Venue: Guildhall
Contact: Gregory Moore
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Apologies for Absence Minutes: The apologies of those Members unable to attend this meeting of the Court were noted. |
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Declarations by Members under the Code of Conduct in respect of any items on the agenda Minutes: No declarations were made. |
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To agree the minutes of the meeting of the Court of Common Council held on 3 December 2015.
Minutes: Resolved - That the Minutes of the last Court are correctly recorded.
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Resolutions on Retirements, Congratulatory Resolutions, Memorials. Minutes: Resolved unanimously – that the sincere congratulations of this Court be offered to Alderman Sir Alan Yarrow on his recent appointment by Her Majesty the Queen as a Knight Bachelor in recognition of his services to international business inclusion and the City of London.
Resolved unanimously – that the sincere congratulations of this Court be offered to Ian Christopher Dyson QPM, newly appointed Commissioner of the City of London Police, on his recent award of the Queen’s Police Medal by Her Majesty the Queen.
Resolved unanimously – that the sincere congratulations of this Court be offered to Peter Adams MBE, one of the Verderers of Epping Forest and a longstanding member of the Corporation’s Epping Forest and Commons Committee, on his recent appointment by Her Majesty the Queen as a Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire in recognition of his services to conservation and the environment in South West Essex and East London.
Resolved unanimously – that the sincere congratulations of this Court be offered to Charles Frederick Andrews and Sean McCarthy, both members of the City’s cleansing team, on their recent award by Her Majesty the Queen of the British Empire Medal, in recognition of their voluntary service to the Poppy Appeal in London.
Resolved unanimously – That this Honourable Court wishes to extend to
Gerald Albert George Pulman, JP
its sincere gratitude for his much valued service as a Member and Deputy for the Ward of Tower. Gerald has been a stalwart of the Court, dedicating himself to the citizens of this City for some 32 years since he was first elected.
Elected as a Common Councilman in 1983 and appointed Ward Deputy in 1994, Gerald has served with distinction on a large number of Corporation Committees, including the Barbican Residential, Port Health and |
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Docquets for the Hospital Seal. Minutes: There were no documents to be sealed. |
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The Freedom of the City PDF 208 KB To consider a circulated list of applications for the Freedom of the City.
Minutes: The Chamberlain, in pursuance of the Order of this Court, presented a list of the under-mentioned, persons who had made applications to be admitted to the Freedom of the City by Redemption:-
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To receive a report of the Remembrancer setting out measures introduced into Parliament which may have an effect on the services provided by the City Corporation. Explanatory notes thereon are available from the Remembrancer’s office. Minutes: The Court received a report on measures introduced by Parliament which might have an effect on the services provided by the City Corporation as follows:-.
(The text of the measures and the explanatory notes may be obtained from the Remembrancer’s office.)
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Appointments To consider the following appointments:
a) One Member to the Board of Governors of the City of London School, for the balance of a term expiring June 2017.
Nominations received:- Keith David Forbes Bottomley The Revd. Dr Martin Raymond Dudley Michael Hudson
b) Three Members on the Castle Baynard Educational Foundation & Alderman Samuel Wilson Fund, for three year terms expiring in March 2019.
* denotes a Member standing for re-appointment
Nominations received:- *Nigel Kenneth Challis *Catherine McGuinness, Deputy *Jeremy Lewis Simons
c) One Member on the City Arts Trust, for a four year term expiring in January 2020.
* denotes a Member standing for re-appointment
Nominations received:- *Jeremy Mayhew
d) Seven Members on Christ’s Hospital, for four year terms expiring in January 2020.
* denotes a Member standing for re-appointment
Nominations received:- *Dennis Cotgrove *Lucy Frew *Ian Christopher Norman Seaton
Minutes: The Court proceeded to consider appointments to the Board of Governors of the City of London School, the Castle Baynard Educational Foundation & Samuel Wilson Fund, the City Arts Trust, and Christ’s Hospital.
a) Board of Governors of the City of London School (one vacancy for the balance of a term expiring June 2017).
Nominations received:- Keith David Forbes Bottomley The Revd. Dr Martin Raymond Dudley Michael Hudson
Read.
