As your elected representatives we want to ensure that the City Corporation plays a full and proactive role in securing the best exit terms possible, representing the interests of all of London’s stakeholders, including yours.  Please contact us if there are any specific aspects that you would like us to put forward on your behalf.  The City’s position:

“The City of London has thrived as a financial and trading centre for more than a thousand years and will continue to do so.

 “There will be no mass exit of banks and financial institutions from the Square Mile.

 “While there will be uncertainty as Brexit negotiations go on we are still the financial centre of the fifth-largest economy in the world.

 “The task now is to respect the will of the British people and secure the best deal we can in the negotiations that will follow this vote.

 “Financial services contribute £66.5bn in taxes to the Treasury – 11% of total government receipts – and City businesses we have consulted believe they must be allowed access to the single market without discrimination.

 “Financial and professional services account for 2.1million jobs in the UK – 7.2% of workers – and City businesses I have consulted believe we must be allowed to trade with passporting rights with the 27 member states of the EU.

 “The Government should now engage in a period of consultation to ensure we can keep creating jobs both in London and throughout the country.

 “The general view of the City is that the Government should push for the UK to retain our access to the Single Market.

 “Any other option will fail to provide proper arrangements for financial services and risks damaging this vital industry.

 “There is also a clear view in the City of London that our labour market must be kept flexible. European nations have provided much of the highly-skilled talent we need to succeed and this level of support given to the British economy must continue.

 “For our part the City of London Corporation will continue to engage with EU policy makers and continue to promote London as Europe’s international financial and business centre.

 “We have had a thorough, open and democratic debate.

 “All sides of this debate must now put aside their differences to do what is in the best interests of ensuring the UK remains a success on the international stage.”

We are working with other stakeholders to preserve the City’s position.  The Chairman of Policy, Mark Boleat, has chaired meetings of the major trade associations and spoken with the Mayor of London and the Treasury.  Further meetings are being arranged. There is common agreement on the need to maintain access to the single market.  Our own Common Councilman, Chris Hayward, as Chairman of the Corporation’s Planning Committee, is meeting with the development community to reassure them and to secure continued investment in City wide projects.

The referendum decision will have significant implications for the City’s work in a number of areas.

Best wishes, Alderman Michael Mainelli, Deputy John Bennett and Common Councilmen John Scott and Chris Hayward

Your members are working hard with the City of London Corporation, the UK Environmental Law Association, and the Legal Sustainability Alliance on removing on-site shredder vans.

The following exchange took place between Alderman Professor Michael Mainelli and Chris Hayward CC as the Chairman of the Planning and Transportation Committee at Common Council on Thursday, 3 December 2015 (from the minutes of Common Council)

Shredding Vans
Alderman Professor Michael Mainelli asked a question of the Chairman of the Planning and Transportation Committee concerning the impact of confidential shredding vans operating within the City. In response, the Chairman noted the concerns that had been raised and reassured Members that the issue was being looked at seriously. He advised that a report was being prepared for the Planning and Transportation Committee to enable a full and measured consideration to take place.

The text of the question was:

On-Site Shredder Vans

May I take this opportunity to ask the Chairman of Planning and Transportation about actions which our Committee might take to minimise the environmental effects of on-site shredder vans?  For members who may be unaware of the issue, these vehicles enter the City under contracts to provide on-site document shredding for businesses and professional firms.  The contracts oblige them to shred on-site, ostensibly for security and confidentiality.  These mini-shredding-factories create noise and air pollution while running their engines to power their shredding machines, and are frequently illegally parking.  By allowing this activity, the City imports particulate pollution factories each day.  How might Planning and Transportation help to reduce or remove this activity?

Princess Beatrix of the Netherlands visited the Dutch Church on Friday, 24 April, at the invitation of the Trustees of the Koning Willem Fonds and the Dutch Centre. Three prominent Dutch institutions in the UK mark major milestones in 2015: the Koning Willem Fonds has its 140th anniversary, the successful Dutch Centre is officially opened, and the Dutch Church in Austin Friars will have been a symbol of the flourishing Dutch presence in the City of London for 465 years. These three very different charities together represent the many rich intellectual, cultural, spiritual and compassionate connections between the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. We were honoured to have such a senior Member of the Dutch Royal Family and the Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, who is Honorary President of the Koning Willem Fonds.  The funds raised will go in equal measure to the Koning Willem Fonds and the Dutch Centre.

The Worshipful Company of Carpenters were kind enough to host everyone after the event at their hall.  The hall was beautifully decorated and the food and drink royally sumptuous.  The Jubilee was a social highlight for the Anglo‐Dutch community and Broad Street Ward members were delighted to be included.