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 BBC.

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”.

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 said.

The Met Police’s Assistant Commissioner Matt Twist previously raised concerns of a “mass casualty event” due to crowd density.

The Department for Culture, Media and Sport has been contacted for a response.

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.

In the leaked letter, Mr Comfort also referred to a separate report by the London Assembly. He said that this study, published in April, highlighted 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,” Mr Comfort said in the letter.

He added 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 needed.

The 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 England.

However, 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 event.

Giving 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.”