Agenda and minutes

Apologies for absence were received from Alderman Vincent Keaveny, Alderwoman Jennette Newman and Alderman Kawsar Zaman.

There were no declarations.

To approve the minutes of the last meeting of the General Purposes Committee of Aldermen held on 18 October 2022.

The Committee considered the minutes of the last meeting of the General Purposes Committee of Aldermen held on 18 October 2022.

RESOLVED: - That the minutes of the last meeting of the General Purposes Committee of Aldermen held on 18 October 2022 be approved as an accurate record of the meeting.

Chairman’s Congratulatory Remarks

The Chairman wished to place on record his congratulations to Alderman Emma Edhem on having been invited and accepted to join Coexist House as a Trustee in the room of the late Sir Roger Gifford.

The Chairman encouraged all to continue to keep him informed of any new positions or accolades for noting at future meetings.

The Chairman welcomed Joanna Burnaby-Atkins, the Corporation’s Film Liaison Manager, and Mick Bagnall, the Film Liaison Officer to the meeting.

The Committee were informed that the Corporation’s Film Liaison Unit was launched in 1998 and was currently a two-person team. It was reported that the City had a long history of supporting and investing in the film industry, including funding research into the fiscal benefits and the start-up of the London Film Commission, now known as ‘Film London’. Officers added that the Town Clerk also sat on the Film London Executive Task Force.

Ms Burnaby-Atkins underlined that, previously, for a production to navigate permissions to carry out the things that they needed to do in the City was a long and laborious process with filming therefore often carried out illegally and haphazardly. The newly established film team in 1998 was established in order to provide a specialist, one-stop shop for filmmakers to relieve the pressure on other departments, to whittle down and refine requests and ensure that filming was always carried out safely. All of this was carried out with a primary focus on protecting the City’s residents, workers and visitors and to protect the image of both the City Corporation and the Square Mile.

In supporting filming in the City, the Film Liaison Team were also supporting the UK filming industry and its many associated and supporting industries. It was reported that the UK was currently attaining record-breaking levels of film and High-End TV (HETVproduction with spend on this in the UK in 2021 reaching over £5.7 billion – the highest figure since records began. Inward investment spend in the UK was £4.7 billion in 2021 (84% of UK total film and HETV spend and double the levels reached in 2020). The Aldermen were informed that film and

The Chairman of the Livery Committee to be heard.

The Chairman welcomed the Chairman of the Livery Committee, Philip Woodhouse to the meeting.

Mr Woodhouse spoke on the wider work undertaken in recent years to help lift the profile of the Livery Committee and improve communications both pan-Livery and with the City of London Corporation. He went on to speak of the opportunity which now arose to extend the liaison scheme operated by the Livery Committee to the Court of Aldermen. He underlined that he was not keen on being overly prescriptive in terms of the way in which and how often individual Aldermen and Livery Company Clerks might want to engage. He flagged that this was still very much a work in progress and opened up the proposal for wider discussion.

Alderman Gowman, who had also been involved in discussions on this proposal to date as Chair of the Magistracy and Livery Sub-Committee stated that this was a very valued scheme but had perhaps not been as successful as initially hoped. She was therefore very supportive of the idea of the Court of Aldermen now getting behind this as an effective means of engaging with the City’s various Liveries and helping to make this as big a success as possible.

Another Alderman spoke in support of the proposal and questioned to what extent this Committee might act as a ‘matchmaker’ for those Liveries currently without an Alderman. The Chairman of the Livery Committee stated that he would welcome this role.

Other Aldermen also spoke in support of the proposal. All were encouraged to inform the Town Clerk of any amendments or additions to their list of Liveries presented today. The Deputy Chairman stated that, with this agreement in principle, the proposal would now be worked up in greater detail and would come back to this Committee at its

To consider Aldermanic appointments to:

·       The Magistracy and Livery Sub-Committee; and

·       The Member Development Steering Group – 1 Senior Alderman and 1 Junior Alderman

Resolved – That:

a)     Alderman Gregory Jones be appointed to the Magistracy and Livery Sub-Committee and

b)     Alderman Alison Gowman (Senior Alderman) and Alderman Kawsar Zaman (Junior Alderman) be appointed to the newly constituted Member Learning and Development Steering Group.

Report of the Executive Director & Private Secretary to the Lord Mayor. 

The Committee considered a report of the Executive Director and Private Secretary to the Lord Mayor presenting the high-level summary Business Plan for the Mansion House & Office of Lord Mayor and Sheriffs for 2023/24.

The Executive Director and Private Secretary to the Lord Mayor reported that this set out the Department’s main activity and direction of travel, broken down under

four headings – stabilise, commercialise, modernise and integrate better with other parts of the Corporation. She added that they were doing particularly well in terms of commercial activity which was a key part of the Target Operating Model (TOM) restructure made to generate the savings that were required here. She commented that she was very proud of the way in which the team had come together and were now moving in a new direction culturally.

An Alderman commented that the Operational Property and Projects Sub-Committee which he currently chaired had been looking at the bow wave issue and had taken the view that leaving this with relevant service committees to fix was not overly productive and so they had asked for a report on how to tackle the whole piece now be commissioned. This would look at the whole piece/project in terms of timetable and cost.

