Agenda and minutes

Apologies for absence were received from Alderman Prem Goyal.

There were no declarations.

To elect a Chairman for the year ensuing, in accordance with The Court of Aldermen’s Standing Orders 11 and 12.

Nominations received: Alderman Sir William Russell.

In accordance with Standing Orders No.11 and 12, the Committee elected its Chairman for 2023/24.

RESOLVED – that, as the only Alderman in nomination, Alderman Sir William Russell be elected as Chairman of the General Purposes Committee of Aldermen for the ensuing year (2023/24).

[Alderman Sir William Russell thanked The Rt. Hon. The Lord Mayor and moved into the Chair.]

To elect a Deputy Chairman for the year ensuing, in accordance with the Court of Aldermen’s Standing Orders 14 and 16.

Nominations received: Alderman Sir Charles Bowman.

Yeah haIn accordance with Standing Orders No.14 and 16, the Committee elected its Deputy Chairman for 2023/24.

RESOLVED – that, as the only Alderman in nomination, Alderman Sir Charles Bowman be elected as Deputy Chairman of the General Purposes Committee of Aldermen for the ensuing year (2023/24).

[Alderman Sir Charles Bowman thanked the Committee for its support.]

To approve the minutes of the last meeting of the General Purposes Committee of Aldermen held on 15 May 2023.

The Committee considered the minutes of the last meeting of the General Purposes Committee of Aldermen held on 15 May 2023.

RESOLVED: - That the minutes of the last meeting of the General Purposes Committee of Aldermen held on 15 May 2023 be approved as an accurate record of the meeting.

Chairman’s Congratulatory Remarks

The Chairman, on behalf of the Court of Aldermen, wished to formally recognise the two Aldermen honoured in His Majesty’s Birthday Honours. He offered his sincere congratulations to both Alderman Keaveny and Alderwoman Langley in this respect.

The Chairman went on to congratulate Alderman Christopher Makin who had recently become a proud Liverymen of the Worshipful Company of Glovers.

Congratulations were also offered to Alderman Prem Goyal who was to be made an honorary liveryman of the Constructors' Company during their installation dinner in October.

The Chairman went on to mention that Alderman Sir Charles Bowman would be installed as the Master of the Grocers’ Company at a ceremony taking place tomorrow.

The Chairman encouraged all to continue to keep him informed of any future successes to report to the Committee.

Finally, the Chairman wished to place on record that this would be the last General Purposes Committee meeting for the Court of Aldermen’s Senior Alderman, Ian Luder. The Chairman recognised that this afternoon’s Court of Aldermen meeting would allow all to formally record their thanks to Alderman Luder but added that it would be remiss of him to not also say here how grateful the Court of Aldermen were for Ian’s service as Alderman for the Ward of Castle Baynard over the past 18 years. The Chairman stated that Alderman Luder’s very valid contributions would be much missed in this Committee and wished both him and Mrs Luder all the very best for a long

Caroline Wright, Chief Executive of the The Lord Mayor’s Appeal to be heard.

The Chairman welcomed Caroline Wright, Chief Executive of the Lord Mayor’s Appeal. He underlined that the Appeal was a vital part of the Lord Mayor’s role and also urged all Aldermen to continue to support the Appeal via attendance at events such as the Sheriffs’ Ball and other charitable events.

Ms Wright spoke on the Appeals ‘four pillars’ – inclusive, healthy, skilled and fair and its mission to create a better City for all. The Committee were provided with a brief update as to the initiatives run underneath each pillar as follows:

·       Power of Inclusion – the focus here was around Social Mobility and this would continue to be the case in the coming years. The aim here was to increase opportunities for those from diverse social and economic backgrounds to start, develop and progress their careers in the City of London. The Lord Mayor’s Appeal had engaged with over 64 companies this year in its first two workshops and had discussed topics such as the cost of living crisis and building effective social mobility networks. A further workshops as well as a Senior Leader Roundtable event was also planned for later in the year.

