Agenda and draft minutes

Apologies for absence were received from the Rt Hon the Lord Mayor, Alderman Peter Estlin, Christopher Hayward and Alderman Sir David Wootton.

There were no declarations of interest.

To agree the public minutes and summary of the meeting held on 14 November 2018.

RESOLVED – That the public minutes and summary of the meeting held on Wednesday 14 November 2018 be approved as a correct record.

Report of the Town Clerk.

Members received an outstanding actions report of the Town Clerk. The Town Clerk updated Members that whilst three actions were overdue, all three reports were now due for the January meeting.

RESOLVED, that:

·         The report be noted.

The Chief Executive of TheCityUK, Miles Celic, to be heard.

The Sub-Committee received a presentation from the Chief Executive of TheCityUK, Miles Celic.

The Policy Chair introduced the Chief Executive, and made clear that TheCityUK was a critical partnership for the City of London Corporation, especially at this time. Members heard how the City Corporation was a founder and partner of TheCityUK and that it was important that the two organisations continued to support each other. Members were reminded that a report on the future funding arrangements for TheCityUK had been submitted to the Policy and Resources Committee and that this was not the opportunity to discuss that matter.

The Chief Executive of TheCityUK then gave an overview of the work and history of TheCityUK, and made the following key points:

·         TheCityUK was a membership body set up by the former Chancellor of the Exchequer, Alastair Darling, and former Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, to represent the ecosystem of the City.

·         The City Corporation founded the organisation and paid the office rent; today, the City Corporation contribute 8% of the TheCityUK’s income.

·         TheCityUK and the City Corporation work closely together as a private/public partnership and jointly set up the International Regulatory Strategy Group (IRSG).

·         The City Corporation was represented on the TheCityUK’s main governance groups such as the Advisory Council and the Board, where the Policy Chair serves as the Deputy Chair.

·         TheCityUK and City Corporation have worked on Brexit issues together as well as international work such as building the Memorandum of Understanding with the Tokyo Metropolitan Government.

·         There was appetite to build on success with the City Corporation as a key partner.

Members then asked the Chief Executive of TheCityUK a range of questions, as follows:

·         A Member raised a question regarding TheCityUK’s commitment to diversity and inclusion and how the Chief Executive planned to increase the diversity

Report of the Director of Economic Development.

The Sub-Committee received a report of the Director of Economic Development providing highlights of the key activity undertaken by the Economic Development Office (EDO) in November.

RESOLVED, that:

·         The report be noted.

Report of the Director of Communications.

The Sub-Committee received a report of the Director of Communications updating Members on key elements of the Corporate Affairs team’s activity in support of the City Corporation’s external political engagement and corporate communications.

The Director of Communications proposed that, due to the present uncertainty of the UK Government’s political volatility in terms of the Conservative leadership contest, there would be no advantage in the City Corporation being involved in party political issues and clear that the City Corporation should not be commenting on the political situation.

RESOLVED, that:

·         The report be noted.

Report of the Remembrancer.

(TO FOLLOW)

The Sub-Committee received a report of the Remembrancer updating Members on the main elements of the Parliamentary Team’s activity in support of the City Corporation’s political and parliamentary engagement.

The Remembrancer circulated a document, which set out the latest position regarding the Conservative leadership challenge, which was taking place at the time of the meeting.

The Policy Chair thanked officers of the Communications Team and the Remembrancers Team for their recent work, especially when the political situation had been so volatile.

RESOLVED, that:

·         The report be noted.

Report of the Director of Communications.

The Sub-Committee considered a report of the Director of Communications concerning a clear and proportionate strategy on sports engagement.

The Director of Communications reassured Members that the report met the points raised from the minutes of the October meeting of this Sub-Committee.

Members were glad to see progress in this area but expressed that, on the whole, they had expected more funding for activation than requested in the report. Other Members also commented that sport was a key part of the work of Open Spaces Committee and Culture, Heritage and Libraries Committee. Members were reminded that the terms of reference of the Public Relations and Economic Development Sub-Committee had recently been amended to include specific reference to “oversight and governance of Sport Engagement (with power to act)” and so this Sub-Committee should retain oversight of this work.

However, Members asked the Town Clerk to further consider where the right “home” for this would be at officer level, with some Members concerned at the level of seniority of the proposed post.

Members, also, requested that reference be made in future reports on the amount of current spending on sport. A couple of Members expressed concern that the paper did not present a strategy nor encompassed all the work that was being undertaken across the organisation.