Another Alderman questioned how the KPIs could be made more quantitative as opposed to qualitative. He also questioned whether the finances might be presented more conventionally going forward. The Executive Director and Private Secretary to the Lord Mayor commented that she was seeking to make improvements in terms of both going forward and that what was presented here was a transitional arrangement. The Alderman suggested that the Department might consider something like Net Promoter Score in terms of quantitative data and measuring impact for both Mansion House and Lord Mayor and Sheriffs.

An Alderman

To note the outstanding actions in respect of the General Purposes Committee of Alderman’s work programme.

The Committee considered the Outstanding Actions List which had been updated since the last meeting on 18 October 2022.

Aldermanic Allowances – The Chairman reported that further information would be brought forward on this to the February meeting.

RESOLVED: - That –

(i)      the Outstanding Actions List be noted; and

(ii)     that completed items be removed from the list.

There were no questions.

Note from the Crown Equerry re: Lord Mayor’s Show Day

The Remembrancer reported that he had received a note from the Crown Equerry stating that they would be grateful to him if he could convey to the Lord Mayor, Alderman and High Officers of the City of London for their generous acknowledgement of the contribution made by the Royal Mews staff on Lord Mayor’s Show day following the gratuity payment made.

Herald’s Proclamation Fee

The Remembrancer reported that there was an order from 1 March 1630 that stated that the Herald should be paid £5 collectively by the City following the Accession. Despite questioning whether the sum had increased with inflation, the Remembrancer clarified that he had been informed that it remained at £5. The Chairman suggested that this be negotiated such that a more generous payment of, say, £100 might be made.

Retirement of the Town Clerk and Chief Executive

Whilst it was recognised that a formal Vote of Thanks was to be moved at this afternoon’s meeting of the Court of Aldermen, the Chairman wished o place on public record his great thanks to John Barradell at this, his last meeting of the General Purposes Committee of Aldermen.

The Chairman thanked Mr Barradell for his ten years of service stating that the City Corporation was a unique, organisation; apart from the extent of its activities and the challenges they can produce, the absence of party politics and the existence of both the Court of Aldermen and of Common Council add to the complexity of how it runs. He commented that Mr Barradell’s experience and ability enabled him very quickly to get a sense of the way in which the organisation works and that he had always shown a very quick grasp of issues key to the solving of

MOTION - That, in accordance with the Court of Aldermen’s Disclosure Arrangement (Standing Order 25), the public shall be excluded from the meeting for the following items of business on the grounds that the Chairman and Deputy Chairman of the General Purposes Committee of Aldermen have determined, having had due regard to the Disclosure Arrangement, that disclosure should not be permitted.

RESOLVED - That, in accordance with the Court of Aldermen’s Disclosure Arrangement (Standing Order 25), the public shall be excluded from the meeting for the following items of business on the grounds that the Chairman and Deputy Chairman of the General Purposes Committee of Aldermen have determined, having had due regard to the Disclosure Arrangement, that disclosure should not be permitted.

To approve the non-public minutes of the last meeting of the General Purposes Committee of Aldermen held on 18 October 2022.

The Committee considered the non-public minutes of the last meeting of the General Purposes Committee of Aldermen held on 18^th October 2022 and approved them as a correct record.

To receive the minutes of the last meeting of the Emanuel Hospital Management Sub-Committee held on 19 October 2022.

The Committee received the minutes of the Emanuel Hospital Management Sub-Committee meeting held on 19^th October 2022.

To receive the minutes of the last meeting of the Committee of Aldermen to administer the Sir William Coxen Trust Fund held on 11 October 2022.

The Committee received the minutes of the Committee of Aldermen to administer the Sir William Coxen Trust Fund meeting held on 11^th October 2022.

To receive the minutes of the last meeting of the Magistracy and Livery Sub-Committee held on 22 October 2022.

The Committee received the minutes of the Magistracy and Livery Sub-Committee meeting held on 20^th October 2022.

Report of the Bridge House Estates & Charities Finance Director.

The Committee considered and approved a report of the BHE & Charities Finance Director (representing the Chamberlain) setting out the Emanual Hospital Charity’s financial position as at the most recent year end (2021/22) and in the period to date (6 months to 30 September 2022), with a forecast for the remainder of the 2022/23 financial year alongside a cash flow forecast for 2022/23 and 2023/24.

Report of the Executive Director

The Committee considered and approved a report of the Executive Director, Mansion House reviewing income generation in the 2021-22 Financial Year, providing a brief update on the implementation of Mansion House’s new commercial strategy and recommending the future rates to be agreed for the 2023-24 Financial Year as well as highlighting other relevant issues.

Alderman and Sheriff Alastair King to be heard.

Aldermanic Strategy Group Three – Communications and Stakeholder Engagement took the opportunity to update the Committee on the progress of their various workstreams.

The Committee considered and approved the appointment of a new Honorary Common Cryer and Serjeant at Arms.

There were no questions.

The Committee considered the awarding of the Livery Cloth Grant and discussed the appointment of the Deputy Serjeant at Arms as well as access to non-public papers of the General Purposes Committee of Aldermen.

To approve the confidential minutes of the last meeting of the General Purposes Committee of Aldermen held on 18 October 2022.

The Committee considered and approved the confidential minutes of the last meeting of the General Purposes Committee of Aldermen held on 18^th October 2022.