Agenda and minutes

Apologies were received from Deputy David Bradshaw, Tijs Broeke, Alderman Sir Roger Gifford, Deputy the Revd. Stephen Haines, Ann Holmes, Judith Pleasance, Deputy Richard Regan and Deputy Dr Giles Shilson.

Mark Wheatley declared a general, non-pecuniary interest in respect of agenda item items 8 and 14  (Special Events and London Landmarks Half Marathon Presentation) by virtue of his position as an independent (non-Trustee) Director of ‘Baby Fun Trading’; a company associated with Tommy’s.

Mrs Vivienne Littlechild, Deputy Chairman, declared a general non-pecuniary interest in respect of agenda items 8 and 14  (Special Events and London Landmarks Half Marathon Presentation)  by virtue of being on Tommy’s Guest List.

Mr Jeremy Simons declared a general non-pecuniary interest in respect of agenda item 14 (London Landmarks Half Marathon Presentation) by virtue of being a Trustee of Dr Johnsons’ House.

Mr Jamie Ingham Clark declared a general non-pecuniary interest in respect of agenda items 5 & 6 (Culture Mile Pop Ups) by virtue of being a Member of the Licensing Sub Committee which had been convened for 24 January 2018 to hear an application in respect of Beech Street Tunnel.    Mr Ingham Clark would withdraw from the meeting during the discussion on these items. 

Mrs Vivienne Littlechild (Deputy Chairman declared a general non-pecuniary interest in respect of agenda items 5 & 6 (Culture Mile Pop Ups) by virtue of being a Local Ward Member who would be attending the Licensing Sub Committee which had been convened for 24 January 2018 to hear an application in respect of Beech Street Tunnel.    Mrs Littlechild would withdraw from the meeting during the discussion on these items. 

•           Before the business of the agenda commenced, the Chairman congratulated Mrs Sylvia Moys for being awarded an MBE.

•           Members noted that there would be a change in the running order of the agenda in order for Tommy’s presentation on London Landmarks Half Marathon to be taken in public session, directly after agenda item 9 (Special Events on the Highway)

To approve the public minutes and non-public summary of the meeting held on 18 December 2017.

RESOLVED, that – the public minutes and non-public summary of the meeting held on 18^th December 2017 be approved.

A Presentation from the Director of the London Metropolitan Archives (LMA).

Members received a presentation from the Director of the LMA in respect of the new Archives Catalogue and received an update on how the Department was meeting its Business Plan objectives.

During the discussion and questions, the following points were raised/noted:

•           There were still some uncatalogued collections and longer-term objectives for improving access to the collections.

•           The LMA received around 50,000 physical visitors per annum, including individual researchers and school groups, with online visitors predominantly from the UK and USA. of circa 2 million 

•           Approximately 5% of the collection has been digitised (with some 22 million views annually) which is in line, with that achieved by the British Library and The National Archives, and Members recognised that this was a very large job.  The base cost of digitisation was significant, with the majority done so far had been achieved through a commercial agreement. 

•           The LMA provided a record keeping service for City of London Corporation Departments in Guildhall as well as offering advice on record keeping to the whole organisation. 

•           While charging for access to LMA was not under consideration for several reasons, and was not in place for any local authority archive service in the UK or at The National Archives, there were many opportunities for income generation which were being pursued, including the storage of archives and provision of access for other institutions e.g. the Royal College of Surgeons while they are refurbishing their premises at Lincoln’s Inn Fields.  Members noted that providing this, and similar services, would generate more income than charging for access. 

•           The LMA worked with The National Archives, the British Library and colleagues in other London Boroughs to share good practice and achieve economies of scale.  The LMA were also mindful that some archiving organisations were struggling financially

Report of the Assistant Town Clerk (Culture Mile Director).

A series of photographs in respect of this item have been circulated by the Town Clerk.

Members considered a report of the Assistant Town Clerk (Culture Mile Director) which sought agreement to the recommendations of the City Arts Initiative (CAI) which had met on 14 December 2017.

Members noted that, in respect of Culture Mile Pop Ups, the CAI report before them today concentrated on the cultural aspects, whereas the decision taken by the Projects Sub Committee (at the next item on the agenda) had concentrated on the delivery and management of the project.  Given the time constraints on Committee cycles, the report had been presented to the Projects Sub Committee last week, and subsequently approved, but the project would not proceed if Members were minded not to accept the CAI’s recommendation.

RESOLVED, that:

a.         The London Tea History Association Monument: from Bush to Cup: reject - with an invitation to resubmit on the grounds that there is no agreed site in place for the work; noting the current proposed plinth may pose accessibility issues and need to be reviewed and that more information is required on the proposed label text to accompany the work.

b.         Orla O’Connor: Sleeping Rough: reject - on the grounds that the sites proposed in the application are not in the City of London and that City sites may not be suitable due to restrictions on advertising.

c.         NSPCC: The Great Gnome Hunt: approve - the installation of at least six gnomes across the City with the City Information Centre acting as an information hub for the trail.

d.         Culture Mile – Public Realm Pop-Ups Phase 2: approve - the installation of the proposed temporary artistic interventions from in and around the Culture Mile area, subject to agreement with road safety and public highways teams where appropriate.

