Agenda item

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 so far.      

A Member asked where volunteers were sourced. The Committee heard that a steady stream of volunteer applicants approached KH – primarily students and ‘poetry ambassador’ figures – though the main need is front-of-house people, and resilience is only realistically achieved through paid staff. A Member commented that there might be merit in sourcing volunteers from the Heath & Hampstead Society.

A Member asked whether a notice could be put up at KH with opening hours. The meeting heard that a QR code provided the information, noting that the hours are variable and that the notice boards would be refreshed and re-designed with high-quality signage. 

Referencing page 19 of the agenda, a Member asked for clarification of the term “deficit fund” in the sentence “the City Corporation will deficit fund Keats House through its City’s Cash Fund as follows…”. The meeting noted that the term was specific to the KH charity that took into account the shortfall in the £110K income target that did not match the cost of running KH, noting that City’s Cash supported the £187K not covered by income.  

On the Cultural Partnerships funding, the meeting noted that KH is the lead organisation on Culturally Speaking and will receive all Education Strategy Unit funding and most of that funding will go to the partner organisations involved.

In response to a question, the meeting noted that it costs the CoLC £300K p.a. to run KH.