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BBC News
11 hours ago
- Politics
- BBC News
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 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 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 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 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 it is understood that if the organisers' request is granted, it would mark the first time direct government funding has been provided.
Daily Mail
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Future of Notting Hill Carnival 'up in the air', leaked letter reveals
Notting Hill Carnival could be cancelled without 'urgent funding' from the government, its organisers have reportedly warned in a leaked letter. It comes after a review of the festival, which takes place on August Bank Holiday weekend, identified 'critical public safety concerns'. Last year, more than 300 people were arrested and eight people were stabbed during the event, which attracts up to two million visitors. Ian Comfort, the Carnival's chair, has now said in a letter seen by the BBC that additional funding is needed to address the issues and make sure it safe to run. He is understood to have written to Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy to request the money, which is 'essential to safeguarding the future and public safety of this iconic event'. Mr Comfort said in the letter: 'The April 2025 London Assembly report highlights the increasing strain placed on the Metropolitan Police during large-scale public events. 'Limited resourcing has restricted the police service's ability to respond to growing operational pressure.' He called for more investment into stewarding and crowd management, which he said was essential for the police to focus on preventing crime. Notting Hill Carnival has been indirectly supported by the government through public bodies such as Arts Council England. But it is understood if the request for funding is granted, it will be the first time direct government financial support is provided for the event. The Department for Culture, Media and Sport said it would 'respond to the letter in due course'. Last year, 7,000 police officers were on duty at Notting Hill Carnival, with a total of around 14,000 officer shifts across the whole event. However, two people tragically died from injuries they sustained in separate attacks at the festival. Cher Maximen, 32, was brutally stabbed in front of her three-year-old daughter after she got caught in the middle of a fight between two groups of men. She was rushed to hospital but died six days later - sparking concerns about the safety at the event. Meanwhile Mussie Imnetu - a Michelin star chef - died from a severe head injury he sustained during an assault at the carnival. He was repeatedly punched and kicked by charity worker Omar Wilson, 31, a court previously heard. After the attack, Wilson went out clubbing with his friends at the Ministry of Sound and confessed to one of them in a text message, writing: 'There's a monster in me.. And it's just like sometimes it comes out. And I think I've messed up now. And everything's finished. 'I've f****d up. I crossed the line and went overboard. I don't think I can come back from this mistake. I'm going to jail in the morning.' He was jailed for at least 18 years in February for the attack. Mayor of London Sadiq Khan commented: 'It is heartbreaking that Cher Maximen and Mussie Imnetu have died after being attacked in separate incidents over the bank holiday weekend. 'My thoughts are with their families and friends at this truly terrible time. 'This violence is shocking, completely unacceptable and a betrayal of the values that (Notting Hill) Carnival was founded to celebrate.' The organisers of Notting Hill Carnival said in a statement: 'Notting Hill Carnival is shocked by these tragic deaths and our thoughts are with the victims' families and the local community as a whole, which like so many others, has suffered all too often from the blight of violent crime. 'We stand together against all violence and condemn these acts, which are against all carnival values and the millions of people who come in celebration of them.' MailOnline has contacted Notting Hill Carnival for comment on the letter about funding concerns.
BBC News
2 days ago
- Politics
- BBC News
Future of Notting Hill Carnival 'in jeopardy'
The future of the Notting Hill Carnival could be in doubt without "urgent funding" from the government, its organisers said in a letter leaked to the 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".It follows a review of the festival, which attracts about two million people over the August Bank Holiday weekend, that identified "critical public safety concerns" that needed additional funding to address, the letter Met Police's Assistant Commissioner Matt Twist previously raised concerns of a "mass casualty event" due to crowd density. Funding 'essential' The Department for Culture, Media and Sport has been contacted for a 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 the leaked letter, Mr Comfort said: "The April 2025 London Assembly report highlights the increasing strain placed on the Metropolitan Police during large-scale public events. "Limited resourcing has restricted the police service's ability to respond to growing operational pressures."The carnival chair said that increased investment in stewarding and crowd management was "now essential to allow the police to focus on their primary role of crime prevention and public protection".Mr Comfort added 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 safety review's full findings and recommendations have not been made public. Mr Comfort said that while the GLA 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 it is understood that if the organisers' request is granted, it would mark the first time direct government funding has been provided. Mr Comfort added: "A co-ordinated, well-resourced safety approach is essential to protect attendees and meet the operational demands of this major national event." 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 evidence to the London Assembly Police and Crime Committee in September, Mr Twist said: "While we acknowledge that crime often gets the headlines, the thing that worries me most is the crowd density and the potential for a mass casualty event."The committee's report - separate to the safety review commissioned by Carnival organisers - found that while the force was being put under increasing strain by Carnival, "this has not been matched with an increase in funding from the government".Speaking in April at the report's publication, committee chair Susan Hall said: "It is absolutely essential that the Met is on hand to carry out its duties, and not fill in for a lack of stewarding from the organisers."
