Agenda and minutes

Apologies for absence were received from Deputy John Bennett, Emma Kane, and Deputy John Tomlinson.

There were none.

To approve the public minutes and summary of the Barbican Centre Board meeting held on 27 September 2017.

The public minutes and summary of the meeting held on 27 September 2017 were approved.

To receive the draft public minutes and summary of the Finance Committee of the Barbican Centre Board meeting held on 8 November 2017 (TO FOLLOW).

The draft public minutes of the meeting held on 8 November 2017 were received.

To receive the draft public minutes and summary of the Risk Committee of the Barbican Centre Board held on 8 November 2017.

The draft public minutes of the meeting held on 8 November 2017 were received.

Report of the Town Clerk.

The Committee noted the various outstanding actions and the updates provided thereon.

RECEIVED.

Report of the Town Clerk.

The Board considered a report of the Town Clerk proposing an amendment to the composition of the Board’s Risk Committee, such that a representative of the Barbican Centre Trust was invited to serve as a co-opted Member.

Members noted that the Barbican Centre Trust had recently established a Risk Committee, to give it greater oversight of matters that might affect its fundraising activities. The appointment of the Chairman of the Trust to the Board’s Finance Committee had proven beneficial in enabling greater Board awareness of and involvement in development activities, and it was suggested that this current proposal would have similar benefits in terms of facilitating greater connectivity and collegiate working across the two bodies.

It was suggested that, should the arrangement be approved, it be reviewed after a twelve-month period to determine whether it was effective and if it should be continued.

RESOLVED: That:-

·         Members approve an amendment to the composition of the Board’s Risk Committee, such that “a representative of the Barbican Centre Trust” is added;

·         the Barbican Centre Trust be invited to nominate said representative, with authority delegated to the Town Clerk in consultation with the Chairman and Deputy Chairman to approve the specific individual’s appointment to the Risk Committee on behalf of the Board; and

·         the arrangement be reviewed after a twelve-month period.

Report of the Town Clerk.

The Board considered a report of the Town Clerk which presented the outcomes of a Review of Skills and Effectiveness that had been undertaken.

The Board agreed that the findings demonstrated a clear need for increased experience in respect of arts administration. This was perhaps unsurprising given the recent departures of Sir Brian McMaster and Roly Keating from the Board; however, with the potential for further budget cuts in the years to come, it was even more important that enhanced expertise was in place to help the Board understand where budget pressures might present risks to the integrity of the artistic programme, as well as to help the Board articulate this position to others.

In respect of other areas where it was observed that further expertise might be required, Members suggested that a number of these skills might be attainable through appointments from the Court of Common Council, not just through external recruitment. The Chairman reminded Members that the Board had put in place a provision to allow it to advertise in this manner for specific skill sets on the Court, and had indeed done so previously. He suggested that the Board should agree some proposed text to be used ahead of the vacancies being advertised, but cautioned that this did not guarantee that the desired skills would be obtained.

Although noting that Facilities Management, Health & Safety and Quality Systems had all been highlighted as areas lacking in expertise or interest, Members agreed that these items were of a more operational nature and it would not represent the best use of the Board’s time to focus heavily on such area. Rather, the Board should be focused on matters of a more strategic nature.

A consistent theme that had emerged from the survey had been a strong desire from Members to

Report of the Managing Director.

Members received a report of the Managing Director providing updates from the Barbican Directors on their respective areas.

Introducing the report, the Managing Director took the opportunity to show the Board a number of still images from CCTV footage which had captured the recent Banksy installation at the Centre. He also displayed a number of photographs from the latest edition of Vogue, which was Edward Enninful’s first as Editor-in-Chief and which featured the Barbican prominently.

Members discussed the ongoing development of the Culture Mile, with reference made to a recent suggestion in another forum that the title of the initiative should be reconsidered as the word “culture” might be viewed as elitist. Several Members spoke to express their robust opposition to such a proposal, referencing the Barbican’s diverse programming and audiences and emphasising the importance of opposing the perception of culture as an elitist concept, noting that culture encompassed an incredibly broad spectrum of activities and experiences.

Board Members and officers took the opportunity to place on record their gratitude to Deputy Tom Sleigh for arranging the recent YouTube Studio Tour and accompanying talk from the Head of the Google Cultural Institute, which had proven extremely informative.

