Agenda and minutes

Apologies were received from Munsur Ali, and the meeting was chaired by John Foley.

There were no declarations.

To agree the minutes of the previous meeting held on 23 June 2023.

On the website relating to Keats House (KH) referenced at item 3, a Member asked whether more content could be added. The Committee heard that further content was expecting to be added shortly, particularly on the story of the House.  Further online content is being added relating to the collections that will be linked to the website of the City of London Corporation (CoLC).

On item 4 (specifically, the charities review recommendations for submission to the Culture Heritage and Libraries Committee [CHL]) the meeting noted that the CHL meeting of July 2023 had considered the Charities Review at item 17 of that meeting.     

RESOLVED, That the minutes of the meeting of 23 June 2023 be approved as a correct record of the proceedings.

To receive a presentation on progress at Keats House for April to September 2023.  

The Committee viewed a presentation on Keats House that included information on the various programmes and activities set out in the report submitted for item 5 (including Young Romantics in the City display running to February 2024, as well as the Poetry vs Colonialism programme and the living ‘Mary Shelley’ and ‘Fanny Keats’ actors). 

The Committee viewed visualisations of the boundary wall proposals as submitted to the London Borough of Camden.

To receive the report of the Interim Executive Director of Environment.

The Committee received the report of the Interim Executive Director of Environment that provided Members with an update on activities at Keats House between April and September 2023.

Referencing section 6, the Committee noted, in response to a question, that staff shortages (due to illness) had resulted in the closure of Keats House for one day.

A Member asked whether any covid-related measures were in place in the event of any spread of covid, the meeting heard that KH was more resilient than it used to be (noting section 5 of the report on staffing coverage). The meeting noted that volunteer numbers are down.

The meeting heard that there was an expectation that Saturday openings would resume from April 2024 onwards, at which point a full recovery of visitor numbers is expected. In response to a question on why KH was not currently open on Saturdays (in lieu of, for example, Wednesdays), the meeting heard that efficiency savings during and before the pandemic had resulted in some staff not being employed to cover Saturdays, recruitment for which is more difficult and costly.

In response to a request for clarification on the busiest day for visitors, the meeting heard that the figures were variable across the week, noting that the tourist economy has not fully recovered. In response to a question on whether the closure for lunch impacted negatively on figures, the meeting heard that there did not appear to be any issues with that one-hour closure, and that lunchtime closure is common among small attractions. 

A Member asked how the figures compared to forecasts. The meeting heard that KH attracted 12K visitors p.a. prior to the pandemic, while during 2022 there were 5K visitors. The expectation was that 8K visitors would come to KH during 2023, with 4K having visited

The Committee consulted on options for the future operation of Keats Community Library from Ten Keats Grove.

Referencing sections 14 and 15 of the report submitted under item 5, the meeting noted that a licence was issued to 31 March 2024.

The meeting noted that Keats Community Library (KCL) has long requested a longer licence duration for surety and to support fundraising.

The following points were made:

-        A licence agreement is in place but supporting documents have not been provided (comfort letter that the licence will be renewed, and a statement of intention to pursue a longer-term licence);

-        It is currently problematic to seek fundraising and investment for KCL in the current circumstances given the uncertainty;

-        The CoLC Comptroller has declined to provide a comfort letter because such a letter would prejudice any future agreement;

-        The main obstacle to finalising any agreement is dual use of the building: only one large space is suitable for some events and hires, and that space is used for the children’s library;

-        The movement of books and equipment to facilitate both uses is impractical and labour-intensive (though doable) due to having to clear the room – that arrangement has been in place for a decade;  

-        The income target for the space is £19K;

-        CoLC members are obliged to act in the best interests of the KH charity (these should include community and cultural benefits as well as financial considerations);

-        One option is to hand over unlimited use of the space to KCL for approximately £19K (the income target) with some recourse for larger events;

-        The room is currently under-used partly because the CoLC is unable to invest in dedicated resources to hire out the space due to restrictions on the space’s use;

-        The KCL

There were no questions.

A Member noted that a recent children’s party in the room had generated complaints due to the noise level from amplified music, noting that there is no reference to amplified sound in the current agreement, and that no supervision was available on that single occasion due to staff shortage.  The meeting heard that two people were on site at the time as per operational and risk assessment requirements.

A Keats commemorative event in Westminster Abbey is expected to take place on 31 October 2023 at 1215.    

The next meeting will take place

The next meeting is scheduled to take place on Friday 03 May 2024 at 2.30pm  Keats House, NW3.