Spend, spend, spend with Mayor Parker

Birmingham Council may be bankrupt but Richard Parker, Mayor of the West Midlands, is spending money like it’s going out of fashion.

When you’re splashing out £10 million teaching people how to exploit artificial intelligence, perhaps West Midlands Mayor Richard Parker could save money on consultants, who cost him £1.7 million in June alone.

The consultants, providers of ‘external advice’ or of ‘professional advice, ranged from London lawyers Addleshaw Goddard (£185,000) and Deloitte (£89k) to Gazebo Theatre Company (£18k) and actress Lorna Nickson-Brown (£2,666).

There’s lots more about ‘cash for jollies’. See below…

Mr Parker’s open-handed use of taxpayers’ money saw him spend £470,000 on temporary staff in June (Hays Specialist Recruitment got the lion’s share as usual). This suggests he just can’t get the staff, which is odd given his West Midlands Combined Authority employs 389 people earning more than £50,000 a year.

It seems the subscription to the National Fire Chiefs Council costs £48,831. Luckily Mr Parker and his crew can cool off in this hot weather thanks to the £15,210 they spent on air conditioning maintenance and they can read all about themselves via the Financial Times press cutting service (£6,819).

Mr Parker appears to be proud of how he is squandering taxpayers' money on 'new small grants programme for artists, creatives, and organisations to boost their international profile, create new partnerships abroad, and promote their work on a global scale'. This is his list of grants between £2,500 and £8,000:

• Work with Jamaican creatives and artists to develop the play "Nanny's Home", exploring the complex relationship of the Windrush generation and Jamaica;

• Exploring family structures & dynamics in China through the eyes of disabled artists & other marginalised groups

• Attending Le Guess Who Festival in Utretch, Netherlands, one of the most forward-thinking festivals in the world and is a peer to Supersonic festival.

• Gazebo Theatre | United States of America and Canada - To develop long term collaborative relationships in Seattle, USA, undertaking sharing of ideas, knowledge transfer, exchanges & workshops.

• Philippines - Building a network with the LGBTQ+ community & creative scenes in Manilla, Philippines to engage in performances, knowledge exchanges & workshops.

• A photography project in Bangladesh capturing the everyday existence of the Sundarbans honey harvesters as they experience the devastating effects of climate change.

• Funding a delegation of artists to develop a new partnership with Gulf Photo Plus. This will provide an opportunity to meet with leading international gallerists, curators and artists, which has the potential to expand and propel their practice.

• To fund a number of dancers to participate in Dearborn 2024 Para Dance Sport USA Open. This opportunity will have a transformative effect on their individual capabilities and on Propel Dance’s future.

• To develop an existing relationship with the artistic community in Ghana, leading to a new immersive show and long-term collaboration with Ghanaian artists.

• Support for a residency and professional networking to promote a collaborative project in Toronto, Canada to explore themes of post-coloniality and migration.

• An R&D project to develop partnerships on the island of Stor Pelling, Finland. The result of which will influence a new creative project analysing the complexities of island life.

CREATIVE LEGACY GRANTS:

1. Master Peace Academy CIC | Kenya - Working with local jewellery makers and miners in Kenya to develop relationships and invest in the creative community.

2. Notnow Collective | Bosnia & Herzegovina - Developing a collaboration with artists and creatives, examining the collective experiences of grief and loss in the post-colonial and post-conflict memory.

3. House of Emanuel I and I C.I.C | Ethiopia -Funding a cultural delegation to Ethiopia, focusing on street art, sustainability, and cultural unity to foster cultural education and bridging diverse heritages.

4. TECTUM Theatre CIC | South Africa - Working with early-career South African musicians and actors to develop the musical language and test out new material with actors in the Market Theatre space.

5. Friction Arts Ltd | Indonesia - Delivering a series of workshops and collaboration events in Bandung, Indonesia and undertaking research into socially engaged artists in the region, and to share experience and expertise.

6. We Don’t Settle CIC | Botswana - Developing an artist-in-residence program in Botswana, specifically focussed on supporting artists from underrepresented backgrounds, culminating in the co-creation of an exhibition and online gallery.

7. Outdoor Places Unusual Spaces | India - To develop a partnership with Serendipity Arts Festival with the intention to foster innovative international collaboration.

8. Extraordinary Us CIC | Rwanda & Kosovo - The Weight of War will be an internationally co-created performance exploring themes of inherited grief whilst asking the question ’when does the war actually end?’. The opportunity will strengthen existing relationships and enable a deeper insight into their cultures.

9. Bright Young Minds | Ghana, Malawi, Zambia & Jamaica - Working alongside established authentic cultural dance tutors/choreographers to share their skills, knowledge and dance techniques within a short series of master classes and performances.

If you find this an unbelievable waste of public money and therefore think it can't possibly be true, check it out here: https://www.wmca.org.uk/what-we-do/culture-and-digital/culture-and-creative-industries/projects/cwglef/international-fund/