Agenda item

Report of the City Surveyor.

The Board considered a report of the City Surveyor that sought approval to the City Corporation’s attendance at the MIPIM property conference in March 2017 for a total budget not exceeding £95,000.

In response to a Member’s concerns regarding a negative perception of the City Corporation from Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), the City Surveyor advised that the relationship with SMEs had improved in recent years with 90% of the 16,000 business within the City of London being SMEs. He added that rents in the City of London were extremely competitive compared with the City of Westminster and King’s Cross so the misconception that SMEs were being priced out of the City of London needed to be corrected.

Members then considered the need for additional Member costs in terms of attendance from Deputy Chairmen. Members requested that any additional costs be considered by and reported to the relevant Committees. The Board agreed that the primary Deputy Chairman of Policy and Resources should attend and suggested that the Deputy Chairman of this Board should also be considered within the attendance cost, in addition to the Chairman, as MIPIM was primarily a property investment conference.

Members also noted that the Board’s current Co-Opted Members, who could act as ambassadors for the City Corporation’s Property Investment Board, were also planning to attend in their professional capacities.

RESOLVED – That:-

a)    the report on MIPIM 2016 be noted;

b)    the additional costs of attending MIPIM 2016 be noted;

c)    the Policy & Resources and Planning & Transportation Committees, and the Property Investment Board (including its Deputy Chairman), decide that the City of London Corporation should attend MIPIM 2017 with a total budget not exceeding £95,000.