Agenda item

To consider the report of the Executive Director, Environment

The Committee received the report of the Executive Director, Environment.

The Committee congratulated the executive team at Keats House for their work and progress in the last year.

Noting that Keats House was located some distance from the City, a Member asked whether, in the light of the Culture Mile branding wind-up, any impact on Keats House had been noted in respect of its ability to connect with the CoL’s cultural offering. The meeting heard that bids were being submitted for funding that had previously come through CM learning programmes (now coming through the Education Strategy Unit). The programmes included a joint oracy project and a joint bid with the London Metropolitan Archives on poetry and colonialism that would include a festival during the autumn 2023 season.

A Member commented that some Romantic poets had meaningful connections with other countries, citing Keats’s connection to Italy and Byron’s connection to Greece, and sought clarification on whether any cultural connections on that topic had been established with the relevant embassies. The meeting heard that there were presently no such connections though there were connections to other institutions that highlighted the international dimension of those poets. Further initiatives to broaden that scope were in progress.

A Member noted that at the November 2022 meeting of the Committee, approval had been given to the granting of a new licence to Keats Community Library to 31 March 2024. The Committee expressed disappointment that the licence had not yet been issued due to process issues. The meeting noted that the work on getting that licence was ongoing (see action point 4).

A Member sought reassurance that collaboration and partnership work was ongoing around digitalisation. The meeting heard that Keats House worked closely with the London Metropolitan Archives in particular as well as other CoL entities.

RESOLVED, That the Committee review and confirm, on behalf of the City Corporation as Trustee, that the register appended to the report submitted for consideration to the meeting of 22 May 2023 satisfactorily sets out the key risks to the charity and that appropriate systems are in place to identify and mitigate risks.