The Court proceeded, in accordance with Standing Order No.10, to ballot on the vacancy.
The Lord Mayor appointed the Chief Commoner and the Chairman of the Finance Committee, or their representatives, to be the scrutineers of the ballot.
Resolved – That the votes be counted at the conclusion of the Court and the result printed in the Summons for the next meeting.
b) Castle Baynard Educational Foundation & Alderman Samuel Wilson Fund (three vacancies for three year terms expiring in March 2019). * denotes a Member standing for re-appointment
Nominations received:- *Nigel Kenneth Challis *Catherine McGuinness, Deputy *Jeremy Lewis Simons
Read.
Whereupon the Lord Mayor declared Nigel Challis, Deputy Catherine McGuinness and Jeremy Simons to be appointed to the Castle Baynard Educational Foundation & Alderman Samuel Wilson Fund.
c) City Arts Trust (one vacancy for a four year term expiring in January 2020). * denotes a Member standing for re-appointment
Nominations received:- *Jeremy Mayhew
Read.
Whereupon the Lord Mayor declared Jeremy Mayhew to be appointed to theCity Arts Trust.
d) Christ’s Hospital (seven vacancies for four year terms expiring in January 2020). * denotes a Member standing for re-appointment
Nominations received:- *Dennis Cotgrove *Lucy Frew *Ian Christopher Norman Seaton
Read.
Whereupon the Lord Mayor declared Dennis Cotgrove, Lucy Frew and Ian Seaton to be appointed to Christ’s Hospital.
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Questions Minutes: Photo opportunities involving the Mayoralty Deputy Alex Deane asked a question of the Chairman of the General Purposes Committee of Aldermen regarding the procedures in place concerning media and photographic opportunities involving the Lord Mayor. In response, the Chairman outlined the process by which prospective meetings and visits were assessed with a view to ensuring that the Lord Mayor was not exposed to any undue risk of negative publicity.
Responding to a supplementary question from Deputy Deane concerning a photograph of the Lord Mayor taken at a recent event in Northern Ireland, the Chairman confirmed that this had been entirely appropriate and in line with procedures.
Operational Property Review Alderman Tim Hailes asked a question of the Chairman of the Policy and Resources Committee seeking clarity as to the strategy in place to maintain the City Corporation’s operational property. The Chairman outlined the work that had been undertaken to date as part of the Operational Property Review, including the identification of potential assets for disposal and the allocation of additional resource for maintenance purposes.
In response to a supplementary question from Alderman Hailes, the Chairman agreed that it would be timely for a report to be brought back to the Court later in the year on the progress that has been made to date.
Markets Review Patrick Streeter asked a question of the Chairman of the Markets Committee concerning the possibility of a review into the future of Billingsgate and Smithfield markets. In response, the Chairman advised that a strategic review of the City’s three wholesale markets had already been initiated; this would need to be a comprehensive review involving consultation with all interested parties.
In response to a supplementary question from Mr Streeter, the Chairman made clear that any review would need to be undertaken in a thorough and |
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Motions Minutes: Motion – “That James Tumbridge be appointed to the Culture, Heritage and Libraries Committee and that Marianne Fredericks be appointed to the Port Health and Environmental Services Committee, both for the Ward of Tower, in the room of Gerald Pulman?”
Resolved - That the Motion be agreed.
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Awards and Prizes Minutes: There was no report. |
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Policy and Resources Committee To consider reports of the Policy and Resources Committee as follows: Minutes: POLICY AND RESOURCES COMMITTEE
(Mark Boleat)
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Election of Chief Commoner PDF 187 KB Election of Chief Commoner – proposing revisions to the process by which candidates for Chief Commoner are nominated and seeking approval to amend Standing Orders accordingly. Minutes: 19 November 2015 (A) Election of Chief Commoner The annual election of a Chief Commoner is conducted in accordance with Standing Order No. 18, as agreed following the 2011 Governance Review Process and as amended following the Post Implementation review in 2012. Whilst the election process had worked well to date, Members had identified a number of potential opportunities to enhance and further refine the parts of the process relating to the nomination of candidates for election.
