Agenda item

Joint report of the Comptroller, Director of Human Resources, and Director of Communications.

The Committee considered a report of the Town Clerk which proposed tasking officers with a piece of work to explore the development of an over-arching policy on gender identity for the City Corporation.

The Chair explained that a question had arisen over who could use the gender specific Hampstead Heath bathing ponds, the decision communicated to people was that gender identity should be self-identified. Following some minor protest against this decision, the Chairman of the Hampstead Heath, Queens Park and Highgate Wood Committee had approached the Establishment Committee to ask whether a central policy on gender identity and trans-inclusion could be created, the Chair added that this proposal had the support of the Town Clerk.

In response to a Member’s query on timelines for the development of the policy, the Chair explained that whilst it was intended for the draft policy to return to Committee for the September – November cycle, if the Committee agreed the proposal before them today, a press statement would be released immediately with public consultation taking place over the summer.

RESOLVED – That the Committee:

a)    note the current general commitments to equality and inclusion; and

b)    endorse the proposal that officers develop an over-arching policy on gender identity for the City of London Corporation.