MINUTES OF THE WARDMOTE

HELD AT NOON ON WEDNESDAY 20^th MARCH 2019

AT FURNITURE MAKERS’ HALL, LONDON EC2

1. The Beadle opened the Wardmote in the usual manner.
2. The Alderman welcomed all to the Wardmote and thanked the Furniture Makers for the use of their premises. The Alderman then addressed the Wardmote covering the following topics:

• He is seeking election as Aldermanic Sheriff in June this year.
• He noted that litter is a live issue and that a recent incident in Austin Friars was dealt with swiftly.
• He drew attention to begging and rough sleeping, where he is taking a personal interest. The City of London Corporation has some help and also information online on the topic and is also trying to help individuals in person. A handout from the City of London Police has been made available to Wardmote attendees.
• He was excited that 2019 is the 500^th anniversary of the birth of Sit Thomas Gresham. There is going to be a big celebratory event at the Guildhall on 13^th June, and an exhibition in the Guildhall Library on Gresham’s life which will run from June to September. The Alderman noted that the ward has a strong connection to Sit Thomas Gresham as his mansion was located inside the original ward boundary.
• He also wanted to celebrate another birthday, that of the King of the Netherlands which is due on Saturday 23^rd March, to which an event and party is being laid on by the Dutch Church on 27^th April, where more details can be found in the other handout to Wardmote attendees.
• He congratulated John Bennett on receiving his MBE.
• He noted four significant projects that the City of London Corporation is tackling presently: the consolidation of three markets into a new site at Dagenham, establishing a ‘legal campus’, the future of Smithfield Market, and a new music centre.
• Finally, he drew attention to the ‘City Giving Day’, this year it is being on 24^th April.

3. Next the Alderman appointed Mr John Bennett as the Ward Deputy for the year ensuing.
4. The Alderman appointed Mr Adrian Smallwood as Honorary Ward Clerk for the year ensuing.
5. The Alderman then invited the Common Councilmen to address the Wardmote.

Mr Bennett was first to speak and began his address by noting his participation in the various committees and boards he is a member of, being the Port Health & Environmental Services Committee, Culture, Heritage and Libraries Committee, Joint Grand Gresham Committee, and the City of London Freemen’s School Board of Governors. He reported that he was no longer a member of the Board of Governors of the Guildhall School of Music and Drama as his membership is limited to nine years, which has now expired. He then went on to explain in more detail some issues that the first two mentioned committees faced over the past year.

For the Port Health & Environmental Services Committee:

• Brexit, where the City of London Corporation was working in close consultation with central Government, where the importation of foodstuffs and animals were a particular concern. The Corporation has set aside a contingency fund of £2m to deal with the effects of Brexit.
• Air quality, where the Committee was setting a strategy for the period 2019-2024 to meet World Health Organisation guidelines on nitrogen dioxide by 2025, and to address harmful particulate matters PM10 and PM205 as soon as possible. He drew attention to a consultation on the topic out now and encouraged all to participate.
• Drinking fountains, to increase the availability of these which are designed for the public to use for individual water bottles. He noted that regrettably there weren’t any in the Ward yet.

For the Culture, Heritage and Libraries Committee:

• 2018 saw the launch of the ‘Culture Mile’ across the north west sector of the City.
• The 1050^th anniversary of Smithfield was celebrated in a festival last year.
• In relation to the proposed new music centre and concert hall for the London Symphony Orchestra, ad feasibility study had been completed and the City of London Corporation was spending £2.5m for the development of a full business case for the new centre, which was hoped to be delivered within a 10-year timeline.
• The sponsorship of the City Arts Initiative which had the goal of increasing the amount of installation artworks in the City.

Mr Scott was second to speak where he said he was delighted to be able to address the Wardmote as Chief Commoner to which he was elected last year. Whilst holding this position he has:

• promoted the role as on to be a stand-in for the Lord Mayor,
• attended all Joint Grand Gresham Committee meetings,
• sponsored an ‘unsung hero’ award for volunteers at libraries and museums, and organised a reception for all volunteers, and
• on International Women’s Day he sponsored a mass admittance of the Freedom of the City for 100 women.