The Policy and Resources Committee had considered these proposals, namely the introduction of an official “campaign period” and the introduction of an upper limit to the number of nominations candidates can receive, and recommended that the Court of Common Council approve the introduction of an official start date of 1st September for prospective candidates to begin canvassing for support; the introduction of an upper limit to the number of nominations a candidate could receive, such that once ten nominations have been obtained the candidate would considered to be validly nominated and no further names in support of their nomination would be accepted; and the requirement for candidates to submit the signatures of each of the ten Members nominating them to the Town Clerk in order to be considered validly nominated.
A number of Members queried the practicalities of the restriction on canvassing, seeking clarity as to what would be considered to constitute such an activity and how any transgressions would be adjudged and dealt with. It was suggested that a protocol would need to be produced to appropriately define this and that this would be a more suitable approach to dealing with this matter. It was felt therefore that the proposed amendment to Standing Order 18(6) should be removed from the recommendation.
Following debate the following amendment was considered:-
Amendment – That |
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Elections to Single Vacancies PDF 183 KB Elections to Single Vacancies – Proposing a change to the way in which candidates are elected by the Court of Common Council to single vacancies on committees and outside bodies. Minutes: 19 November 2015 (B) Elections to Single Vacancies Following the various ballots for places on Committees undertaken at the 23 April meeting of the Court of Common Council, the suggestion was made at a meeting of the Policy and Resources Committee that alternative voting arrangements should be explored. This was with a view to achieving a fairer and more open democratic process and one that would ensure that those elected had a significant proportion of support from the full Court.
The Policy and Resources Committee had since considered a number of potential systems and was minded that the introduction of an Alternative Vote (AV) system for electing to single vacancies on committees would increase the fairness of the process. This report provided an explanation as to the practicalities and advantages of an AV electoral method and detailed how such a system would work and recommended its adoption for elections to single vacancies.
Resolved – That the implementation of an Alternative Vote system be agreed for Court of Common Council elections to single vacancies, with the requisite amendments to Standing Orders approved as set out at Appendix 2
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Governance of City Sole Sponsored Academies PDF 150 KB Governance of the City’s Sole Sponsored Academies – proposing the creation of a new corporate governing body for all of the City of London Corporation’s existing and future sole-sponsored academies.
Minutes: 10 December 2015 (C) Governance of City Sole Sponsored Academies The City of London Corporation is the sole sponsor for one secondary academy and one primary academy (Redriff, affiliated to Southwark Academy), and had been approved to progress to the ‘Pre-opening Phase’ for two new primary academies, for which the City Corporation would also be sole sponsor. The Corporation also co-sponsors Hackney Academy (with KPMG) and the City of London Academy Islington (with City University). The current structure reflected the organic development of the City of London Corporation academy offer over the last decade. Overall it lacked coherence and did not reflect best practice in academy governance as recommended by the Department for Education.
The Policy and Resources Committee and Education Board recommended that to address this lack of coherence and deliver best practice in the governance of the City of London academies, the existing Southwark Multi Academy Trust (MAT) be ‘scaled up’ into the new corporate governing body for all of the City of London Corporation’s existing and future sole sponsored academies, with an associated change of name to become the “City of London Academies”.
Responding to queries raised Deputy Bill Fraser, the Chairman provided reassurance that there was no intention to appropriate any reserves or funds set aside by the City of London Academy Southwark (CoLAS) to pay for any other school’s activities. He added that he would expect the sixth form expansion plans at CoLAS to continue, but noted that this would ultimately be a matter for the Multi-Academy Trust’s Board of Trustees to decide upon. Similarly, the character of each of the individual schools would also be a matter for the Board of Trustees, but each should of course have their own characters reflecting the roles they play in their local communities. The Chairman clarified that |
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Review of Grant Giving Activity PDF 165 KB Review of Grant Giving Activity – to receive an update on the ongoing review of grant giving activity across the City of London Corporation. Minutes: 19 November 2015 (D) Review of Grant Giving Activity As part of the Service Based Review (SBR) process, a review of the grant giving activities of the City of London Corporation under City Fund and City’s Cash was commissioned. This review excluded the activities of the City Bridge Trust. The objective was to analyse the grants programmes offered by the Corporation to make a more consistent approach to grant giving, improve value for money and increase impact.
