Notting Hill Carnival Strategic Review - Intelligent Space

Part III: Carnival Management and Leadership
Summary
The folklore of the Notting Hill Carnival suggests that it ‘just happens’ and that it is an ‘unplanned’
event. This is not however, entirely correct. The series of activities and tasks undertaken in the lead
up to the August Bank Holiday weekend are the result of months of detailed planning and organising
by the Carnival performers and organisers. A community-based management committee of one kind
or another has, from the very outset, always overseen the Notting Hill Carnival. Over the years, these
committees have been responsible for the planning and co-ordination of the event, undergoing as
many transformations as the Carnival itself. This section:
• Charts the recent management history of the Notting Hill Carnival, from the mid-1980s to the
present day. It explains the various changes in leadership that have taken place, providing the
background and context to establishment of the present organisation, London Notting Hill
Carnival Ltd (LNHCL);
• Revisits the conclusions and recommendations of two major reports into the administration of
the Carnival, the Coopers & Lybrand Report in 1988 and the end-of-funding review conducted
by the Arts Council in 2001; and
• Discusses the limitations of the community-based management, leadership and structure of
successive Carnival organisations. The section also argues for greater accountability and
democratic ownership of the Notting Hill Carnival by the wider carnival constituency.
Recommendations
18. The nature and complexity of the Notting Hill Carnival make the need for effective management
and leadership vital for a successful and safe event. Its absence poses a serious threat to public
safety and we believe that the weakness of the community-based management and leadership
structure surrounding the Carnival is linked to years of underinvestment in the administration of
the Carnival as a whole. Whilst we welcome and recognise the establishment of London Notting
Hill Carnival Ltd (LNHCL) and the Executive Committee of the Carnival Arenas (ECCA) as
significant developments that have succeeded in engendering a greater level of community
accountability for and ownership of the event, we are firmly of the view that significant
investment and capacity-building is required in order to ensure that the problems experienced by
previous Carnival organisations are not repeated in the future. We recommend that:
(a) a Carnival management and leadership development programme is established, the
completion of which should be mandatory for all serving and prospective board members;
(b) individual board membership of LNHCL should be limited to a maximum term of four years;
(c) membership of the LNHCL board should be broadened to include residents, young people,
carnival-related businesses and education and heritage practitioners; and
(d) independent legal, finance, management, public safety, business and marketing experience
and skills must always be present on the board.
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