Notting Hill Carnival's lack of funding 'a significant concern'
The Metropolitan Police has said it is "significantly concerned" that Notting Hill Carnival is yet to secure "essential funding" with only a matter of weeks until the event. The comments, made in the London Policing Board agenda, explain that "crowd safety needs to be addressed", and calls for effective stewarding. The concerns come after a leaked letter to the BBC showed that carnival organisers felt the event could be in doubt without "urgent funding" from the government. Carnival chair Ian Comfort has written to Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy to request the funding, which he said was "essential to safeguarding the future and public safety of this iconic event".
The government is yet to respond, and has told media it will "respond to the letter in due course".The Met Police's Assistant Commissioner Matt Twist previously raised concerns of a "mass casualty event" due to crowd density.
Running out of time
The new comments from the Met Police highlight the force's worries over the event going ahead. The Met said: "With each week that passes, the ability to successfully implement the phase one recommendations become more challenging as event management companies will be hesitant to take on an event at such short notice without a sufficient lead in time."Phase one recommendations focus on event management and crowd safety.It said, however, that its own plans for policing the event were "well underway", and said that planning began "as soon as last year's carnival concluded".As part of its policing operation for the 2024 carnival, the Met had about 7,000 officers on duty, drawn from local policing teams as well as specialist units, with a total of around 14,000 officer shifts across the whole event.
The latest concerns from the Met follow a review of the festival, which attracts about two million people over the August Bank Holiday weekend, which identified "critical public safety concerns" that needed additional funding to address, the letter said.The independent safety review was commissioned by the carnival's organisers and paid for at a cost of £100,000 by the Greater London Authority (GLA), Kensington and Chelsea Council and Westminster Council.The safety review's full findings and recommendations have not been made public.
In the leaked letter, Mr Comfort wrote that a failure to secure immediate additional funding "risks compromising public safety and jeopardising the future of the carnival".He did not put a number on the level of funding needed.Mr Comfort said that while the Greater London Authority and the two councils had provided "substantial support" for stewarding during past festivals, they could no longer meet the "growing operational requirements identified in the review".
The government has supported Carnival through bodies such as Arts Council England.However, it is understood that if the organisers' request is granted, it would mark the first time direct government funding has been provided.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Independent
15 minutes ago
- The Independent
David Lammy arrives in Geneva to meet Iran's foreign minister for peace push
David Lammy has arrived in Geneva for talks with the Iranian foreign minister and European allies as the UK presses for a diplomatic solution to the Israel-Iran conflict. The Foreign Secretary is meeting Abbas Araghchi on Friday alongside his counterparts from France, Germany and the EU as he seeks to negotiate a settlement before US President Donald Trump decides on whether to take military action against Tehran. In a statement read by his press secretary on Thursday, Mr Trump said there was still 'a substantial chance of negotiations' and said he would make a decision on deploying US forces 'within the next two weeks'. Mr Trump had previously said he 'may' join Israeli strikes against Iran and its nuclear programme, but added: 'I may not do it. I mean, nobody knows what I'm going to do.' Friday's meeting with the so-called E3 countries follows Mr Lammy's visit to Washington, where he met US secretary of state Marco Rubio in the White House on Thursday evening to discuss 'how a deal could avoid a deepening conflict'. The Foreign Secretary said: 'The situation in the Middle East remains perilous. We are determined that Iran must never have a nuclear weapon.' Adding that a 'window now exists within the next two weeks to achieve a diplomatic solution', Mr Lammy said: 'Now is the time to put a stop to the grave scenes in the Middle East and prevent a regional escalation that would benefit no-one.' Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy said on Friday morning the White House had provided a 'very clear timescale now' for the UK and its allies as they push for de-escalation in the Middle East. She also told Times Radio: 'There is this two-week window where the US is offering diplomatic talks. And my counterpart, David Lammy, is over in Geneva today with leading European figures meeting with the Iranian foreign minister. 'We appreciate the seriousness of the situation, but we are hopeful that we will be able to achieve de-escalation and a diplomatic solution. And all of our efforts continue towards that end.' Israeli air strikes reached into the city of Rasht on the Caspian Sea early on Friday, Iranian media reported. Since the conflict erupted last week, at least 657 people, including 263 civilians, have been killed in Iran and more than 2,000 wounded, according to a Washington-based Iranian human rights group. Meanwhile, at least 24 people in Israel have been killed and hundreds wounded. It remains unclear whether the UK would join any military action, although there has been speculation that US involvement could require using the British-controlled base on Diego Garcia in the Chagos Islands. The B-2 stealth bombers based there are capable of carrying specialised 'bunker buster' bombs which could be used against Iran's underground nuclear facility at Fordo. Attorney General Lord Hermer is reported to have raised legal concerns about any British involvement in the conflict beyond defending its allies, which could limit the extent of any support for the US if Mr Trump decides to act militarily. Meanwhile, two Labour backbenchers pushed for a 'fresh, tough approach' to Tehran. Jon Pearce and Mike Tapp, chairman and vice-chairman respectively of Labour Friends of Israel, said the UK urgently needed 'a multifaceted diplomatic, economic and national security plan to guard against the Iranian threat and force the regime to change course'. Writing in The Daily Telegraph, the pair called for tighter sanctions on Iran, the proscription of the country's Revolutionary Guard Corps and a 'comprehensive diplomatic solution' that 'eliminates once and for all' Iran's nuclear threat.