The review was conducted by officers and proposals were presented to the Policy and Resources Committee in May 2015, which agreed the overall approach. The report provided information of the review of the proposals by each of the relevant Service Committees. The broad outcome of this was that a new process for the making of grants would come into effect, which would be: · The Resource Allocation Sub (Policy and Resources) Committee identifies various priorities for grant giving activities for the coming year. · The relevant Service Committee considers the applications related to priorities within their area of responsibilities. · The Finance Grants (Sub) Committee provides monitoring of the grants which have been awarded, and reports annually to Resource Allocation Sub (Policy and Resources) Committee on the effectiveness of the scheme.
The changes to the process for the awarding of grants would require the amendment to the Terms of Reference of various Committees. Proposed amendments to the Terms of Reference were set out within the report and would be submitted to the Court for approval within the White Paper in April 2016.
It was recommended that the Court receive this report for information.
Resolved – That the report be received.
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Hospitality Working Party of the Policy and Resources Committee To consider reports of the Hospitality Working Party of the Policy and Resources Committee, as follows: Minutes: HOSPITALITY WORKING PARTY OF THE POLICY AND RESOURCES COMMITTEE
(Billy Dove, O.B.E., J.P., Deputy, Chief Commoner) 11 December 2015 |
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Applications for the Use of Guildhall PDF 68 KB To note the prior approval of the listed applications for the use of Guildhall. Minutes: ApplicationsfortheUseof Guildhall In accordance with the arrangements approved by the Court on 21 June 2001 for the approval of applications for the use of Guildhall, the Court was informed of the following applications which had been agreed to:-
Resolved – That the various applications be noted.
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Application for Hospitality PDF 140 KB To consider a recommendation concerning the provision of hospitality. Minutes: 11 December 2015 100 Years of Anglo-Irish Relations: Lecture and Reception In March, the Government of Ireland announced the launch of a national and international programme of events to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Easter Rising. To mark the occasion, it was proposed that the President of Ireland be invited to deliver a lecture on the significance of the centenary and the future of Anglo-Irish relations. This would provide an opportunity for the City to develop and strengthen links and relationships formed during the State Visit in 2015. The lecture would be followed by reception and high level dinner.
It was recommended that hospitality be granted for a lecture, reception and private dinner at Guildhall with arrangements to be made under the auspices of the Policy and Resources Committee; the costs to be met from City’s Cash and within the approved parameters.
This was to be a Committee event.
In response to a question from Edward Lord, the Chief Commoner gave assurances that the Governor, Deputy Governor and Assistants of The Honourable The Irish Society would form part of the host element for the event.
Resolved – That hospitality be granted and that the arrangements be made under the auspices of the Policy and Resources Committee; the costs to be met from City’s Cash and within the approved cost parameters.
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Finance Committee To consider reports of the Finance Committee, as follows: Minutes: FINANCE COMMITTEE
(Roger Arthur Holden Chadwick, Deputy)
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Council Tax Reduction Scheme PDF 188 KB Council Tax Reduction Scheme – seeking approval to the introduction of a new Council Tax Reduction Scheme. Minutes: 15 December 2015 (A) Council Tax Reduction Scheme Until 2013 there was a national Council Tax Benefit scheme to assist people on low incomes with their council tax bills. This was replaced by a locally determined Council Tax Reduction Scheme (CTRS) from the financial year 2013/14. The Government defined a default scheme which was almost identical to the old Council Tax Benefit scheme. To protect residents on low incomes, the City of London Corporation adopted the Government’s default scheme and subsequently has kept the CTRS in line with Government increases of benefits generally.
However, changes having been made to national benefits in the July 2015 budget meant that the Scheme would no longer be compliant with legislation. Changes would therefore be required from 2016/17. As this would be a change to the Council Tax scheme, approval would be required from the Court of Common Council. It is obligatory to consult on any changes to the scheme and hence consultation was undertaken with all council tax payers on two options.
Option One was to introduce revised applicable amounts, personal allowances, backdating and non-dependant deductions, keeping these in line with Housing Benefit. This would protect existing claimants from possibly being worse off, although it would also limit backdating in future for new claimants and it would keep the administration of CTRS in line with Housing Benefit. This was the option recommended to Council Tax payers.
