Notting Hill Carnival Strategic Review - Intelligent Space

(a) create a new post of Carnival Arts Education Officer with the specific responsibility of liasing
with schools, facilitating school-community partnerships and developing Carnival education
resources;
(b) establish a Carnival Arts Education Network, which will act as a forum for information
exchange, partnership and curriculum development between teachers, academics,
carnivalists, museums, libraries, schools, community groups and musicians; and
(c) the possible creation of a London Carnival Schools’ Competition. If the Trinidad model were
to be followed, the competition would have several elements, including a school steel band
competition, calypso competition and costume band competition. The competitions would
need to take place at the end of the summer term preceding the Notting Hill Carnival and
would provide an incentive for school-based carnivals, which tend to happen at this time.
21. Notting Hill is and always will be the ‘spiritual’ home of the Carnival. We believe that the Carnival
arts movement in London, which has been an inspiration for many and shared their expertise to
support the emergence of other Caribbean-influenced carnivals – both nationally and
internationally –, now deserves a permanent home within Notting Hill. We are strongly in favour
of the creation of a dedicated Centre for Carnival Arts and Enterprise that will, amongst other
things, serve as a ‘Centre of Excellence’ for the development, promotion and teaching of the
Carnival arts and Carnival arts management. We recommend that the development and delivery
of this major initiative be placed on the agenda of the Mayor’s strategic forum [see
recommendation 24].
22. Whilst we recognise the importance of the Carnival Funders’ Group as a forum for key funding
organisations to exchange information and assess the funding priorities of the Notting Hill
Carnival, we believe that greater importance must be placed on the long-term funding
requirements of the event and the Carnival industry. It is our recommendation that the Mayor
establish a high-level strategic forum to prioritise and co-ordinate the Carnival’s long-term
sustainability and economic independence. Membership of this forum should, in the first
instance, comprise of representatives of the LDA, ACE, GLA, GOL, DCMS, LRF and Visit London.
23. Discussions about the Notting Hill Carnival have overwhelmingly focused on issues of public
safety and the cost of the event. We believe that the LDA’s assessment of the Carnival’s
economic contribution and future growth potential now provides us with an opportunity to
balance these discussions and achieve a more equitable cost-benefit analysis of what the Carnival
has to offer as a key vehicle for social and economic regeneration. As a seminal piece of research
we welcome the report and its recommendations. Further, we strongly recommend that the LDA
utilise the report and its findings to devise and implement a 4-year Carnival Economic
Development Strategy so as to ensure that the Carnival community truly benefits from the money
it generates.
24. The Notting Hill Carnival has and continues to be an important vehicle for the promotion of black
music, the development of live music audiences and the showcasing of London’s creative and
artistic talent. The mobile and static sound system djs are the key drivers in this regard, since
they are primarily responsible for determining the type and style of music played and promoted
within the Carnival entertainment area. We strongly believe that positive action must be taken to
harness the Carnival’s unique potential. It is therefore our recommendation that a Carnival music
policy and strategy be developed and implemented with a view to:
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