Latest news with #IanComfort
The Guardian
09-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Notting Hill carnival to go ahead this year after £1m funding boost
Notting Hill carnival will go ahead this year after almost £1 of funding was raised to provide extra safety and infrastructure measures. City Hall, Kensington and Chelsea council and Westminster city council provided £958,000 for the event following pleas from organisers for support after a review recommended several changes to make the event safe. Chair of Notting Hill Carnival Ltd, Ian Comfort, who had appealed to culture secretary Lisa Nandy for additional support, said the event's future was secured only a few weeks before it was due to take place. 'Although this support comes just weeks before the event, it is a much-needed and welcome commitment,' he said. 'This support reinforces the importance of Notting Hill carnival as a cultural institution – central to London's identity and to the nation's creative and economic life.' In June, it emerged that the annual celebration could be in jeopardy without 'urgent funding' from the government, according to a leaked letter from its organisers. It followed a review of the festival, which identified 'critical public safety concerns' that needed additional funding to address, the letter said. Each year about 7,000 police are deployed, and figures released in 2023 put the cost of policing the event at £11.7m. The independent safety review, whose findings and recommendations have not been made public, was commissioned by the carnival's organisers and paid for at a cost of £100,000 by the Greater London Authority, Kensington and Chelsea council and Westminster city council. Notting Hill carnival was established in its current form in 1966 and sees 2 million revellers fill the streets of west London each August bank holiday weekend. It is the biggest festival of its kind in Europe and is an annual celebration of Black British culture that brings in people from around the globe, featuring parades, sound systems and mas bands. Comfort said that, although Arts Council England provides some funding to organisations involved in carnival, 'a major gap remains'. He added: 'The essential operational funding required to ensure participants can perform and engage safely has historically not been provided directly by either Arts Council England or central government. This is despite carnival's significant cultural importance and its substantial contribution to the UK economy.' Deputy leader of Kensington and Chelsea council, Kim Taylor-Smith, said that because of the £80m budget gap the council is facing, the additional funding it provided would be for 'this year only'. The mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said: 'The event burst on to our streets nearly six decades ago and has grown to become one of the world's biggest street festivals, generating almost £400m for our economy. This incredible growth has led to the need for a number of safety measures to be introduced, as identified in an independent review earlier this year.'
The Independent
24-06-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Police officers and Met chief express concerns over Notting Hill Carnival
Concerns about Notting Hill Carnival have been raised by both a police officers' group and Met Police boss Sir Mark Rowley, with questions over safety and whether organisers can secure funding for extra stewards in time. Deputy general secretary of the Metropolitan Police Federation Simon Hill said none of the frontline officers he speaks to look forward to working at the event, amid concerns there could be a deadly crush due to the size of the crowds that the carnival attracts. Carnival chairman Ian Comfort has requested more funding from the Government to steward the event and address safety concerns, amid ongoing warnings from police that there could be a tragedy. A report by Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley for the London Policing Board, that meets on Thursday, says force bosses are 'significantly concerned' that funding for extra stewards for the August Bank Holiday event will not be in place in time. Referring to phase one of a review commissioned by organisers that looked at crowd safety and stewarding, the report says: 'We are however significantly concerned that with just a matter of weeks to go until this year's event that the essential funding has not been secured and, with each week that passes, the ability to successfully implement the Phase One recommendations becomes more challenging as event management companies will be hesitant to take on an event at such short notice without a sufficient lead-in time.' Around 7,000 Metropolitan Police officers are deployed to each day of the event, and the cost of policing the Carnival in 2023 was £11.7 million according to figures released under Freedom of Information legislation. Mr Hill said officers are 'as worried this year as they were last year and the year before' about working at the event. 'Nobody that I speak to actually looks forward to working Notting Hill Carnival which is a real shame, because it's a vibrant event, it's an important event. 'We should enjoy interacting with the public and serving the community in it, but you have a handful of criminals who turn up to the event and just cause carnage. 'We had two murders (last year), 60-odd of my colleagues on average are getting assaulted every carnival, it's been going on for years and it's not acceptable.' He said the size of the area where the event is held should expand or the number of people attending should be reduced. 'Everyone accepts it's an unsafe event. Why is it still going on?' he added. 'You've got people coming onto the radio talking about a lack of confidence in the police because we're not doing our job, and yet we're spending millions of pounds over two days for an event, displacing thousands of officers to police an event. 'Could they be used better elsewhere? Could that money be used better elsewhere? I would suggest it could.' He has asked for details of what training stewards receive and what checks are carried out to make sure they are suitable to work within the crowds, but said he had not received any information. Sir Mark told LBC during a call-in: 'The organisers, who are really good people, need the support to be able to do it properly, to keep everyone safe so they can enjoy that event. I think they're asking for around a couple of million pounds to be able to do that properly.' He went on: 'From our perspective, we don't enjoy trying to rescue the safety, because you can't fix an event where the safety is at risk. 'You can only sort of mitigate it, you can't fix it. Frankly we want to fix our attention on the small number of people who come along to commit crime.' Two people were murdered at the carnival last year – Cher Maximen, who was killed in front of her three-year-old daughter, and chef Mussie Imnetu. Asked about the average 60 officers who are injured he said: 'The criminals who turn up to this event are really violent and very difficult, and frankly, fighting crime in a confined area where the crowds are so crushed, is doubly difficult. 'If the organisers were given the resources to run it better, we'd be able to do a better job fighting crime, and our officers would be at less risk.'
