and must have due regard to the need to:
•    eliminate unlawful discrimination, harassment, and victimisation
•    advance equality of opportunity between people who share a relevant protected characteristic and those who do not
•    foster good relations between people who share a relevant protected characteristic and those who do not. 
3.2    The “protected characteristics” are age, disability, gender reassignment, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, sexual orientation, and marriage/civil partnership status. The duty involves having appropriate regard to these matters as they apply in the circumstances, including having regard to the need to: remove or minimise any disadvantage suffered by those who share or are connected to a protected characteristic; take steps to meet the diverse needs of such people; and encourage them to participate in public life or in any other activity where their participation is disproportionately low. This can involve treating people with a protected characteristic more favourably than those without one. 
3.3    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, ensuring that it is appropriate and representative of the carnival community that it promotes. As a Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic community and volunteer-delivered event with an international profile, there are limited resources to provide the infrastructure that an event of this scale requires. By providing this funding, the GLA is supporting its safe and successful delivery for the community, for Londoners and for the many national and international visitors who attend. 
3.4    Whilst primarily delivered by 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 inter-community relations. 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. Applicants for funding as the community organiser must demonstrate their connection to Notting Hill Carnival; and the ability to manage a board of Carnival representatives that consists of community stakeholders across all Carnival disciplines.
 

Key risks and issues
4.1    Whilst not an event for which the GLA is responsible, the GLA considers it important to take, where and to the extent to which it can, reasonable steps to assist Notting Hill Carnival Ltd to mitigate public safety risks.
4.2    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 or any future event organiser) to support its stewarding of, and thus public safety at, the event.
4.3    The table below shows the key risks, and corresponding mitigations/responses: 

Links to Mayoral strategies and priorities
4.4    In approving funding for Notting Hill Carnival, this links to the following:
•    The Mayor’s manifesto commitment to:
    backing London’s world-leading cultural and creative sector
    growing our economy
    helping Londoners to live in good health
    giving young Londoners opportunities to thrive.
•    All of Us – Strategy for Social Integration: using sport, volunteering, arts and culture as powerful tools for social integration; and establishing London’s reputation as a welcoming city for newcomers from other parts of the UK and abroad, with opportunities to feel a strong connection and positive sense of belonging to the city in which they are living.
•    Culture strategy: the Mayor will continue to fund festivals and events with an emphasis on more community involvement, increasing quality, raising London’s profile, and increasing volunteering.
•    Inclusive London – the Mayor’s equality, diversity and inclusion strategy: celebrating London’s rich diversity; and bringing communities together through a series of high-profile, accessible and inclusive events and campaigns.

Consultation and impact assessment 
4.5    The SPG provides strategic support for the event from RBKC, WCC, the MPS, TfL, MOPAC and the GLA, working alongside the event organiser. 
4.6    The event organiser engages with the wider community and stakeholders to ensure that the community is represented from all generations. Public correspondence via the GLA Public Liaison Unit, WCC and RBKC, and market research at the event, are also considered for future planning of the event where comments and improvement suggestions are made and may be reasonably implemented. 
4.7    The impact and assessment of the event will be through the multi-agency planning process LOSPG and other subgroups, whose members include WCC, RBKC, the MPS, TfL, the LAS, LFB, CVT (or another organiser), and other key stakeholders. This is to ensure that the event is delivered safely and adheres to the regulations regarding licensing, noise, crowd management and infrastructure.
Conflicts of interest
4.8    There are no known conflicts of interest in relation to this decision paper and those involved in the delivery of the programme.
Subsidy control
4.9    The grant funding specifically and proportionately supports the policy objective of delivering a safe and successful event. The additional funding will bring about increased stewarding provision that would not be possible without this funding. The additional funding is an appropriate policy instrument for achieving the policy objective.
4.10    The original grant funding was awarded to Notting Hill Carnival Ltd, which is the event organiser. Notting Hill Carnival Ltd originally ran a competitive process to procure the stewarding and security company. The proposed variation of the existing grant agreement to provide an additional £296,300 of grant funding will allow Notting Hill Carnival Ltd to procure additional services from the stewarding and security company under its existing contract. Without this grant funding, the stewarding plan would not include sufficient steward numbers (compared to 2023) and would not include additional areas requiring stewarding.
 

5.1    This decision seeks approval for an additional £296,300 to be spent on GLA’s contribution to Notting Hill Carnival in 2024-25. The additional costs above the £650,000 annual funding already agreed in MD2950 is due to a rise in event and stewarding costs following the pandemic and inflationary rise.
5.2    The additional cost has been provided for in the Events for London 2024-25 approved budget.
5.3    Costs for future years (should the GLA be able and inclined to provide further support) will be subject to approvals and the Authority’s annual budget-setting process.
 

Power to undertake the requested decisions
6.1    The foregoing sections of this report indicate that the decisions requested of the Mayor concern the exercise of the Authority’s general powers, and fall within the Authority’s statutory power to do such things considered to further, or that are facilitative of or conducive or incidental to, the promotion of social development and economic development and wealth creation within Greater London. In formulating the proposals in respect of which a decision is sought, officers have complied with the Authority’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.  
6.2    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 advance equality of opportunity, and foster good relations, between persons who share a relevant protected characteristic (age; disability; gender reassignment; marriage and civil partnership; pregnancy and maternity; race; religion or belief; sex; sexual orientation) and persons who do not (section 149 of the Equality Act 2010). To this end, the Mayor should have particular regard to section 3 (above) of this report.
Grant funding
6.3    Officers have indicated that the expenditure proposed amounts to the provision of grant funding as a contribution to third party costs and not a payment for services to be provided to the GLA. They must ensure therefore, that the funding continues to be disbursed in a fair and transparent manner in accordance with the GLA’s Contracts and Funding Code and the current funding agreement is varied before any commitment to provide the funding is made. 
Subsidy control
6.4    The Subsidy Control Act 2022 requires that grant funding comply with its subsidy control principles. The officers have set out at paragraphs 4.9 and 4.10, above, how the proposed grant complies with those principles.
6.5    Finally, given that the value of the original grant and the variation exceed £100,000, officers are reminded to ensure that the aggregate grant amount of £946,300 be registered on the Department for Business and Trade’s Transparency Database.
 

7.1    The project delivery timeline is outlined below: