The Metropolitan Police has revealed “significant concerns” about the failure to secure funding for additional security at this year’s Notting Hill Carnival.
Met commissioner Sir Mark Rowley said that the closer it got to the start of the three-day street festival – which is held over the August bank holiday weekend – the harder it would become to find a private stewarding company to help control the vast crowds.
His intervention - outlined in his report to next Thursday’s London policing board – comes amid a row between London mayor Sir Sadiq Khan and the Government over additional funding for the carnival.
The need for additional security to manage crowds of up to a million people was made clear in a recent report commissioned by the carnival organisers, after the Met said it feared a “mass casualty event” after numerous life-threatening incidents due to crushing at the last day of the 2024 carnival.
City Hall already provides about £1m a year, primarily for safety and security, with additional investment from Kensington and Chelsea and Westminster councils.
However the Government says any additional funding for the carnival – the world’s second largest street festival – is a matter for the mayor.
Sir Mark said in his report: “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 become more challenging as event management companies will be hesitant to take on an event at such short notice without a sufficient lead in time.”
Sir Sadiq was warned at Mayor’s Question Time on Thursday by Susan Hall, leader of the City Hall Conservatives, that the carnival had become a victim of its own success and was a “disaster waiting to happen”.
Sir Sadiq revealed he had been “frightened” by CCTV footage of the crushing that occurred in 2024 and said the situation brought to mind the need to prevent similar tragedies as the 1989 football disaster at Hillsborough, in which 97 people died.
Sir Mark said in his policing report that the Met had begun planning for the 2025 carnival “as last year's carnival concluded”.
He wrote: “Carnival is hugely significant celebration of Caribbean culture drawing people from across the UK and internationally to come and celebrate in London.”
The event is organised by Notting Hill Carnival Trust.
Sir Mark said: “Following last year's carnival, which saw significant crowd safety issues, and serious criminality including the murders of Mussie Imnetu and Cher Maximen, the Notting Hill Carnival Trust and Strategic Funders Group (the Trust, the two local authorities, City Hall, and the Met Police) commissioned a two-part independent review.
“Phase one of the review reported in April and focused on a desktop analysis of existing crowd safety documentation, including roles and responsibilities and stewarding.
“This focus was to enable immediate progress to be made ahead of this year’s event within the tight constraints.
“Phase two will look at longer term improvements which can be implemented over the next two to five years.
“The phase one report made a series of recommendations focused on event management and crowd safety.
“These recommendations largely reflect our feedback, that crowd safety needs to be addressed and that the event should be effectively stewarded.
“Since the report was published the Trust and City Hall have been working together to identify potential funding options.
“The Met has been supporting this work and underscoring the importance of the review, its recommendations and subsequent funding being made available.
“Implementing these recommendations is a key foundation of ensuring that this year's carnival can take place safely.”
