Agenda and minutes

Apologies for absence were received from George Gillon, Revd Stephen Haines, Giles Shilson, Sir Michael Snyder and Sir David Wootton.

There were no declarations.

To agree the public minutes of the Sub-Committee meeting held on 26 March 2015.

The public minutes of the meeting held on 26 March 2015 were approved.

Report of the Deputy Town Clerk.

The Sub-Committee considered a report of the Deputy Town Clerk concerning the outcome of the cross-cutting review of the City Corporation’s grant giving activities.

The Sub-Committee commended officers on the review and the content of the report and acknowledged that it was work in progress as there was more work to be done in terms of ensuring consistency. During discussion a number of comments were made which included the following:-

·                a further category should be created to accommodate grants made to institutions as part of the City’s Heritage e.g. the Reserves Forces and Cadets Association, St Lawrence Jewry and the City Scouts;

·                in view of the fact that it was proposed that Finance Grants Sub-Committee’s grant giving activity should cease, a Member questioned whether it was necessary for the Sub-Committee to carry on. Members acknowledged that this was a matter for the Finance Committee and supported a suggestion that strategic oversight and performance management should be given to that Committee rather than to its Sub-Committee as this would allow the Finance Committee to determine how best to monitor grant activities;

·                reference was made to the Signor Pasquale Favale Bequest. It was noted that it attracted a lot of kudos and publicity in return for the small sums it dispensed each year and therefore it was important to ensure that it continued. Members were advised that how it was dealt with would be a matter for the committee it was allocated to. It was also suggested that the Bequest be considered as party of the poverty relief category.

RESOLVED - That it be recommended to the Grand Committee that:-

1.      the proposed change of approach to grant giving as proposed in the report and in Appendix 2 be approved;

2.      responsibility for strategic oversight and performance management of the City Corporation’s

Report of the Chamberlain.

NB: This item will also be considered by the Grand Committee and should be read in conjunction with the separately bound non-public appendices circulated in respect of item no. 8 on agenda of the Grand Committee.

The Sub-Committee considered a report of the Chamberlain concerning the proposed funding of projects involving refreshment points at the Barbican Centre and the feasibility and planning of the transformation of Barbican and Shoe Lane libraries, which now required the allocation of resources to progress them to the next stage.

Reference was made to the need for a better mechanism for evaluating and differentiating projects with a payback period falling within the spend to save and income generation category.

RESOLVED – that it be recommended to the Grand Committee that:-

1.      the content of the report in respect of the allocation of the 2014/15 provisions for new schemes be noted;

2.      the 2014/15 unallocated balances of £0.486m for City Fund and £0.125m for City’s Cash be carried forward to bolster support for Service Based Review (SBR) investment proposals;

3.      the allocation of £154,000 from the 2015/16 City Fund provision to provide funding for SBR investments, comprising:-

·           £130,000 for coffee point and mobile bars at the Barbican Centre; and

·           £24,000 towards the cost of feasibility and planning for the transformation of the Barbican and Shoe Lane libraries.

4.      the allocation of a total of £6m to be set aside in 2018/19 as a provision for new schemes (£3m each for City Fund and City’s Cash) be approved.  

There were no questions.

There were no items of urgent business.

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 1 of the Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act.

Part 2 – Non-Public Agenda

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:-

Item Nos.                              Paragraph(s) in Schedule 12A

9 -10                                                 3

Part 2 - Non-Public Agenda

To agree the non-public minutes of the Sub-Committee meeting held on 26 March 2015.

The non-public minutes of the meeting held on 26 March 2015 were approved.

Report of the Principal of the Guildhall School.

NB: This report has been considered and approved by the Board of Governors of the Guildhall School of Music and Drama.

The Sub-Committee considered and agreed a report of the Principal of the Guildhall School concerning the proposed extension of the School’s Capital and Supplementary Revenue Programme (Cap 3) to 2016/17 and other associated matters.

Report of the Town Clerk.

The Sub-Committee considered a report of the Town Clerk detailing a decision which had been taken the under urgency procedures since the last meeting relating to the Guildhall School’s Capital and Supplementary Revenue Programme (Cap 2). 

RESOLVED – that the report be received and its content noted.

There were no questions.

There were no items of urgent business.