Lambeth council’s chief executive Andrew Travers is due to attend the annual MIPIM event in Cannes on France’s Mediterranean coast next month. It describes itself as “the world’s leading property market”.
It will be a relatively low-key presence for the council at the event, which sees local authorities from around the world compete to attract property development.
London as a whole will be represented at the event from 12 to 15 March by councillors, developers, architects, planners and others who will mount several discussions and debates and stress mayor Sadiq Khan’s “London is Open” campaign.
Registration for the event costs about €2,000.
A Lambeth council spokesperson said that Andrew Travers would attend on behalf of the council this year but was not currently scheduled to make any presentations.
He would be meeting with investors, developers, and representatives of other boroughs.
The spokesperson said that Emma Peters, Lambeth council’s interim strategic director of sustainable growth and opportunity, would be attending MIPIM in a private capacity, and not at the council’s expense, adding that she may join Andrew Travers at some meetings, “if appropriate”.
The post of strategic director of sustainable growth and opportunity is a new one following a reshuffle of council organisation.
Sue Foster, who was strategic director, neighbourhoods and growth – a post that no longer appears in the senior management structure chart – has left the council.
Let’s hope Travers doesn’t nod off at MIPIM as often as he appears to at council meetings, or he’ll be wasting Council Tax-payers’ money to an even greater degree than he already does.