BBC News
24-06-2025
- BBC News
Met Police concerned over Notting Hill Carnival steward funds
Concerns about the Notting Hill Carnival have been raised by both a police officers' group and Met Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley, with questions over safety funding for extra Hill of the Metropolitan Police Federation said none of the front-line officers he spoke to looked forward to working at the event, and were concerned there could be a deadly crush due to crowd chairman Ian Comfort has requested more funding from the government to steward the event and address safety concerns.A report by Sir Mark for the London Policing Board said force bosses were "significantly concerned" that funding for extra stewards for the event would not be in place in time. 'Handful of criminals' Referring to phase one of a review commissioned by organisers that looked at crowd safety and stewarding, the report said: "We are however significantly concerned that with just a matter of weeks to go until this year's event that the essential funding has not been secured and, with each week that passes, the ability to successfully implement the Phase One recommendations becomes more challenging as event management companies will be hesitant to take on an event at such short notice without a sufficient lead-in time."About 7,000 Metropolitan Police officers are deployed to each day of the August Bank Holiday event. The cost of policing Carnival in 2023 was £11.7m, according to figures released under Freedom of Information Hill said officers were "as worried this year as they were last year and the year before" about working at the event."Nobody that I speak to actually looks forward to working Notting Hill Carnival, which is a real shame, because it's a vibrant event, it's an important event," he said."We should enjoy interacting with the public and serving the community in it, but you have a handful of criminals who turn up to the event and just cause carnage."We had two murders [last year], 60-odd of my colleagues on average are getting assaulted every carnival, it's been going on for years and it's not acceptable." He said the size of the area for the event should expand or the number of people attending should be reduced."Everyone accepts it's an unsafe event. Why is it still going on?" he Mark told LBC the event organisers were asking for "a couple of million pounds" to keep festivalgoers about the average 60 officers who are injured he said: "The criminals who turn up to this event are really violent and very difficult, and, frankly, fighting crime in a confined area where the crowds are so crushed is doubly difficult," he said."If the organisers were given the resources to run it better, we'd be able to do a better job fighting crime, and our officers would be at less risk." Two people were murdered at the carnival last year - Cher Maximen, who was killed in front of her three-year-old daughter, and chef Mussie Imnetu.
BBC News
22-06-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
Windrush campaigners back Notting Hill Carnival funding bid
Campaigners have urged the government to step in to protect the future of Notting Hill Carnival as they mark Windrush west London carnival is in jeopardy, its chairman Ian Comfort said in a letter leaked to the BBC on Wednesday, in which he asked Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy to provide "urgent funding" for public safety the government acknowledged the significance of the event, it stopped short of offering financial backing and urged organisers to work with local authorities and the McKenzie, a campaigner and human rights lawyer who helped victims of the Windrush scandal, said the carnival held "huge national and international significance". "The government needs to recognise this and act urgently to protect it," Ms McKenzie the late 1950s, Notting Hill had became home to many people from the Caribbean who arrived in Britain on HMT Empire Windrush and accompanying ships, and the carnival was founded by pioneers of that McKenzie said the carnival being at risk "adds insult to injury" for victims of the Windrush scandal, in which thousands of British people, mainly of Caribbean origin, were wrongly classed as illegal were deported while others faced difficulty securing work, accessing healthcare or housing."It should not be lost on us that these funding concerns coincide with Windrush Day on Sunday," she said. "To see this celebration in jeopardy whilst so many of the Windrush generation continue to fight for justice following the Home Office scandal only adds insult to injury."Carnival embodies the fundamental role of Black and Caribbean communities in Britain, and the government should be upholding the Windrush legacy instead of undermining it." The carnival, which attracts around two million people over the August bank holiday weekend, has caused concern to the Metropolitan Police over the potential for a "mass casualty event". On Thursday, London Mayor Sir Sadiq Khan said the risk of a crowd crush at Notting Hill Carnival "made me frightened". He also backed calls for the government to step in as the current funding provided by City Hall and two councils was the maximum possible.A City Hall spokesperson said it has been working with partners to ensure the safety of carnival-goers, which it described as "paramount".Patrick Vernon, a cultural historian and Windrush campaigner, said: "Notting Hill Carnival is far more than a street event - it is a vital cultural institution with both national and international significance."As the second-largest carnival in the world, second only to Rio de Janeiro, it underscores London's position as a leading global capital of diversity, creativity and cultural exchange." Mr Vernon campaigned for a national Windrush Day following the Home Office scandal in 2018."The injustice faced by the Windrush Generation in recent years makes the threat to Notting Hill Carnival all the more painful," Mr Vernon added that the carnival represented the "best of Britain", with "unity in diversity, creativity in adversity, and joy in community". Glenda Caesar, director of the Windrush National Organisation, also urged the government to step in to save the event."In the face of historical and ongoing injustices experienced by people of colour, the carnival stands not only as a celebration of resilience, heritage and identity but also as a powerful symbol of unity and inclusion," she said. A government spokesman said: "Notting Hill Carnival is an important community event, and we recognise that for many it is a moment to come together and celebrate."We all want this to go ahead, and event organisers should work with local authorities and the police to keep it safe for everyone attending."
The Independent
22-06-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Government urged to save Notting Hill Carnival: ‘Insult to injury'
Notting Hill Carnival 's future is uncertain, with its chairman, Ian Comfort, requesting urgent government funding from Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy to save the event. Campaigners, including human rights lawyer Jacqueline McKenzie, emphasize the carnival's "huge national and international significance" and its deep connection to the Windrush generation, urging the government to protect it. The potential loss of the carnival, founded by Caribbean pioneers, is seen as adding "insult to injury" for victims of the Windrush scandal, especially as concerns coincide with Windrush Day. Professor Patrick Vernon, a cultural historian, highlights the carnival as a vital cultural institution and the world's second-largest, representing London's diversity and Black British identity. A government spokesman acknowledged the carnival as an "important community event" and stated that organisers should collaborate with local authorities and police to ensure safety.