Daily Mail
03-06-2025
- Business
- Daily Mail
BBC Director General Tim Davie pushes for higher licence fee - weeks after it rose to £174.50
BBC boss Tim Davie has suggested the licence fee should be hiked - just weeks after it rose to a new high of £174.50. The Director General has pushed for the Government - including Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy - to give extra backing to the corporation for its services, as he complained about a decade of 'grinding' cuts. His words came after a series of controversies surrounding the BBC which is financed by the licence fee anyone in Britain owning a television must pay. Mr Davie, 58, who took the top BBC job in September 2020, has been in post for a period which has included the conviction of BBC1 newsreader Huw Edwards over child sexual abuse images. He spoke last month at a conference amid criticism for Gary Lineker, who was the BBC's highest paid presenter on £1.3million a year before his departure ahead of schedule. Former England football captain Lineker, 64, presented his last edition of Match Of The Day last month, as previously planned as his BBC contract approached its end. He was earmarked to continue with the corporation next season fronting coverage of both the FA Cup and the 2026 World Cup. But his time with the BBC instead finished following widespread condemnation for his sharing on Instagram of a pro-Palestine video that included a rat emoji. That prompted criticisms that he had shared what was an anti-Semitic trope about Jewish people previously widely promoted by Nazi Germany. Lineker apologised for the post, which he deleted, saying he had not spotted the emoji and that he would 'never knowingly share anything anti-Semitic', adding: 'It goes against everything I believe in.' Days before Lineker's departure was announced, Davie told reporters at the Lowry arts centre in Salford: 'The BBC's reputation is held by everyone and when someone makes a mistake, it costs us. 'And I think we absolutely need people to be the exemplars of BBC values and follow our social media policies, simple as that.' He has now been speaking about about future BBC funding, appearing to give a signal over the licence fee which contributes to two thirds of the BBC's income. The annual charge was recently raised to £174.50, having garnered the BBC about £3.7billion last year and will rise in line with inflation to 2027. But Mr Davie has now called for more financial support from the Government, as he carped against funding cuts in recent years - amid a series of BBC News job losses. The BBC Director General was speaking at the Deloitte and Enders Media and Telecoms conference in central London. What is the annual TV licence fee and who needs to pay it? The licence fee was introduced in June 1946, when television broadcasts resumed following the Second World War. If you watch or record broadcasted TV programmes, you must have a TV licence either through purchase or given free to those receiving pension credit and 75 years or older. All forms of transmission include using the BBC iPlayer on a smart television, laptops and tablets. The annual fee, reported to be worth more than £3billion to the BBC, currently costs £169.50 - but this will rise to £174.50 next April. The cost pays for TV, radio and online programmes and services including iPlayer, Radio 1, CBeebies and the World Service. It also funds Welsh language TV channel S4C and local TV channels. He said: 'I do want universal funding and I want proper investment and not begrudging, grinding cuts to the BBC, which you've had in the last 10 years, which have just not helped. The BBC has said that its licence fee revenue has fallen by 30 per cent in real terms from 2010 to 2020 after various freezes and cuts. And the number of British households paying the licence fee is believed to have slumped by about half a million last year - against a backdrop of rival competition from streaming sites such as Netflix, Disney+ and Amazon Prime Video. Mr Davie told the conference in London of his worries about a 'mainstream weaponisation where people don't care' about the BBC, the Telegraph reported. Culture Secretary Ms Nandy said in April this year the BBC TV licence fee was unenforceable and unfairly targeted women. She told the Telegraph there were 'problems' with the charge and that 'fewer and fewer people are paying it'. She said: 'We're about to kick off the charter review and as part of that we're reviewing the licence fee.' Ms Nandy has previously said she could be open to replacing the flat licence fee with a sliding payment scale after a suggestion by the BBC's new chairman Samir Shah. She has ruled out the licence fee being replaced by general taxation.
Telegraph
20-05-2025
- Business
- Telegraph
Foreign state ownership is a systemic threat to a free press
Last week I received an unexpected invitation to meet with Lisa Nandy, the Culture Secretary. I assumed it was to tell me that the Government was finally going to ask the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) to end the uncertainty over the ownership of The Telegraph. I had raised the issue in the Lords on a number of occasions and was grateful for her courtesy. Instead I was astonished to learn that she had issued a press release announcing that the Government intended to reverse the decision taken by Parliament last year to ban foreign governments from owning or co-owning British newspapers. Her department, no doubt cheered on by the Foreign Office, had clearly surrendered to the lobbying from sovereign wealth funds, foreign governments and investors and extended the concession for ownership by sovereign wealth funds from 5pc to 15pc and included in that concession any foreign government, however odious their regime. It was only last year that a cross-party rebellion led by the redoubtable Baroness Stowell resulted in both Houses of Parliament amending primary legislation to place an absolute prohibition on foreign state ownership or control of British newspapers. A duty was imposed on the Culture Secretary under the amended Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act to block media mergers where a foreign power was deemed to have control or significant influence. Opinion polls showed more than two thirds of the public supported a ban. This was now to be reversed using secondary legislation. The text of the regulations were not available and it was unclear whether several foreign governments could each own 15pc of any newspaper. The Government says that this would only apply to passive investors, but it is utterly naive to believe that a 15pc holding would not result in a degree of influence. The CMA takes 15pc as a starting level to consider scrutiny for material influence in takeover bids. This threshold is unarguably a serious undermining of the safeguards Parliament voted for and a cynical manipulation of the statutory instrument which was intended to provide for a 5pc holding for existing sovereign wealth funds. Allowing foreign governments to hold stakes in national newspapers is a systemic threat to a free press and a free press is a necessary condition for a free country. We have a saying in Scotland that he who pays the piper calls the tune. Autocratic governments intent on acquiring stakes in our media are seeking influence opportunities not investment opportunities. Of course they are prepared to pay handsomely to achieve that. If permitted there is a potential unwelcome conflict of interest created between journalists and their employers. The Government's proposals are not some technical adjustment. They open the door to state-funded media and undermine independent journalism. At a time of great geopolitical upheaval, the Government should be strengthening media independence not trading it away for foreign capital. Now Parliament must act to reassert the protections enshrined in the legislation and make it clear that foreign governments have no place in ownership of our national media.
