Nick Rogers:

Further to my question 2021/3912, what work has the Commission for Diversity in the Public Realm achieved and what is the total cost to the taxpayer since its inception?

London’s diversity is our greatest strength, yet many Londoners don’t see themselves reflected in our public realm. The Commission for Diversity in the Public Realm is leading a London-wide conversation on how to achieve greater diversity and representation.

Commissioners were appointed in January 2021, alongside a Partners Board and a Borough Working Group, attended by 19 boroughs sharing best practice. Since then, the Commission has funded the first comprehensive audit of London’s public sculpture and monuments showing that of 1500 monuments only four per cent are dedicated to named women. It launched Untold Stories, a £1m community grant programme which received 117 applications for the first phase. Over 4400 Londoners have taken part in public engagement activities including workshops and roundtables, delivered with partners including Black Cultural Archives, East End Women’s Museum, Museum of London and Queer Britain.

The cost of this work has been £788k, including £533k in grants to 42 community led projects through Untold Stories.