The People, Culture & Inclusion Committee of the Barbican Centre Board met on Tuesday 15 September 2026. The meeting agenda included a discussion on the recruitment of a new External Member to the Barbican Centre Board, and consideration of the Barbican Operating Model and staffing updates.

Delegated Authority Request - External Board Member Recruitment

A key item scheduled for discussion was a request for delegated authority regarding the recruitment of a new External Member to the Barbican Centre Board. The report, authored by Abigail Carlin, Chief of Staff at the Barbican Centre, indicated that interviews for the position had been rescheduled and would not take place before the committee meeting. Therefore, the committee was asked to consider granting delegated authority to the Town Clerk, in consultation with the Chair, Deputy Chair, and the Sub-Committee, to approve the preferred candidate. This would allow for the candidate to be formally approved by the Barbican Centre Board on 6 October 2026, thereby filling a vacancy that had existed for an extended period and strengthening the Board's expertise in arts administration. An alternative option was to maintain the original approach, with approval sought at the PCI Committee meeting on 9 November 2026, leading to formal approval at the Barbican Centre Board on 27 January 2027. The report recommended the delegated authority option to avoid extending the vacancy.

Barbican Operating Model

The committee was also scheduled to consider the Barbican Operating Model, as detailed in a report from the Chief Operating Officer of the Barbican Centre. The specifics of this discussion are not detailed in the provided documents, but it was listed as an item for decision.

Staffing Update

A staffing update from the Chief Operating Officer of the Barbican Centre was also on the agenda for decision.

The meeting also included standard procedural items such as the approval of minutes from the previous meeting held on 8 June 2026, and the potential exclusion of the public for non-public and confidential agenda items. These included the approval of non-public and confidential minutes, and non-public questions.