The Director of Arts also took the opportunity to thank the Chairman for his engagement with staff at a recent meeting, where he had provided the opportunity for staff to ask him a variety of questions. This event had proven to be a good opportunity to increase staff members’ awareness of the Board’s role and the positive feedback received demonstrated that this had been valued highly.

RECEIVED.

Report of the Director of Arts.

The Board considered a report of the Director of Arts presenting a draft Modern Slavery statement covering the 2017/18 financial year.

RESOLVED: That the Statement set as set out in the appendix to the report be approved and published on the Barbican website.

Report of the Director of Arts.

The Board received a report of the Director of Arts providing an update on performance over the past year and setting out the opportunities, challenges and plans for the coming period.

RECEIVED.

Printing of agenda packs

Although noting it was not a matter for this Board, a Member raised the issue of the printing of agenda packs for officers, which had been discontinued as part of the Service Based Review. Noting that several officers present had printed their own copies of the agenda on local printers, it was suggested that this potentially led to higher costs for the organisation as a whole given the increased costs of local printing. The Town Clerk was asked to explore whether the practice of limiting the provision of printed agenda packs to Members and Chief Officers could be re-examined.

There were no urgent items.

MOTION – That under Section 100A of the Local Government Act 1972, the public be excluded from the meeting for the following items, on the grounds that they involve the likely disclosure of Exempt Information, as defined in Part 1, of Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act

RESOLVED – That under Section 100A(4) of the Local Government Act 1972, the public be excluded from the meeting for the following items on the grounds that they involve the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in Part 1 of Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act.

To agree the non-public Minutes of the Barbican Centre Board meeting held on 27 September 2017.

The non-public minutes of the meeting held on 27 September 2017 were approved.

To receive the draft non-public minutes of the Finance Committee of the Barbican Centre Board held on 8 November 2017 (TO FOLLOW).

The draft non-public minutes of the meeting held on 8 November 2017 were received.

To receive the draft non-public minutes of the Risk Committee of the Barbican Centre Board held on 8 November 2017 (TO FOLLOW).

The draft non-public minutes of the meeting held on 8 November 2017 were received.

An additional item, which had been considered by the Risk Committee and provided an update on Fire Safety at the Barbican, was also tabled for the Board’s information.

Report of the Director of Arts.

The Board received a report of the Director of Arts providing an update on performance over the past year and setting out the opportunities, challenges and plans for the coming period.

Report of the Managing Director, London Symphony Orchestra.

Kathryn McDowell, Managing Director of the London Symphony Orchestra (LSO), provided the Board with an update on the LSO’s activities and financial position and gave an overview of the Orchestra’s future plans.

Report of the Chamberlain.

The Board received a report of the Chamberlain which provided a summary of statistics for waivers processed during 2016/17 across the City Corporation, including the Barbican Centre.

Report of the Chief Operating & Financial Officer.

The Board considered and approved a report of the Chief Operating & Financial Officer presenting the draft budget for 2018/19.

Report of the Chief Operating & Financial Officer.

The Board received a report of the Chief Operating & Financial Officer setting out the Business Review for the Period 6 Accounts 2017/18.

Report of the Chief Operating & Financial Officer.

The Board received a report of the Chief Operating & Financial Officer which set out the latest fundraising results against budget.

Report of the Managing Director.

The Board received a report of the Managing Director providing an update in respect of the Barbican’s Strategic Plan and Service Based Review Targets.

Report of the Director of Operations & Buildings.

The Board received a report of the Director of Operations & Buildings advising Members of the risk management system in place at the Barbican, updating on the significant risks that had been identified and outlining measures for mitigation of these risks.

Report of the Director of Operations & Buildings.

The Board received a report of the Director of Operations & Buildings providing an update on the Centre’s building and refurbishment projects.

Report of the Director of Operations & Buildings.

The Board considered a report of the Director of Operations & Buildings concerning a project to refurbish the Curve Gallery.

There was one question concerning a prospective event.

There two urgent items. The first provided an update on Fire Safety and was tabled alongside item 13b; the second concerned the latest position in relation to the Exhibition Halls.

Report of the Director of Operations & Buildings.

The Board considered and approved a report of the Director of Operations & Buildings.