Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking Statement
For the period 1st January 2024 to 31st December 2024
INTRODUCTION
At Brighton Dome & Brighton Festival, we have an acute awareness of the crimes of modern slavery and the fact that violations of fundamental human rights are happening every day. These incidents take place in various forms, such as slavery, forced and compulsory labour and human trafficking, all of which remove a person’s rights and liberties to exploit them for personal or commercial gain.
As an arts organisation that actively promotes equality and diversity and celebrates our differences through the Arts, we quite rightly want to be part of the fight to combat slavery and human trafficking and to have a positive influence on people’s lives. As good practice, we will publish this statement on an annual basis.
Our aim is to ensure that all our practices are consistently evaluated and improved upon to ensure that the standards we set for ourselves are met in all that we do, and that we’re part of the change we want to see.
This statement is Brighton Dome & Brighton Festival’s Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking Statement for the period January 2024 to December 2024.
ORGANISATION STRUCTURE
Brighton Dome & Brighton Festival was established as a charity in 1997. In the last reported financial year 2023/24, our annual unrestricted turnover (income) was £12,365,098, of which approximately £12,702,850 was spent on goods, services and capital works through various suppliers.
PRINCIPAL ACTIVITIES OF BRIGHTON DOME & BRIGHTON FESTIVAL
Brighton Dome
As the south coast's premier multi-arts venue, each year we present over 600 events spanning music, theatre, dance, comedy, literature, spoken word, visual arts, film, digital, community and participatory events. Brighton Dome & Festival Ltd was set up as an independent charity in 1997, when the Council gave the lease to the building to the charity.
Brighton Festival
Each year we produce Brighton Festival, the largest curated multi-arts festival in England. A celebration of music, theatre, dance, circus, art, film, literature, debate, outdoor and community events, Brighton Festival takes place in familiar and unusual locations across Brighton & Hove and beyond for three weeks every May.
'Brighton Festival has been at the forefront... an arts festival that makes connections with the real world' - The Times
Music & Arts Service – Create Music
The third part of our arts portfolio is a strong music education hub that teaches over 4,000 children and young people music across East and West Sussex. We provide high quality and inclusive music and arts education and performance opportunities for children and young people including music lessons, ensembles, projects, workshops, orchestras and summer schools. We are the lead partner of the award winning SoundCity, the Music Education Hub for Brighton & Hove. We also work in partnership with a diverse range of organisations that include Glyndebourne, AudioActive, University of Sussex, Brighton & Hove’s Royal Pavilion and Museums and representatives from Public Health and the Music Industry.
OUR POLICIES ON SLAVERY AND HUMAN TRAFFICKING
Brighton Dome and Brighton Festival is committed to acting in an ethical manner and with integrity in its business relationships to implement processes that ensure there is no modern slavery or human trafficking in our supply chains or in any part of our business. Brighton Dome and Brighton Festival(BDBF) keeps under review its workplace policies and procedures to ensure our effectiveness in identifying and tackling modern slavery issues. BDBF has an Equality and Diversity Action Group (EDAG), which meets on a quarterly basis to review practice and policies across our organisation. Ethical issues regarding supply chains are raised here as part of our work on tackling modern slavery and human trafficking. The group promotes good ethical working practices for all staff and Trustees and holds a record of ethical issues that have been considered and reviewed.
Responsibility for decision making lies with the Executive Management Team and the Board of Trustees. As part of our ethical trading policies for BDBF, we seek to ensure that we only purchase from suppliers who can demonstrate that their production methods do not involve forced labour, child labour or inhumane treatment of any kind.
OUR EFFECTIVENESS IN COMBATING SLAVERY AND HUMAN TRAFFICKING
BDBF is committed to greater understanding, transparency and responsibility towards people working within its supply chains.
Employment of Staff
The majority of BDBF’s staff are directly employed; and few staff are supplied through agencies unless necessary. BDBF mitigates the risk of modern slavery occurring by ensuring that directly employed staff are recruited following robust recruitment and selection policies which include conducting eligibility to work in the UK checks, two employment references and a pre-employment health check. This also applies to the appointment of temporary staff seeking paid employment, including our apprentices. In addition, enhanced DBS checks are undertaken for all new appointments in Create Music and for some of our programming and participation staff.
