Mayor's Cultural Leadership Board Minutes 29 March 2023

Ambassadors 

• Moira Sinclair OBE, (Chair) Paul Hamlyn Foundation  
• Amanda Parker, (Vice Chair), Forward Institute (Apologies) 
• Pam Alexander OBE, London Legacy Development Corporation (Apologies) 
• Sharon Ament, Director, Museum of London  
• Sade Banks, Co-director, The What If Experiment 
• Alice Black, Director ArtULTRA, (Apologies) 
• Cllr Elizabeth Campbell, Royal Borough Kensington & Chelsea / London Councils 
• Ajay Chhabra, Director, Nutkhut  
• Jennifer Crook, Independent Producer (Apologies)
• Bernard Donoghue OBE, Association of Leading Visitor Attractions (ALVA) (Apologies) 
• Stuart Hobley, The Linbury Trust (Apologies) 
• Amy Lamé, Night Czar, Mayor of London’s Office (Apologies) 
• John Newbigin OBE, Creative Industries Representative  
• Amaarah Roze, Independent Facilitator, Performer & Producer (Apologies) 
• Justine Simons OBE, Deputy Mayor for Culture and Creative Industries  
• Dr Jo Twist OBE, UK Interactive Entertainment (Apologies) 
• Nigel Twumasi, Mayamada 
• Madani Younis, The Shed (Apologies) 
• Deborah Williams, Creative Diversity Network (Apologies) 
• Claire Whitaker CBE, Southampton Culture Trust (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 

The theme of this meeting was ‘Getting Culture ‘Strategy Ready’. The session aimed to build on the work from the last meeting and the objective for this session is for Ambassadors to help the Unit to be ‘strategy ready’ by sharing their insights on the current issues and opportunities for Culture, the Creative Industries and 24-Hour London. Longer term, this thinking will ensure that the Unit is best placed in terms of data and contacts, to support the next administration’s priorities.  

1. The Chair welcomed everyone to the meeting.  

2. Apologies noted as above.  

3. As the Board was not quorate, the Chair asked for the Secretariat to send the Minutes of the previous meeting to the Board via email so that they could approve them offline.  

4. The Chair stated that there was one outstanding Action from the meeting on 18 January meeting as follows:

5. The Chair set outlined the items for the meeting: 
6. There were no declarations of any Conflicts of Interest regarding any of the items outlined below:
   • Item 1 for the was an update from on the Theatre set and prop recycling centre work  
   • Item 2 was a workshop. Pre-work was given to the Board to review an assigned chapter of the Culture Strategy ‘Culture for all Londoners’ for this exercise.  
   • Item 3 was a chance for the Board to hear about upcoming opportunities to support the Unit’s delivery directly.

1. The Chair introduced the officer who shared a presentation with the board about the concept of the Theatre Set and Prop Recycling Centre and the initial Treasuring Green Book review that had found the concept to a be a viable proposition from both a carbon and cost reduction perspective. The centre presents a scalable opportunity for all 250+ theatres (this includes small and pub theatre venues). It needs just 10 theatres to become established.   
2. Key items from the presentation were that:   

   • the concept would work by theatres storing and breaking down for recycling sets at the facility. Sets would be collected by an electric van and catalogued. For re-use sets would be booked and delivered to the theatre requesting them.  

   • the warehouses currently housing spent, and reusable materials are disappearing because of the value of industrial land.   

   • the benefits of a self-contained recycling centre could potentially produce a saving of approximately 1,000 tonnes of carbon per annum and deliver annual financial benefits to the sector which could be as high as £60m over 20 years.  

   • that there are two options, one for the basic facility and a green campus and would also provide include skills and training opportunities.   

   • following initial capital funding, the centre revenue would be sustained by an annual membership fee. 

   • it would require an independent Board structure free from politics   

   • founder members would be required to dispense with their current recycling arrangements.  

3. The presenter asked the Board to get in touch and share any thoughts they had on initial funders, sites and any suggestion on how to get buy-in from theatre sector.   
4. The Chair opened the floor for questions. They included:  
   • What would the initial set up costs be?   
     • An estimated £7m capital and revenue, would be required for set up this   
   • Would smaller theatres also have to pay?  
     • Yes, fees have not been fully modelled at this stage.  
   • What theatres have you already spoken to about this project?  
     • Now that due diligence has been done, the next step is arranging meetings with the sector. 

