'City Hall should run Notting Hill Carnival'

The August Bank Holiday festival attracts about two million people over the weekend

The Greater London Authority (GLA) should become the official organiser of Notting Hill Carnival, the leader of the Conservative group at City Hall has said.

Susan Hall AM said the festival, which attracts about two million people over the August Bank Holiday weekend, could no longer be organised by a "small group of well-meaning volunteers" due to the safety concerns surrounding the event.

Notting Hill Carnival organisers said the community-led event should remain that way, adding that they worked collaboratively with the GLA, councils, and police.

A spokesperson for the mayor of London said the carnival belongs to the Caribbean community, "who decide where it is held and organise the event".

Susan Hall said she was concerned about the crowding of people "like sardines" at the annual event

In a report released on Tuesday, Hall said that the recommendations were not to criticise the existence of Carnival, nor stop it, but to give the event "security, stability and structure" into the future.

"Something has to be done," she said. "It is one of the biggest events in the country actually... and yet still it goes on in the same way."

She said safety was her biggest concern, adding: "I've seen some of the footage. It's a prospect of a Hillsborough-type event, with the crushing. People are literally like sardines."

'Alternative funding solution'

Hall said that London's mayors Ken Livingstone, Boris Johnson and recently Sadiq Khan, had all raised concerns about the event in the past.

Sir Sadiq said in June that the risk of a crowd crush at the event "made me frightened".

Hall said that City Hall, which runs large scale events such as the New Year Fireworks, had the experiences and resources to run Notting Hill Carnival "safely and professionally".

The report said that managing Carnival in the years to come would require an "alternative funding solution" to cover the cost of policing and running the event.

Nearly £1m of extra funding was committed to this year's event, after organisers issued an urgent plea to the government for support.

Instead, City Hall and the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea and Westminster City Council, committed to the pot.

Last year, the event cost approximately £15.3m, with £13.5m of this being spent on policing, the report said.

The Metropolitan Police's Assistant Commissioner Matt Twist previously raised concerns of a "mass casualty event" due to crowd density.

Met Police's Assistant Commissioner Matt Twist said he was concerned about crowd density at the event

Hall has also suggested ticketing the event in order to set a maximum capacity.

"Every ticket, whether paid or free, should be linked to an individual's billing address as part of the registration process," the report said.

Carnival could also be moved to another location, such as Hyde Park, the report suggested, if the event could no longer be safely run in Notting Hill.

The report added that community voices would remain part of Carnival, through a new Notting Hill Carnival Advisory Board.

This would include the current organisers, community leaders from Notting Hill, representatives from the Metropolitan Police, the Mayor's Office for Police and Crime, Transport for London, the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, Westminster City Council, and the Metropolitan Police Federation.

A spokesperson for Sir Sadiq said the mayor "has continued to work with partners to ensure people can enjoy Carnival safely".

"Following an independent review, the mayor stepped forward with partners to provide additional funding this year," they added.

"However he believes that national funding will be needed to ensure the long-term safety and success of what is a nationally-significant event over the years ahead."

A spokesperson for Notting Hill Carnival Ltd (NHCL), the event organisers, said: "Many of the points raised in this report have been addressed and actioned by NHCL and its strategic partners.

"An independent review commissioned by NHCL earlier this year has led to numerous changes this year and beyond.

"We would formally like to invite Susan Hall to visit the Event Liaison Team (ELT) headquarters during this year's Carnival to witness the operation in action."