Agenda item

(B)City Franchise – setting out the legal position in respect of the City’s franchise as it relates to users of shared office space and proposing further engagement with this category of constituent.

For Decision

6 October 2016

(A)   The City Franchise

At the Court meeting on 12 May 2016, the issue of whether the current electoral registration process included those businesses in the City which operated on the basis of using shared office space was discussed. Whilst Members were advised that under the terms of the City of London (Various Powers) Act 1957, qualifying bodies including sole traders and partnerships must occupy premises as owner or tenant to be eligible to register, it was nevertheless acknowledged that the way in which businesses operated was evolving. As a consequence, the Chairman of the Policy and Resources Committee gave an undertaking that the issue would be explored further and that a report on the findings, including possible changes to primary legislation, would be presented to the Court by the end of the year.

Having now further explored the issue of whether people or businesses who occupied serviced and shared office space were eligible to register and vote, it had been concluded that occupying premises in this way represented a license rather than a tenancy and, as such, under the current franchise arrangements, clients would not be eligible to register. Noting that to change the current franchise arrangements would require primary legislation, in light of the timescale and risks associated with that route at the present time the Policy and Resources Committee had not supported this course of action. It was therefore recommended that the decision not to take action to seek primary legislation to amend the City’s franchise be endorsed and this new category of constituent, who whilst not eligible to register and vote, should be engaged with.

Resolved – That the decision not to take action to seek primary legislation to amend the City’s franchise be endorsed.