Finally, he mentioned the other committees and boards that he has been a member over the past year, being the Markets Committee, the Board of Governors of The Museum of London, the Thames Festival Trust, the City of London Archaeological Trust, and the Finance Committee.

Mr Hayward was the third to speak where he too outlined the variety of committees and boards of which he is member, including some matters of note, being:

• Planning & Transportation Committee where he is about to stand down as its Chairman after three years in that role. He drew out some elements of its work, such as a review of the Local Plan to see it through to 2036, that there is now a transport strategy in place which is mindful of the additional commuters that are expected on the completion of Crossrail, and finally, that the planning application for the ‘Tulip’ will be determined on 2^nd April where he noted that it had no business function but was purely a tourist attraction.
• Policy and Resources Committee, echoing Mr Bennett’s comments on the City of London Corporation’s input into Brexit with central Government.
• Establishment Committee
• Police Authority Board
• Capital Buildings Committee

Finally, he said that he was putting himself up for election later this year to the be the Non-Aldermanic Sheriff.

6. Following the addresses, the Alderman invited the Wardmote to ask any questions.

The first question was from David Harry of Deutsche Bank (Pinners Hall, 105-108 Old Broad Street) regarding the consultation on the matter of gender identity policies for the City of London Corporation. Mr Hayward responded that this was a matter before the Establishment Committee where he noted that it had attracted a lot of criticism with regard to its questions and did not know whether it would progress. The Alderman also commented that Mr Harry looks up the minutes of the Establishment Committee as the best source of information for his question.

The second question came from Sean Taylor of Canaccord Genuity Wealth Ltd (41 Lothbury) who asked about a variety of topics, being Brexit, redistribution of votes, and engagement with younger generations.

Mr Hayward answered the question on Brexit noting that the majority of firms located in the City are in the ‘Remainer’ camp, that there was nothing in the recent ‘Chequers deal’ in relation to financial services, but that a deal of some kind is better than no deal at all.

Mr Bennett then answered the topic of voting rights, noting that these are allocated by occupiers rather than by named individuals, so the effect of Brexit is muted.

The Alderman then provided further answers, commenting that on Brexit, the City of London Corporation’s hands are tied on what it can do given that it is a national matter. As regards voters, he mentioned that there will be a campaign in late 2019 to early 2020 to get more electors on the Electoral Register, especially after property developments in Moorgate are completed.

The third contribution from the floor came from Vincent Mercer (not a registered elector for the Ward) who raised a point about police and security. He observed that budget cuts were resulting in a reduction of funding of £5m yet threats were not diminishing, and therefore the difference should be raised from Business Rates or the use of reserves. There being no question posed, the point was noted.

There were no further questions from the floor.

7. Next there was a presentation by Paul Beckett, Policy and Performance Director at the City of London Corporation, on the topic of ‘Shaping The Future City’. The observed that the City is a successful place because it is adaptable and flexible through the benefits of its strategic and political context, and investment. He also highlighted what factors are driving change to the City, these being:

• Geographical – the centre of gravity of London is shifting east from the West End.
• Climate change – a public commitment to mitigate the effects of climate change and to make infrastructure more resilient, and to make energy more efficient and reduce carbon emissions.
• Technology – the pace of change is fast and the management of the City is being made ‘smarter’, e.g. transport.
• Social and cultural – evolving expectations on social norms and behaviours.
• Business practice – the benefits of clustering and being open and inclusive.

8. With no more business before the Wardmote, Mr Bennett proposed a vote of thanks to the Alderman for presiding at the Wardmote. This was seconded by Mr Scott and passed unanimously.
9. Mr Scott then proposed a vote of thanks to the Worshipful Company of Furniture Makers for the use of their Hall. This was seconded by Mr Hayward and passed unanimously.
10. Finally, the Beadle closed the Wardmote in the usual manner.