Agenda item

The report sought Cabinet Member approval to accept the Greater London Authority (GLA) grant for delivery of the London Borough of Culture 2027 along with the Liberty Festival, which was the Mayor of London’s D/deaf & disabled celebration. 

Acceptance of the grant entails meeting a number of commitments relating to the ambitions and proposals set out in the Council’s winning bid in 2024 and refined in consultation with the GLA and others since then.

These commitments were set out in a Grant Agreement which was currently being finalised through GLA governance and the report also sought Cabinet Member authority to delegate the final sign-off of the Agreement to the Corporate Director of Culture, Strategy & Communities. The final draft of the Agreement was attached as Appendix 1 of the report.

The GLA Governance process had now been completed.

The Cabinet Member RESOLVED

1. In accordance with Contract Standing Orders (CSOs) 21.01, 2.01(c) and CSO 0.08, to approve the acceptance of the grant from the Greater London Authority for delivery of London Borough of Culture and Liberty 2027.
2. To note that the total grant sum to be accepted is £2,165,000, broken down as set out in paragraph 6.12 in the report.
3. To delegate authority to the Corporate Director of Culture, Strategy & Communities to sign the final Grant Agreement.

Reasons for decision

In April 2024, Haringey was awarded the title of London Borough of Culture 2027 by the Mayor of London. Haringey’s programme would focus on the theme of Rebel Borough, celebrating Haringey’s working-class heritage, strong history of grassroots changemakers and everyday rebels. Throughout the decades Haringey had played an important role in battling discrimination and celebrating equality. London Borough of Culture 2027 and the Liberty Festival were a unique opportunity to showcase the diverse cultures, radical heritage and today’s creatives, all of which made Haringey the place it was.

The London-wide award would help the Council to amplify the voices of communities and create opportunities for young people to access creative careers and for people from different cultures to make connections and share experiences. All of this would contribute to the 2035 Vision of a borough where everyone can belong and thrive.

The award brought with it a grant of £2,165,000, comprised of funding from the Greater London Authority and Arts Council England. It also enabled the Council to apply for and secure additional external funding which would enable it to invest in cultural programmes to a much greater extent than relying solely on our own revenue funding.

The GLA were currently taking the Grant Agreement through their governance processes for sign-off. This process was not yet complete and so authority to enter into the Agreement for Haringey was required to be delegated to the Corporate Director.

Alternative options considered

Refuse the GLA grant – delivery of London Borough of Culture was not a statutory service and so the Council could turn down the GLA grant and not deliver the programme. However, this would be contrary to the Council’s commitment as set out in its recently adopted Arts and Culture Strategy 2024-28 to put Culture at the Heart of Everything We Do, as well as requiring the Council to pull back on the commitments set out in its winning bid to the GLA in 2024, which would be reputationally damaging. Culture and the creative industries were important to Haringey, both economically and for our diverse communities, and the GLA grant was enabling the Council to leverage further additional external funding and investment into the borough to support residents and communities. For these reasons, it was not recommended to refuse the grant.