Report of the Director of the Built Environment.

This report is for information and will be going to Planning and Transportation and Projects Sub for decision.

Members received a report of the Director of the Built Environment in respect of Culture Mile Pop ups, which has been approved by the City of London Corporation’s Projects Sub Committee on 17^th January 2018.

RESOLVED, that – the report be noted.

7.1       Guildhall Library Centenary Fund

Members received a report of the Chamberlain and Assistant Town Clerk (Culture Mile Director) which provided the Guildhall Library Centenary Fund Trustees Annual Report and Financial Statements for the year ended 31 March 2017.

Members noted that the Centenary Fund was being grown from an endowment, which could take some time to mature, and were reminded of the decision taken last year, by the Culture Heritage and Libraries Committee, to keep the fund operational for the time being.  The Chairman asked if plans for the future could be more explicit in future reports by including target dates and, if there was no tangible progress, Members should again consider closing the fund.  Members noted that a ‘Friends’ scheme and collection boxes had recently been introduced and were proving successful.

RESOLVED, that the report be noted.

7.2       Keats House

Members received a report of the Chamberlain and Director of Open Spaces in respect of Keats’ House Trustees Annual Report and Financial Statements for the year ended 31 March 2017.

Members noted that the £226,000 reserve fund included a £100,000 valuation for the Keats’ Love letter.  The new Director of Open Spaces advised that the next report would demonstrate more expenditure on maintenance.

RESOLVED, that the report be noted.

Report of the Chamberlain and Assistant Town Clerk (Culture Mile Director).

Members received a report of the Chamberlain and Assistant Town Clerk (Culture Mile Director)  in respect of the Guildhall Library Centenary Fund Trustees Annual Report and Financial Statements for the year ended 31 March 2017

RESOLVED, that the report be noted.

Report of the Chamberlain and Director of Open Spaces.

Members received a report of the Chamberlain and Assistant Town Clerk (Culture Mile Director)  in respect of Keats’ House Trustees Annual Report and Financial Statements for the year ended 31 March 2017

RESOLVED, that the report be noted.

Report of the Town Clerk.

Members considered a report of the Town Clerk in respect of the provision of better quality sleeves for the City of London Corporation’s Pocket Book, following a resolution from the Policy and Resources Committee, reflecting the Minutes of the Privileges Sub Committee.  The report set out quotations and three options for Members’ consideration and an example of the higher quality sleeve was available for inspection. 

When the Committee had last considered the future production of the City of London Corporation Pocket Book, they had postponed a decision to abolish a printed version, pending growing Member confidence in the City Corporation’s IT systems.  The Chairman of the IT Sub Committee was in attendance and advised that all Members had been upgraded and were using Outlook for all calendars.  However, whilst 30% of Members had not collected their printed pocket books in 2016 and 2017, it was noted that some Members preferred the printed pocket book for both convenience and archiving value. 

RESOLVED, that – all Members of the City of London Corporation be offered a new sleeve for their pocket books. 

Report of the Director of the Built Environment.

Members considered a report of the Director of the Built Environment in respect of special events planned for 2018, which had been agreed by the Policy and Resources Committee on 18 January 2018.

Members noted that the Department of the Built Environment had been working with Transport for London to ensure that local arrangements were respectful of residents; i.e. the City Race had been moved to a night earlier in the week.  There was generally a move toward more culture based events; i.e. London Landmarks Half Marathon, which showcased the City’s historic offer and provided considerable marketing and media opportunities.  However, Members were keen for the number of events to be kept to a reasonable level and officers welcomed this steer. 

Members noted that there would be a Licensing Hearing later this week in respect of an event planned for Beech Street Tunnel.  Whilst road closures fell outside the remit of the Licensing Sub Committee, Members of the Policy and Resources Committee had given a clear message, to the Department of the Built Environment, that Beech Street Tunnel should be closed for less than the currently proposed 6 days in preparation for this event.

Members noted that the Assistant Town Clerk (Culture Mile Director) was responsible for security and worked closely with the Department of the Built Environment in respect of hostile vehicle mitigation.  However, such measures were costly and therefore officers were looking at re-useable equipment.  Officers had also taken on Board Members’ comments about some of the measures being somewhat unsightly and were seeking to build in more sympathetic designs, including reinforced planters.

In concluding, there was a consensus that Members still supported staging cultural events on the streets of the City and the continued threat of terrorism should not prevent these being staged in the future.

RESOLVED,

A presentation from Tommys.

In respect of a question about London Lumiere On-line, Members noted that the City had not joined in primarily because of the high cost and reduced officer capacity.

Members noted that the City Information Centre had been recognised with a 2017 Certificate of Excellence, based on the consistently great reviews it had earned on ‘TripAdvisor’ and commended the work of the Head of Cultural and Visitor Development and his team.

MOTION – 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.

RESOLVED – That under Section 100A(4) 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 1 of Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act.

13 – 17                                                            3

To approve the non-public minutes of the meeting held on 18 December 2017.

Report of the Chamberlain, Assistant Town Clerk (Culture Mile Director) and Director of Open Spaces.