Agenda and minutes

Apologies for absence were received from the Rt Hon. the Lord Mayor, Alderman William Russell.

There were no declarations.

15. EXTERNAL BOARD MEMBER APPOINTMENTS

At this point in proceedings, the Town Clerk confirmed the request by the Chair that item 15 be taken to facilitate the consideration of a number of proposed new Board Members and an Observer.

In accordance with Section 100(A) of the Local Government Act 1972, the Board therefore RESOLVED to exclude the public at this point in order for the item to be considered.

RESOLVED - That:-

·         Mark Page, Professor Jane Roscoe and Dr Jens Riegelsberger be appointed to the Board for an initial three-year term;

·         Tobi Ruth Adebekun is informally co-opted as a Board observer in line with the Board’s desire to increase its diversity and decrease its average age.

·         Members consider outline proposals for a Barbican Youth Associate scheme to both help develop the youth work of the Centre, and to provide access to the Board for a new generation.

FURTHER RESOLVED: That the public be readmitted.

Mr Page, Professor Roscoe, Dr Riegelsberger and Ms Adebekun were invited to join the Board and welcomed to the meeting.

To approve the public minutes and summary of the Barbican Centre Board meeting held on 27 January 2021.

The public minutes and non-public summary of the Board meeting held on 27 January 2021 were approved as a correct record.

To receive the draft public minutes of the Finance & Risk Committee of the Barbican Centre Board held on 8 March 2021.

The draft public minutes of the Finance & Risk Committee meeting held on 8 March 2021 were received.

To receive the draft public minutes of the Nominations Committee of the Barbican Centre Board held on 8 March 2021.

The draft public minutes of the Nominations Committee meeting held on 8 March 2021 were received.

Report of the Town Clerk.

The Board noted the various outstanding actions and the updates provided thereon. The work plan for Barbican meetings in 2021 was also noted.

Report of the Managing Director.

Members received a report of the Managing Director providing updates from the Barbican Directors on their respective areas. The following comments were made:

·         The Managing Director stated that things were more hopeful as staff prepared plans for a successful reopening of the Centre when restrictions were lifted.

·         A Member was excited by the current opportunity to develop new initiatives and the move towards a new model of operation and business model. Officers agreed that the pandemic had highlighted how the Centre needed to adapt and overcome new challenges including the renewal project, the new emphasis of technology, and the aim to develop spaces, workforces, workstreams and the programme.

·         The Chair saw enhancing the remit of the Nominations Committee as a good step towards working on public views and developing the resilience of the Board and Centre.  

·         In response to a query concerning how the Barbican fitted in with the Corporation’s new business district model,  the Managing Director confirmed that the City Corporation had committed to taking Culture Mile forward as a business district and bringing culture and commerce together to help the recovery of the City and the Barbican would be at the heart of these plans.

·         With regards to arts and commerce, a Member noted the pent-up demand for culture and encouraged engagement with audiences to tap into this desire.

·         Another Member emphasised the real appetite for online content and saw this as an opportunity to rethink the way the Centre works with creatives with new models. It was noted that there was ongoing engagement with a new generation of creatives through Creative Learning and there were opportunities to develop this further.  

·         Members were advised that Will Gompertz had been appointed as the new Director of Arts & Learning starting on 1 June 2021 and would attend the next Board

The Head of Partnerships & Strategic Projects, Culture Mile to be heard.

The Board received a presentation from the Head of Partnerships & Strategic Projects, Culture Mile, concerning the Lord Mayor’s Culture and Commerce Taskforce.

Members were advised that the Culture and Commerce Taskforce was established in October by the Lord Mayor and following the evident need to collaborate culture and commerce to address the ‘cultural catastrophe’ caused by the pandemic.

The headline following a number of roundtables and a digital survey through the autumn was that the interdependent ecology was at risk with a weakened creative sector and required help to assist with London’s cultural recovery in business. Three key recommendations for mutual benefit were agreed - creative activation, culture and commerce exchange, and creative enterprise – which have 10 proposed projects within.

Expressions of interest are currently being sought to make these projects a reality with over 80 received so far. The next step is to identify lead Partners to kickstart the project teams and the Taskforce’s next meeting is on 12 May to present the next developments.

RECEIVED.

The Cultural & Visitor Development Director to be heard.

The Board received a presentation from the Cultural & Visitor Development Director concerning the Recovery Taskforce and the following comments were made:

·         Members were informed that the Recovery Taskforce was not yet at a stage to launch a report, but had significant cross over with the Culture and Commerce Taskforce and acted as the third leg of the City Corporation’s recovery response to the pandemic looking at the Square Mile’s success in the medium term.

·         The vision is to ensure the Square Mile is the most innovative, inclusive and sustainable business system and an attractive place to invest, work, live and visit. This is based on work that was already underway and incorporates a number of strategies (e.g. Climate Action, Transport Strategy, London Recharge) focusing on three dimensions: world class business ecosystem, outstanding environments and vibrant offer. This has multi cross-cutting working and themes, and ensures silos are avoided. The plan will go to P&R on 8 April for approval.

·         Members were informed that the situation concerning the vibrant offer was changing daily, but findings indicated that work patterns would never be the same and the City needed to understand 1) how it would adjust to the new work pattern and 2) how to address quieter and longer weekends. Incentivising business, workers and leisure visitors back into the City as part of an ecosystem was key to recovery and the survival of retail and hospitality sector. It was noted that inclusion work underpinned all work.

·         The Chair felt it was important for Members to understand the context of what was happening in the City and the Board were supportive as the barbican was a supportive partner within the recovery plans.