One Member commented on a concern that the Resource Allocation Sub Committee would shortly be considering medium term financial priorities, and any additional funding on sport engagement should be considered as part of this. A longer-term view would need to be considered, in order to avoid drawing down on contingencies.

The Remembrancer confirmed that he had looked at a forward plan of potential hospitality opportunities concerning sport and would be reporting this to the Hospitality Working Party in due course.

A Member observed that the Freedom

Report of the Director of Communications.

The Sub-Committee considered a report of the Director of Communications concerning sponsorship and branding of party-political events taking place at Guildhall.

The Director of Communications advised that in the event of a snap general election the City Corporation would not be providing any party-political support. A Member contested that the purdah laws during a general election had, in the past, being mis-interpreted and that the City Corporation is required to avoid partiality.

RESOLVED, that:

·         The City Corporation continue to sponsor events at Guildhall which may have party-political links; and

·         The City Corporation’s branding is associated with those events.

Joint report of the Director of Communications and the Director of Economic Development.

The Sub-Committee received a joint report by the Director of Economic Development and the Director of Communications relating to an update on progress on the development of the standalone digital platform to promote London and the UK as a location to locate, invest and do business for financial and professional services firms.

A Member asked for an update on the corporate website, and specifically that thought would be given to ensure that information on the City Corporation’s open spaces was made easier to find.

Other Members questioned the need for this particular website and raised concerns such as how the website would advise businesses on the status of the relationship between the UK and the EU when this situation was still so uncertain.

The Director of Economic Development explained that the intention of the paper was to provide Members with an update on the website, which had already received appropriate approvals. The branding on the website would be clearly in line with the City Corporation’s main website. He also commented that this was an opportunity to ensure that the strong narrative of the financial and professional services sector in London and the UK was given the prominence it deserved, as there was currently a gap where London’s main competitors were strongly active.

Responding to a question, the Director of Communications updated Members on the procurement process for the new City Corporation’s corporate website, and agreed, upon request to submit an update report to this Sub-Committee in due course.

RESOLVED, that:

·         The report be noted;

·         An update on the new City Corporation’s corporate website be submitted to the Public Relations and Economic Development Sub-Committee in due course.

Report of the Director of Communications.

The Sub-Committee considered a report of the Director of Communications concerning guidelines on when the City Corporation support filming requests in the City.

A Member remarked that £627,055 income received last year for filming could be recharged to the budget for Sports Engagement. However, it was later clarified that, currently, the income from filming is reinvested into the affected departments, e.g. traffic management.

The Sub-Committee discussed how it was important that this protocol include all departments across the organisation. The Director of Communications responded that a consultant would be addressing these wider issues but that it was important to have a protocol in place at this stage.

A Member commented that the Canary Wharf Group reinvested the money raised through filming into an organisation that supported young filmmakers in Tower Hamlets.

RESOLVED, that:

·         It be recommended to the Policy & Resources Committee to approve strategic guidelines for approving and rejecting applications to support and facilitate filming on public land in the City.

Report of the Director of Economic Development.

The Sub-Committee received a report of the Director of Economic Development concerning the City Corporation’s engagement on visa and immigration issues.

RESOLVED, that:

·         The report be noted.

Questions were raised as follows -

Data Flows

A Member raised a concern with a table, produced in-house, that had been circulated electronically to the Members of the Public Relations and Economic Development Sub-Committee outlining descriptions of various Brexit end states. He felt that the description of in-flow of personal data was wrong as adequacy has no connection with the Withdrawal Agreement.

Security ID Cards

A Member questioned the recent decision to remove the City of London crest from security passes and the inconvenience this had caused to Members when needing to prove that they were from the City Corporation at events, etc. Members were advised by the Town Clerk that they needed to retain two cards, and the Sub-Committee felt that it was more important to follow security advice.

There were no urgent items.

MOTION - That under Section 100A(4) of the Local Government Act 1972, the public be excluded from the meeting for the following items of business on the grounds that they involve the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in Part I of Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act.

RESOLVED – That under Section 100(A) of the Local Government Act 1972, the public be excluded from the meeting for the following items on the grounds that they involve the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in Part I of the Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act.

To agree the non-public minutes of the meeting held on 14 November 2018.

The non-public minutes and summary of the meeting held on Wednesday 14 November 2018 were approved.

Questions were raised in respect of the following –

Name Change of the Sub-Committee

A Member asked whether the Public Relations and Economic Development Sub Committee’s name may change in light of proposed name changes of departments that report to the Sub-Committee.

There were no items of urgent business.