Agenda item

Officer: Hazel Simmonds

Key decision: No

The Leader of the Council delegated authority to the Cabinet to make the following decisions:

RESOLVED: To note the information in the report and presentation (at appendix A of the report).

The Leader of the Council introduced the report and thanked Councillor Patsy Cummings for all her hard work as the BAME Champion, in particular the organisation of Windrush Day.

The Deputy Cabinet Member for Finance & Resources and BAME Champion showed a presentation to the Cabinet which highlighted: Croydon’s celebration of the Windrush Generation; the range of organised events for Black History Month; Croydon Mela, which had been a hugely successful event with the help of the Cabinet Member for Culture, Leisure & Sport; the annual interfaith bike ride; Croydon Council being highly commended in the representative workforce category at the 2019 ENEI awards; and the celebrations of various communities, namely Diwali.

The presentation also highlighted the changes at Fairfield Hall: a suite in the venue had been named after Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, an English composer who lived most of his life in Croydon; the Talawa Theatre Company had taken up residence; and the Chineke! Orchestra was an “Orchestra in Partnership” at Fairfield Halls.

Cabinet Members and Shadow Cabinet Members thanked Councillor Patsy Cummings for her presentation and all her fantastic work she had achieved as the BAME Champion. They noted the importance of all the events she had organised, particularly because Croydon was one of the most diverse areas in the country. They also gave thanks for organising the Windrush Day celebrations and noted that there had been positive and highly successful events throughout the year.

The Cabinet Member for Economy & Jobs noted that Croydon Council had organised a Good Employer BAME Entrepreneurs event during Black History Month where a range of speakers and entrepreneurs attended. She thanked the officers for organising a Black History Month themed market in Surrey Street where there were 15 different trailers; a similar market would be held in Surrey Street for Diwali. It was further noted that the “100 in 100” campaign had begun where the Council were working with businesses and training providers within the Croydon Apprenticeship Academy to provide apprenticeships for residents in the borough, with the aim to employee 100 in 100 days. The target of employing 50 in 50 days had been reached, with particular help to a roadshow organised with the BAME Network.

The Cabinet Member for Children, Young People & Learning welcomed the Samuel Coleridge-Taylor suite in the Fairfield Halls. She also noted the importance of introducing black history education to the curriculum throughout the year and not just during Black History Month; a high number of young people did not have the opportunity to learn who they were and the history of where they come from. Councillor Woodley further explained that when she taught in the Borough and she chaired the Commission on Race and Education Attainment across London in 2003 and it was agreed to recommend to Government for black history to be included as part of the curriculum; however, the recommendations were only partially adopted by agreeing for black history to be included if the school wished to teach it. She expressed that it should not be an “add-on” to the curriculum but should be mandatory across the UK.

The Leader of the Council delegated authority to the Cabinet to make the following decisions:

RESOLVED: To note the information in the report and presentation (at appendix A of the report).