The Barbican Centre Board was scheduled to discuss the annual review of its Terms of Reference and the Barbican Budget for 2026/27. The meeting's agenda also included a report from the Interim CEO, providing an overview of activities across the Centre's strategic framework and shared goals.

Annual Review of Terms of Reference

The Board was scheduled to consider the annual review of its own Terms of Reference. This review is a standard procedure, undertaken each year in anticipation of the Court of Common Council's annual re-appointment of committees. The report indicated that no specific matters for consideration had been put forward by members since the previous review in October 2025. Therefore, the recommendation was to approve the Board's terms of reference for submission to the Policy & Resources Committee and the Court of Common Council in April 2026. The report noted that any proposed changes would need to facilitate efficiencies in the delivery of the City of London Corporation Strategy and would be subject to financial, resource, legal, risk, equalities, climate, and security implications. The current Terms of Reference, as outlined in Appendix A of the report, detail the Board's constitution, quorum, and responsibilities, which include setting the strategic direction for the Barbican Centre, appointing its Chief Executive Officer, and overseeing its contribution to the City of London Corporation's cultural and heritage priorities.¹

Barbican Budget 2026/27

A joint report from the Chamberlain and the Interim CEO of the Barbican Centre was scheduled for discussion, concerning the Barbican Budget for the 2026/27 financial year. This item was marked For Decision, indicating that the Board was expected to consider and potentially make decisions regarding the proposed budget.

CEO Report

The Board was set to receive a report from the Interim CEO, David Farnsworth, providing an update on activities across the Barbican Centre's strategic framework and shared goals for the third quarter of the 2025/26 financial year. This report, marked For Information, covered various areas including audience experience, retail performance, and cultural programming.

Key highlights from the CEO's report included the introduction of a new Calm First, Call In, Call Out model to manage customer interactions, which aims to provide a consistent and understanding-led approach. The Foyer Shop was reported to be ahead of budget for seasonal gifting, with a successful Black Friday campaign contributing to increased sales. The report also detailed progress on an in-house publishing project to revamp a bestselling book about the Barbican, with a planned publication date of October 2026.

In terms of audience engagement, the Winter/Festive campaign had driven over 600 new members and generated significant membership fees. The report highlighted various programme successes, including premieres in the Music department, a focus on talent development at the EFG London Jazz Festival, and theatrical productions by European directors. The report also detailed outreach through school programmes, young creatives' activities, and public programmes such as the Voiced: Festival for Endangered Languages, the Black British Book Festival, and the Dirty Weekend takeover.

The Cinema department reported sold-out screenings, including the Experiments in Film series and Family Film Week. Prestige season films were also drawing increased audiences, with the Barbican being one of only three locations in London to screen Yorgos Lanthimos's Bugonia on 35mm. ScreenTalks featured notable guests such as George Clooney and Laura Dern. The report also mentioned collaborations with various film festivals, including the London Palestine Film Festival and the London International Animation Festival.

Barbican Immersive announced In Other Worlds, an upcoming exhibition by artist Liam Young, scheduled to open in May 2026, with plans for international touring. The inaugural Shift Salon conference, aimed at cultural leaders, had also taken place. The touring exhibition Asian Comics: Evolution of an Artform had been a significant success, attracting over 120,500 visitors.

In Visual Arts, the report highlighted recent artist talks by Mona Hatoum and screenings related to Lucy Raven's work. Upcoming exhibitions in January and February 2026 were noted, including works by Julia Phillips, Lynda Benglis, and Beatriz González. The Noah Davis exhibition was scheduled to run at the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

The Build an Enterprising Business section of the report detailed performance in Business Events, with 16 events delivered in the Barbican Hall during Q3, including graduation ceremonies and talks. The sales team had handled enquiries worth over £16.5 million. In Commercial Development, a collaboration between Benugo, Darbar, and Jikoni restaurant was highlighted for its positive feedback. The report also confirmed renewals of Corporate Memberships from Slaughter and May, Bolt Burdon Kemp, and AIG, and noted a record level of support from individual philanthropists.

Under Revitalise Our Place, the Barbican Renewal programme was progressing, with RIBA stage 4 design advancing and a procurement strategy drafted. A significant development was the City of London Corporation's approval of a delivery programme for phase 1 (2025-30), consolidating major works into a twelve-month period from June 2028 to June 2029. The report also mentioned ongoing work related to the building's classification as a Higher Risk Building and progress in sustainability initiatives aimed at achieving net-zero targets.

Finally, the Invest in Our People and Culture section noted that the People, Culture & Inclusion Committee had received the full EDI Strategy Progress report, highlighting considerable progress and a decrease in EDI risk levels.

Sub-Committees

The Board was also scheduled to receive draft public minutes and non-public summaries from recent meetings of its sub-committees: the Finance and Risk Committee (held on 8 December 2025) and the People, Culture & Inclusion Committee (held on 10 December 2025).

Previous Board Minutes

The Board was to receive the public minutes and non-public summaries of its previous meetings held on 22 October 2025 and 24 November 2025.