Report:  Borough of Culture

Presented by: Councillor Gillian Ford, Cabinet Lead for Adults & Wellbeing

Cabinet approved the following recommendations:

1.     Agreed to the incorporation of a company limited by guarantee wholly owned by the Council for the purpose of realising and delivering other cultural and place making opportunities

2.     Delegated the Strategic Director, People in consultation with the Deputy Director of Legal Services to take all steps necessary to incorporate the Company

3.     Delegated the Strategic Director, People in consultation with the Leader the authority to make the appointments to the board of directors of the Company.

Report:  Borough of Culture

Presented by: Councillor Gillian Ford, Cabinet Lead for Adults & Wellbeing

Cllr Ford thanked the officers and the senior staff from Queen’s Theatre for their work producing the bid.

Summary:

1.1  An application for the London Borough of Havering (the “Borough”) to become the London Borough of Culture (“LBOC”) in either 2025/26 or 2027/28 and for a Cultural Impact Award for 2026/27 was submitted to the Greater London Authority (“GLA”) at the end of November 2023.

1.2  The announcement of the successful boroughs for the LBOC title awards and the cultural impact awards were made on 11 March 2024. (A verbal update was given at the Cabinet meeting confirming that unfortunately Havering was not successful

1.3  The application included a proposal to establish a new cultural and place making organisation that will support the Council to deliver the LBOC programme and realise future opportunities, irrespective of the outcome of the application (the “Company”).

1.4  This report seeks authority to establish the Company as a Council controlled company limited by guarantee initially, with a longer term ambition to evolve into charitable status which would be subject to an options appraisal and relevant decisions.

Cabinet approved the following recommendations:

1.     Agreed to the incorporation of a company limited by guarantee wholly owned by the Council for the purpose of realising and delivering other cultural and place making opportunities

2.     Delegated the Strategic Director, People in consultation with the Deputy Director of Legal Services to take all steps necessary to incorporate the Company

3.     Delegated the Strategic Director, People in consultation with the Leader the authority to make the appointments to the board of directors of the Company.