Agenda item

Report of the Artistic Director (TO FOLLOW).

The Board considered a report of the Head of HR and Artistic Director providing Members with an update on equality and inclusion initiatives over the last year, detailing progress to date against the long-term strategy, signed off by the Barbican Board last July. The following comments were made:

·         Members were advised that the three areas of focus within the Equality and Inclusion Strategy were artists, audiences and work force.

·         It was noted that the Barbican Centre recently underwent an internal audit on equality and inclusion by the City of London Audit Team which highlighted recommendations for improvements to processes for greater effectiveness and efficiency. These recommendations were being addressed and a Staff Equality & Inclusion group has been set up with representation from all department to monitor and develop the initiative.

·         In response to queries regarding the timelines for proposed KPIs, Members were informed that they would be brought to the Board in approximately six months. It was noted that many areas already have KPIs but that they were needed in other areas. The Chairman agreed to talk to Officers regarding KPIs and encourage an update to come to the Board in September/October.

·         A Member disagreed with the wording “we know Britain is becoming much more ethnically diverse” which he regarded as a false statement, particularly in the area of the Barbican Centre, and felt that the report gave the impression that there was no diversity problem. He noted that there was a £90 million pot available to provide funding to five London Boroughs and Walthamstow Forest was expected to be one of the boroughs selected. It was agreed that the Barbican Centre should receive some of this funding which could be used to address the issue of diversity.  

·         The Managing Director noted that progress was being made through the creative learning project which was attracting diverse audiences. However, attracting a diverse workforce was more difficult and was an issue across the arts as a whole. It was felt that showing that the Barbican Centre was an attractive place to work for all people was a long process but that strides had been made through the apprentice scheme. It was noted that the Barbican Centre was well ahead of other institutions and its image had transformed over the last few years.

·         It was agreed that Officers would look again at the language used within the report and the potential funding options available to fund work tackling diversity issues.   

RECEIVED.