·       This is Me – the aim here was to end the stigma around mental health in the workplace across the UK. This was delivered via storytelling, the Green Ribbon Campaign and the Well-being in the Workplace e-learning tool. Engagement for This is Me continued to grow across the country and also in Asia. Conversations around establishing another regional This is Me group in the South West were also underway – this would add to the offerings already established in Scotland, Yorkshire and the West Midlands. During this year, one workshop had taken place to launch the event and a Mental Health Awareness Week Roadshow had

David Farnsworth, Managing Director of Bridge House Estates to be heard.

The Chairman welcomed David Farnsworth, Managing Director of Bridge House Estates.

Mr Farnsworth began by speaking briefly on the history of Bridge House Estates under the City Corporation’s stewardship. He went on to underline the charity’s continuing relevance to modern London. He reported that in 1994 it was evident that the money required for the maintenance of the five bridges across the River Thames was surplus. This led to a conversation with the Charity Commission which enabled the surplus monies to be distributed through a grant making function. To date, approximately half a billion had been distributed to charities in Greater London, bringing about important change for many communities. The Committee were informed that this was one of the oldest and largest charities in the country and one that was not celebrated or known about widely enough. Much work had therefore been undertaken in recent years to help address this, with the City Corporation’s trusteeship remaining front and centre. The governance of the charity had been revisited under the Lisvane Review, such that its work had now been consolidated into one single Board operating under and with delegation from the Court of Common Council. This had made it more akin to a modern charity and the sector that Bridge House Estates was working within and compared against. It had also allowed, for the first time, a single strategy and single leadership team to be established.

Mr Farnsworth went on to speak of Tower Bridge and its profound ‘reach’ as a global ambassador for both the City Corporation and the charity. It was well recognised as the gateway to London by both local communities and international visitors. Visitor levels here were now almost back to pre-Covid levels with the Bridge having won accolades for green tourism and various awards from

(a)        Governor of Christ’s Hospital

To approve the appointment of Alderman Alexander Barr as a Governor of Christ’s

Hospital.

(b)           Member Development and Standards Sub-Committee

To approve the appointment of Alderman Alison Gowman to the new Member Development and Standards Sub-Committee.

(c)            Magistracy and Livery Sub-Committee

To approve the appointment of Alderman Kawsar Zaman to the Magistracy and Livery Sub-Committee.

(d)           The Committee of Aldermen to Administer the Sir William Coxen Trust Fund

To approve the appointment of Alderman Gregory Jones to the Committee of Aldermen to Administer the Sir William Coxen Trust.

(e)            St Paul’s Cathedral Chorister Trust

To approve the appointment of Alderman Bronek Masojada to the St Paul’s Chorister Trust.

The Committee formally considered and approved the following appointments to various Sub-Committees and Outside Bodies:

RESOLVED: That:-

(a)        Governor of Christ’s Hospital

Alderman Alexander Barr be appointed as a Governor of Christ’s Hospital.

(b)           Member Development and Standards Sub-Committee

Alderman Alison Gowman be appointed to the Member Development and Standards Sub-Committee.

(c)            Magistracy and Livery Sub-Committee

Alderman Kawsar Zaman be appointed to the Magistracy and Livery Sub-Committee.

(d)           The Committee of Aldermen to Administer the Sir William Coxen Trust Fund

Alderman Gregory Jones be appointed to the Committee of Aldermen to Administer the Sir William Coxen Trust.

(e)            St Paul’s Cathedral Chorister Trust

Alderman Bronek Masojada be appointed to the St Paul’s Chorister Trust.

(f)              Emanuel School

Tijs Broeke be appointed to the Emanuel School.

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 outlining the proposal for the City Corporation to approve a new Lord Mayor’s Green Bursary (working title) – funded by the Merchant Taylors’ Foundation and the City & Guilds Foundation – which will support young Londoners to gain green skills and help their communities reach net zero.