Staff can raise any concerns through either our Whistleblowing Policy and/or Safeguarding Policy. Our Code of Conduct for staff is reviewed annually and is next due for review in 2025.
Supply Chain Due Diligence Processes for Slavery and Human Trafficking
Brighton Dome & Brighton Festival has a number of suppliers procured through direct contracting in accordance with BDBF’s procurement policy and procedure.
Our main areas of spend are: Utilities; Building Maintenance; Visitor Services (cleaning, catering and security services); Building Works and Construction Services; Goods for resale in our bars/venues.
Of the above areas, those that are likely to carry the highest risks in relation to modern slavery and human trafficking are: Building Maintenance; Visitor Services (cleaning, catering and security services); Building Works and Construction Services; Goods for resale in our bars/venues, Information Technology - Equipment and Services.
Supplier Adherence to Our Values
To ensure all those in our supply chain and contractors comply with our values, we expect our suppliers to comply with all legal requirements.
Regulatory compliance - Suppliers shall comply with all national and other applicable law and regulations. Where the national law and this Standard are in conflict, the highest standards consistent with national law shall be applied.
Elimination of child labour - Suppliers shall develop or participate in and contribute to policies and programmes that provide for the transition of any child found to be performing child labour to enable them to attend and remain in quality education until no longer a child.
Right to a national minimum wage - Wages paid for a standard working week meet national legal standards.
Avoidance of excessive working hours - Standard working hours must comply with national laws and national benchmark industry standards; whichever affords greater protection to the employee. No discrimination - A policy of equality for all shall be in place and there shall be no discrimination in recruitment, compensation, access to training, promotion, termination or retirement based on race, national origin, religion, age, disability, gender, marital status, sexual orientation, religious beliefs/faith, union membership or political affiliation.
No harsh or inhumane treatment - Physical abuse or discipline, the threat of physical abuse, sexual or other harassment and verbal abuse of other forms of intimidation shall be prohibited.
Safe and Healthy Working Conditions - To provide a safe and healthy working environment bearing in mind international standards, the prevailing knowledge of the industry and of any specific hazards.
Environment - To comply with all environmental legislation, regulations and all local laws which relate to the organisation’s environmental aspects to facilitate the protection of the environment. We encourage our suppliers to provide assurances that they have undertaken appropriate due diligence in ensuring that there is no slavery or human trafficking within the supply chains that serve their contract with Brighton Dome & Festival Ltd. We also expect our suppliers and contractors to provide training to their staff.
FURTHER STEPS TO BE TAKEN TO COMBAT SLAVERY AND HUMAN TRAFFICKING
Brighton Dome and Brighton Festival will make this policy available to all staff, suppliers and the public, together with policies and procedures that will impact the supply chain management in respect of modern slavery, human trafficking, forced labour and labour rights violations.
Brighton Dome and Brighton Festival will assess instances of noncompliance and take remedial action as appropriate. All of our policies and due diligence arrangements are reviewed regularly, and these are next due for review in 2025.
To ensure that there is no slavery or human trafficking in our supply chains BDBF intends to take the following further steps to combat slavery and human trafficking:
Staff Training & Development - To support awareness and understanding of the risks of modern slavery and human trafficking in BDBF’s supply chains and business. This includes reviewing and sourcing appropriate and effective training for colleagues as well as those involved in the procurement of goods, services and works, so all are equipped to identify and assess risks within our supply chains.
Review and where appropriate update the procurement processes and contract documentation to ensure the requirements of this statement are incorporated.
Continue to work with our suppliers and their respective supply chains to encourage commitment to improved standards in relation to the modern slavery, human trafficking, forced labour and labour rights violations.
Collaborate with suppliers to conduct supply chain mapping of the goods and services that it purchases, and which are an important part of its operations.
Ongoing implementation and enforcement of effective systems and controls to ensure slavery and human trafficking is not taking place anywhere in BDBF’s supply chains.