Mayor's Cultural Leadership Board Minutes 28 June 2022

Ambassadors 

• Moira Sinclair OBE, Paul Hamlyn Foundation (Chair)   
• Justine Simons OBE, Deputy Mayor for Culture and Creative Industries   
• Ajay Chhabra, Nutkhut   
• Alice Black, Creative Industries Representative  
• Amy Lamé, Night Czar, Mayor of London’s Office (Apologies)  
• Bernard Donoghue OBE, Association of Leading Visitor Attractions (ALVA)  
• Claire Whitaker OBE, Southampton City of Culture 2025  
• Jennifer Crook, Independent Producer  
• John Newbigin OBE, Creative Industries Representative (Apologies)  
• Dr Jo Twist OBE, UK Interactive Entertainment (Apologies)  
• Pam Alexander OBE, London Legacy Development Corporation (Apologies)  
• Sharon Ament, Museum of London   
• Stuart Hobley, The Linbury Trust  
• Madani Younis, The Shed (Apologies) 

Other Attendees 

• Dianna Neale, London Councils Representative (Apologies) 
• Chris McQuiggin, Special Adviser, Mayor of London’s Office 
• Senior Management Team & Policy Officers, Culture and Creative Industries Unit

1. The Chair welcomed everyone to the meeting.   

2. The Chair noted Ambassador apologies as above.  

3. The Chair stated that there were no outstanding actions.  

4. The Chair outlined the items for the meeting on the theme of Inequalities in Culture and asked and noted that there were no declarations of any Conflicts of Interest regarding any of the agenda items which were: 

   • Item 1 - Mayor of London Events;  

   • Item 2 - Access Project: Equal access to culture 

   • Item 3 - Culture and Community Spaces at Risk:  ‘We Design for the Community’ pilot  

   • Item 4 - London Borough of Culture: ‘The Story so Far’ project 

1. Ajay Chhabra outlined the context for item which was that 

   • that there have been recent examples of national events that have failed to actively consult local communities in the development of culture and arts programmes that were delivered locally.  
   • that existing structural inequalities faced by many underserved and underrepresented communities in terms of access to finance and infrastructure, prohibits many from being able contribute to or bid to deliver cultural programmes attached to bigger events 
   • that not addressing these existing and other inequalities in the way cultural events are commissioned and delivered risks entrenching division rather than encouraging community cohesion if they are done badly 

2. Ajay Chhabra asked the group to consider the following questions: 

   • Was there more the Mayor / GLA could do to ensure they are leading the way in the delivery of London-wide events and set an example to others? 
   • Was there more the Mayor / GLA could do to ensure that best practice is embedded in the delivery of their London-wide events?
3. An officer outlined how Mayor of London and Supported by Mayor of London large-scale events are programmed for Trafalgar Square and other spaces in London. They also explained the private hire process of Trafalgar Square. 

4. Ajay Chhabra opened the discussion by making suggestions on how this process could be made more transparent. Others also offered suggestions including: 

   • publicise event delivery opportunities to a broader range of potential suppliers and expand the procurement framework. 

   • publish best practice guides on how to bid for and deliver Mayor of London events in our spaces.     

   • develop an events strategy (including communications) for all Mayor of London and Supported by Mayor of London events. 

   • In addition to the sustainability guide on the application page: 

     • include best practice guides for producers and suppliers on how to engage with community groups 

     • include best practice guide on artistic commissioning 

     • include best practice guide paying London Living Wage 

1. A policy officer set out the aims and overall learning objectives for the ACCESS programme, a virtual European network comprising of eight cities, funded by URBACT which were:  

   • How to find and build partnerships with organisations that are seldom heard 

   • Explore support models of self-organisation in addressing grassroots cultural activity 

   • Understand the development process of other cities’ cultural strategies, processess of consultation, evaluation and evidencing impact 

   • Address diversity and inclusion in the cultural and creative workforce 

2. The officer set out the activities undertaken including the development of an action plan to address challenge questions of the London ACCESS Local Action Group (LAG). This was an iterative process, including workshops with guest speakers.  

3. The challenges questions for the London ACCESS LAG were:   

   • How do we place Londoners at the centre of policy and strategy development - increasing engagement of communities in both the design and delivery of culture policy and projects?  

   • How do we effectively measure the social impact of culture so that all Londoners are able to understand the benefits? 

4. The policy officer asked the group to consider three questions on next stages of the programme and ask them to follow up directly with suggestions. 

   • Who [organisations and individuals] needs to be at the launch of the action plan and be involved as a stakeholder? 
   • How might the Board support this work?  
   • Is a local action group a model for the development a culture strategies? 

1. Policy officers updated the group on the key activities of London Borough of Culture and gave a brief outline of the ‘The Story So Far’ project, a suite of three short films documenting the impact of the programme in transforming council services, arts organisations, and supporting young people to become future leaders. 

2. The group then watched the video London Borough of Culture - Young People as Future Leaders.

1. A policy officer stated that recruitment for up to 5 new board members is underway. 123 applications were received, and 21 applicants have been shortlisted (this includes candidates who qualified under the Guaranteed Interview Scheme (GIS). The interviews will take place over several days in July.  

2. The Chair reminded Board members to contact the Creative Enterprise Zones (CEZ) team directly if they had any suggestions for artists and creatives, they could approach to be part of the ‘London Made Me’ campaign. 

3. Chair Closed Meeting.