1. Before handing over this item to the Assistant Director of Culture and the Creative Industries Unit, the Chair asked the members if they were happy for Item 3 to be shared via email. This was to allow more time for this item.  

   • The members agreed. 

2. Members and officers moved to pre-assigned tables.  
3. Members unable to attend in person had been invited to submit their reviews via email ahead of the meeting so that their thoughts could be incorporated into the discussion. 

4. The Assistant Director reminded the group that that a sitting Mayor has limited powers and relies on evidence to decide on their priorities for the City. The Assistant Director stated that GLA officers couldn’t presuppose the outcome of the next election but that they could prepare for it by gathering current information and insights on the sector to ensure they are ready to support any new or a returning Mayor.  

5. Following a recap on the last meeting, the Assistant Director outlined the objectives for the workshop to: 

   • gather information that officers could be used for a SWOT Analysis (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats) of any future priorities or interventions, 

   • identify potential research areas for officers, 

   • identify any stakeholders and experts that the Unit is not already speaking and 

   • identify topics for the remaining Board meetings for this term. 

6. The four table discussions (Love London, Creative Londoners, Good Growth, World City) were each facilitated by a member the Culture and Creative Industries Unit Senior Management team.  

7. Each Facilitator led their table through each of the focus questions that had been given to the Board and officers in perpetration for the workshop. These were:

   • How do you think the landscape has changed for culture, the creative industries, and the economy at night since the culture strategy 'Culture for All Londoners' was published in 2018? 

   • Are the issues and opportunities in the chapter you reviewed still current? What is new or different? 

   • Of the opportunities, technologies, social issues etc... identified at the last meeting (or above e.g. AI, health, climate, disability), what do you think will have the most positive or negative impact, or be the biggest opportunity? How might you prioritise? 

   • Thinking about what is in the Mayor’s power, how might policy mitigate against issues or support the opportunities you outlined in your previous answer?  

   • Is there anything else you would like to share about the 2018 culture strategy in general? 

8. Officers made their own contributions to the discussion and fed in the notes submitted by absent members.  

9. The Assistant Director asked each table Facilitator to summarise the conversation on each table. Key points included: 

   • The lasting impact and consequences of Covid and the cost of living crisis on communities and the organisations that support them need to be set out. 

   • Night-time working patterns have changed and there is less tourism and staff shortages post Brexit. 

   • More acknowledge about the general expensive of living in the city. There is less disposable income. 

   • There needs to be more focus on the mental health of young people and the positive impact culture has and can have on it. 

   • There is still work to be done to support the sectors large freelancer working conditions and pay. 

   • Access to space for d/Deaf and disable needs to feature more strongly in a London-wide strategy  

   • The legacy frameworks for place-based programmes like London Borough of Culture need to be given full attention so that they can be built upon. 

   • Technology is great but is often adopted by those with means and privilege first need to encourage equal access. 

   • Any funding offered by a Mayor needs to be tied to clear conditions relating to disability access and climate mitigation in future. 

   • There needs to be less focus on the big institutions who can more easily access funding and more on supporting grassroots who are better connected their communities. 

   • Continue to offer micro grants like Culture Seeds that support local activities, set best practice and encourage other to do the same. 

   • The Mayor should take more opportunity to convene different groups and encourage more collaborative working to address issues. For example, to address Health and Wellbeing work with National Institute for Social Prescribing. 

   • Libraries need to be supported more as they are increasingly local community hubs 

   • There’s an opportunity to work with others to deliver large scale events that bring Londoner’s together. 

   • There needs to be fewer, more focussed actions in the next strategy.  

   • The strategy publication wasn’t accessible.  

1. Prior to Item 2, the Chair asked the members if they were happy for Item 3 to be shared via email. This was to allow more time for Item 2.  
2. The members agreed. 
3. Opportunities included joining workshops, meetings and or events relating to programmes and projects being delivered but the Culture and Creative Industries Unit. 

1. The Board were updated about a partner panel discussion being held in partnership with the Genesis Foundation taking place at City Hall on 5 June 2023 

2. The Board were reminded that the next meeting is scheduled for 5 July 2023. 

3. The Chair closed the meeting