The Southbank Centre has defended itself after an attack from its own staff over the future of the venue. Save Our Southbank campaign’s open letter has more than 6,000 signatories and calls on the centre to avoid “irrevocable damage” as it restructures. Supporters include Radiohead's Jonny Greenwood, and artists Linder, Cécile B Evans, and Celia Hempton.
Coronavirus has left the Southbank Centre facing a £25 million loss this year. It plans to cut up to two thirds of its workforce. Fearful staff told us they met on WhatsApp to work out how “to let the public know what was going on”.
Alongside accusations that the leadership team lacked creativity and were overpaid, the letter’s authors — a group of staff who remain anonymous — allege that BAME workers would be disproportionately hit by redundancies. One told the Londoner "We’re really hoping that we can save jobs but that we can protect the diversity of the organisation. We feel that it’s hypocritical for the organisation to put out a statement committing to fighting racism and then disproportionately make its BAME staff, who are in lower paid jobs, redundant."
The open letter points out that since the departure of Jude Kelly in 2018 the Southbank has had no overall artistic director. One of the authors told us they wanted someone "at executive level that thinks creatively and thinks artistically".
In a response last night, the Centre went through the letter’s claims point by point. Among others, they denied that senior leadership were working fewer hours, and pointed out that the chief executive took a 30 per cent pay cut. "There have been inaccurate reports regarding the Chief Executive’s pay. The CEO did not - and actually cannot, as has been suggested - grant herself a pay rise," the Southbank's open letter said.
They also said a claim that the "formation of a network of BAME staff in 2019 was met by resistance by senior management" was "not true", and added their redundancy programme would be “subject to an equality impact assessment”.
The SOS campaign informed the Londoner they were “prepared to take it further”. Will the Southbank Centre’s response be enough to prevent that?
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Michael Rosen, the poet and former children’s laureate, has blasted the decision for poetry to be optional on next year’s GCSE English syllabus. “Poetry offers a view on humanity, society and the world that is playful, contemplative, mysterious, questioning,” Rosen told us. “We should all have a chance to give this a try when we’re at school.” Rosen has recently recovered from a serious case of coronavirus. Great to see him back and still fighting.
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News of a Primrose Hill pub reopening after six years has sent one national broadcaster into a swoon. Andrew Marr wrote on Twitter: “In the darkest of times, over a pitch black horizon, come pinpricks of light. One day, back in the wonderful Albert with a pint and a scotch egg.” The Londoner will no doubt be there too, propping up the bar in October.
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Baroness Bertin says she has no doubt why coronavirus spread to “so many important people in government”. The former Downing Street aide explains: “You cannot socially distance in Number 10. It’s too close an environment.” She illustrates the point to the Red Box podcast: “I can remember having to lift my feet up to let the mice go by.” So much for Larry.
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ED BALLS has had many careers after losing his seat in 2015 — from dancer to documentary presenter — but The Londoner has stumbled on his strangest post-politics appearance: as a role-play mask. Happily, the masks serve an above-board function as teaching aides. One five-star review reads: “Really useful in Year 1. I’ve been teaching ... using the character Ed Balls.” Ours is in the post.
Tove, Dua and Charli in ‘quarantine band’
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