·         A Member saw this as a real opportunity for the Barbican to be used not just as a for the

Report of the Town Clerk.

The Board considered a report of the Town Clerk concerning a proposal to elect a second Deputy Chairman and subsequent Terms of Reference change for the Board.

The Chair gave context for the report advising that the proposal was being made following discussions at the recent Nominations Committee meeting. It was felt that the Centre was in a unique situation and period of significant change, plus the Board had an almost 50/50 split in terms of its membership between elected and external members. The two Deputy Chairs would operate in the same way as they did on the Audit and Risk Management (ARM) Committee whereby one Deputy Chair would be an elected Councillor and the other would be an external Member, and both would provide support for the Chair and Centre. The Chair highlighted the recommendation that this new role be trialled and reviewed after one year.

A Member welcomed new talent on the Board but voiced caution against there being a split between the elected and external members and effectively creating two separate Boards. The Chair responded that the aim was to bring everyone together and this was a fruitful opportunity to integrate elected and external Members on how the City Corporation operated.

A Member who also sat on the ARM Committee was supportive of the idea and said it worked well. Members voiced their support and felt that it was a sensible opportunity for joint work and accelerating other ideas put forward at the Board’s informal Members session in February. It was noted that there needed to be a clear expectation of how the workload would be shared between the two Deputies and what the expectations were.

RESOLVED - That:-

·         the Policy & Resources Committee be asked to recommend to the Court of Common Council the election of a

Report of the Director of the Built Environment.

The Board considered a report of the Director of the Built Environment concerning the draft

Barbican and Golden Lane Conservation Area Character Summary and Management Strategy.

In response to a query, Officers confirmed the draft document was intended to facilitate projects to ensure the special character and appearance of the Barbican and Golden Lane Conservation area were protected and articulated

RESOLVED – That Members approve the draft text of the Barbican and Golden Lane Conservation Area Character Summary and Management Strategy SPD, appended as Appendix A to this report, and agree to it being issued for public consultation for 6 weeks from March 2021.

Report of the Director of Operations and Buildings.

(N.B. – To be read in conjunction with the non-public appendix at Item _)

The Board received a report of the Director of Operations and Buildings providing Members with an update on the Centre’s maintenance and refurbishment projects that fall under the Cyclical Works Programme (CWP) and additional projects funded from other sources.

RECEIVED.

There were no questions.

The Chair advised that this was the last meeting for two key Members of the Board: Emma Kane who was stepping down as Chair of the Barbican Centre Trust and Deputy Dr Giles Shilson who would be stepping down as Deputy Chairman after 10 years the Board. Both were thanked for their huge impact, dedicated work and support to the Chair and Management Team throughout their tenures. Members and Officers echoed the Chair’s sentiments and the Deputy Chairman and Emma Kane thanked the Board for their kind words.

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.

The draft non-public minutes of the Finance & Risk Committee meeting held on 8 March 2021 were approved as a correct record.

To agree the non-public minutes of the Barbican Centre Board meeting held on 27 January 2021.

The non-public minutes of the Board meeting held on 27 January 2021 were approved as a correct record.

To receive the draft non-public minutes of the Finance & Risk Committee of the Barbican Centre Board held on 8 March 2021.

The draft non-public minutes of the Finance & Risk Committee meeting held on 8 March 2021 were received.

To receive the draft non-public minutes a of the Nominations Committee of the Barbican Centre Board held on 8 March 2021.

The draft non-public minutes of the Nominations Committee meeting held on 8 March 2021 were received.

Report of the Managing Director.

The Board considered a report of the Town Clerk recommending a number of proposed new Board Members and an Observer for the Barbican Centre Board.

Report of the Town Clerk.

The Board considered a report of the Town Clerk concerning an appointment to the Board.

Report of the Chief Operating and Financial Officer.

The Board considered a report of the Chief Operating and Financial Officer setting out the proposed new approach to reporting to the Board on ongoing business performance and the implementation of the new Barbican Business Plan.

Report of the Managing Director.

The Board received a report of the Managing Director setting out the Barbican’s 2021 scenario planning work as we move towards reopening.

Report of the Interim Artistic Director.

The Board received a report of the Interim Artistic Director providing an overview of the Barbican Cinema Department’s activity through 2020 and up to January 2021.

Report of the Chief Operating & Financial Officer.

The Board considered a report of the Chief Operating and Financial Officer providing Members with an update on the current situation for the Centre as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Report of the Managing Director.

The Board received a report of the Managing Director providing Members with an update on the Barbican Renewal project.

Report of the Chief Operating & Financial Officer.

The Board received a report of the Chief Operating & Financial Officer setting out the current financial position of the Barbican Centre, together with its approach in managing the 21/22 budget during a period of unprecedented volatility as a consequence of the pandemic. The Barbican’s long-term business plan was presented to the Board on 18 November and the immediate next steps being undertaken to deliver the plan was also provided.

To be read in conjunction with the report at Item _.

The Board received the non-public Projects Update appendix to be read in conjunction with item 10.

Report of the Chief Operating & Financial Officer.

The Board considered a report of the Chief Operating & Financial Officer setting out the Business Review for the January 2021 (Period 10 – 20/21) accounts.

Report of the Interim Artistic Director.

The Board received a report of the Interim Artistic Director updating Members on the Programming Controversial Risk Register and the identified potential risks that occur as a result of specific programmed events and activities, as well as outlining the mitigation processes in place for each.

Report of the Director of Operations & Buildings.

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

There were no questions.

There were no urgent items.