The Guardian
27 minutes ago
- The Guardian
‘Sorry, Keir Starmer pretending to be Nigel Farage is not what I ordered': the Stephen Collins cartoon
'Sorry, Keir Starmer pretending to be Nigel Farage is not what I ordered': the Stephen Collins cartoon
Telegraph
29 minutes ago
- Telegraph
Chinese asylum seeker avoids deportation after claiming support for Taiwanese independence
A Chinese asylum seeker has been allowed to stay in Britain because he 'cannot be expected to lie' about his support for Taiwanese independence. The unnamed man had claimed his attendance at pro-Taiwan rallies meant he would be persecuted by the Beijing government if he had to go back. An asylum judge ruled in his favour, concluding that the risk to pro-Taiwanese activists was 'far greater' than in 2022, when the refugee came to the UK. Judge Christopher Hanson said that the man would face questioning by officials if he was returned to China. 'If he is asked about what he has done in the UK, or in relation to any political activities, he cannot be expected to lie,' he said. Taiwan, which lies just off the coast of the mainland, was occupied by the nationalist government following the communist victory in 1949. Beijing regards it as a breakaway state that will eventually come under Chinese control, and tensions between the two have escalated in recent years. The case, disclosed in court papers, is the latest example uncovered by The Telegraph in which illegal migrants or convicted foreign criminals have been able to remain in the UK or halt their deportations after claiming returning them to their home countries would breach their human rights. Ministers are proposing to raise the threshold to make it harder for judges to grant the right to remain based on article eight of the European Convention on Human Rights, which protects the right to a family life, and article three, which protects against torture and inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment. The Chinese citizen, known as BK, claimed asylum in the UK in January 2022, but his case was dismissed by a lower tier immigration tribunal because he was deemed not high-profile enough to warrant protection. The 39-year-old then appealed to an upper tier tribunal in March this year. The hearing in Birmingham was told that BK had stated that he had been arrested twice because of his pro-Taiwanese beliefs. Since moving to the UK he had attended pro-Taiwanese events, the last of which was in 2022. He also posted his views on Facebook, yet the tribunal heard that there was 'very little evidence of serious engagement'. However, the tribunal was told the risk of persecution to pro-Taiwanese activists had greatly increased since that year. This was mainly down to international tensions and other separatist movements in Xinjiang and Tibet, prompting crackdowns by China. Last year, China launched military drills around Taiwan and even simulated a full-scale attack on the island nation. 'Credible risk of harm' Despite being a low-level activist, the tribunal believed that BK, who is also a Christian, could be prosecuted if he returned to China. Judge Hanson concluded: 'The risk of arrest for worshippers in unlicensed churches is also greater now than it was when BK was last in the country, and greater than it was in certain decisions and documents cited in his First-tier Tribunal hearing. 'I do conclude with a great degree of confidence that the risk to pro-Taiwanese activists in general is far greater than it was when he was last in China. 'Even if the authorities in China have no knowledge of BK's activities in the UK it is likely that on return he will be interviewed by the Chinese authorities. If he is asked about what he has done in the UK or in relation to any political activities he cannot be expected to lie. 'If he continues to express his pro-Taiwanese separatist beliefs, there is a real risk that the authorities in China will become aware. 'If they do, it is likely that further action will be taken against BK, which will increase in severity, especially if it transpires that he is ignoring earlier warnings and penalties, such that the authorities are likely to view him as having a high level of activity and posing a potential threat as a 'hard-line' separatist. 'I conclude that whilst BK may be able to be returned to China as he does not have the type of profile indicated in the report that will give rise to a real risk at this stage, there is a credible risk of harm sufficient to amount to persecution if he continues with his pro-Taiwanese activities in China, and is entitled to a grant of international protection.'