The Executive Director and Private Secretary to the Lord Mayor summarised the paper by stating that it was a bursary proposed to help support 1-3 young Londoners in terms of green skills. Support for the initiative was sought for the next 5 years.

An Alderman reported that the Corporation were also running a ‘Skills for a Sustainable Skyline’ taskforce of which she was an active member and Chair of one of the Sub-Groups.

The focus here was examining the barriers to creating green skills for the Central London Construction industry. This would seem to link in well with this initiative with City & Guilds also being involved in the taskforce. The Alderman therefore asked that ways to join the two and better enforce the message be explored.

Another Alderman stated that other liveries such as the Gardeners were also running similar initiatives around green skills and questioned whether this would therefore be communicated more widely to perhaps serve as a template for future discussions. The Executive Director and Private Secretary stated that she would be happy to share this more widely in due course.

RESOLVED:-  That the Committee approve the setting up of a Lord Mayor’s Green Bursary.

Joint report of the Executive Director & Private Secretary to the Lord Mayor, the Director of Innovation & Growth, the Deputy Town Clerk and the Chief Strategy Officer.

The Committee received a joint report of the Executive Director & Private Secretary to the Lord Mayor, the Director of Innovation & Growth, the Deputy Town Clerk and Chief Strategy Officer outlining the proposed 2023-24 Mayoral theme which will be championed, subject to election, by the next Lord Mayor of the City of London, Alderman Professor Michael Mainelli.

Alderman Mainelli reported that he had been meeting with individual Aldermen to brief them on the proposed themes for his Mayoral year and encouraged all to reach out to him should they wish to discuss these any further. He reiterated that he was also keen for all to volunteer to get involved with his Sustainable Development Goals.

RESOLVED: - That the Committee note the 2023-2024 Mayoral Priorities as set out in this Report.

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

The Committee received a report of the Executive Director and Private Secretary to the Lord Mayor outlining the proposed 2023-24 Shrieval Plan to be championed by the Sheriffs, Alderwoman Susan Langley & Alderman Bronek Masojada.

RESOLVED: - That the Committee note and endorse the Shrieval Plan for 2023/24.

Report of the Town Clerk.

The Committee received a report of the Town Clerk advising of action taken by the Town Clerk, in consultation with the Chairman and Deputy Chairman of the Court of Aldermen, in accordance with Standing Order No. 46 (Court of Aldermen).

Alderman Luder thanked the Committee for their support with this trial which would be put in place for the electoral Wardmote being held in Castle Baynard tomorrow afternoon. He stated that he hoped that this would go some way to increasing interest in both electoral and annual Wardmotes and translate into more votes being cast going forward.

In response to a question, the Committee were informed that the link to the Wardmote had already been posted on the City’s public webpages and had also been communicated to voters within the reminder notice issued recently.

RESOLVED:-That the Committee note the decision taken in accordance with the Court of Aldermen’s Standing Order No.46

There were no questions.

There were no additional, urgent items of business for consideration.

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 15 May 2023.

The Committee considered and approved the non-public minutes of the last meeting of the General Purposes Committee of Aldermen held on 15 May 2023.

Report of the Private Secretary to the Lord Mayor & Director of Mansion House.

The Committee considered and approved a report of the Executive Director and Private Secretary to the Lord Mayor relative to a catering contract extension for the Mansion House and Central Criminal Court.

Aldermanic Strategy Group 2 Members updated the Committee on their work pertaining to Internal Priorities.

Alderman and Sheriff Alastair King spoke on the work of the Sheriffs and Recorders Fund and upcoming events.

The Chairman and Deputy Chairman updated all on plans for the September Aldermanic Strategy Morning.

To receive the minutes of the Magistracy and Livery Sub-Committee meeting held on 9 June 2023.

The Committee received the minutes of the Magistracy and Livery Sub-Committee meeting held on 9 June 2023.

There were no questions raised in the non-public session.

There were no additional, urgent items of business for consideration in the non-public session.