Option Two was to make technical adjustments to allow the current scheme to continue broadly as at present, including the current rates of applicable amounts, personal allowances and non-dependant deductions. This would potentially make some claimants worse off and would cause the CTRS to be less aligned with Housing Benefit and other national benefits, but would continue to allow longer backdating for new claimants.
Consultation letters had |
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City of London Corporation Pension Fund Deficit PDF 217 KB Pension Fund Deficit – providing clarity as to the position in respect of the City of London Corporation’s Pension Fund deficit. Minutes: 15 December 2015 (B) City of London Corporation Pension Fund Deficit At the Court of Common Council meeting on 15 October 2015, Honourable Members asked questions regarding the Pension Fund deficit. It was agreed that the Finance Committee would provide a report on this matter to the Court to clarify the position; this paper had consequently been submitted to explain the position.
It was recommended that the Court receive the report.
Resolved – That the report be received.
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City's Cash Financial Statements 2014/15 PDF 119 KB City’s Cash Financial Statements 2014/15 – presenting the latest approved Statement of Accounts for City’s Cash. Additional documents: Minutes: 17 November 2015 (C) City's Cash Financial Statements 2014/15 On 23 May 1996, the Court authorised the Finance Committee to approve, amongst other things, the Annual Report and Financial Statements for City’s Cash. The Committee had duly considered and approved the Annual Report and Financial Statements for the year ending 31 March 2015.
Copies of the Statement had been placed in the Members’ Reading Room and were available on the City’s website. The management letter from Moore Stephens on its audit of the funds had been circulated for the information of the Court. In addition, the Annual Report and Financial Statements and Moore Stephens’ management letter had also been published on the City’s website.
It was accordingly recommended that the Court receive the 2014/15 City’s Cash Statement of Accounts.
In response to a question from the Reverend William Campbell-Taylor, it was also confirmed that an accessible summary document would be produced as in previous years.
Resolved – That the 2014/15 City’s Cash Statement of Accounts be received.
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Planning and Transportation Committee PDF 169 KB To consider a report seeking authority to submit to the Mayor of London information relating to the City of London Corporation’s On-Street Parking Reserve. Minutes: PLANNING AND TRANSPORTATION COMMITTEE
(Michael Welbank, M.B.E.) 17 November 2015 Surplus Arising for On-Street Parking 2014/15 and Utilisation of Accrued Surplus The City of London in common with other London authorities is required to report to the Mayor for London on action taken in respect of any deficit or surplus in its On-Street Parking Account for a particular financial year. Member were advised that: · the surplus arising from on-street parking activities in 2014/15 was £5.786m; · a total of £6.452m, was applied in 2014/15 to fund approved projects; and · the surplus remaining on the On-Street Parking Reserve at 31st March 2015 was £14.987m, which would be wholly allocated towards the funding of various highway improvements and other projects over the medium term.
The Court was recommended to note the contents of the report and approve its submission to the Mayor of London.
Resolved – That the report be approved for submission to the Mayor of London.
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The City Bridge Trust PDF 111 KB To receive a report outlining the City Bridge Trust’s revised arrangements in respect of awarding proactive grants for strategic initiatives.
Minutes: THE CITY BRIDGE TRUST COMMITTEE
(Jeremy Mayhew) 26 November 2015 Proactive Grants for Strategic Initiatives In the light of changes to the City Bridge Trust’s operating environment, in particular, the reduction of approximately 40% in London Boroughs’ budgets and the reduction in grant funding available at a time when many organisations faced increased demand, greater calls upon the Trust’s resources from charitable organisations was anticipated. In response, the Trust had decided to make a shift in the balance in its funding – from its reactive grant-making (i.e. grants made in response to applications to its ‘Investing in Londoners’ grants programme) to more proactive grant making – from a circa 90:10 ratio to 80:20. This was intended to allow for more strategic responses, informed by the reactive work. At the same time, the Trust would be improving the transparency and processes of its proactive grant-making.
The City Bridge Trust Committee recommended that the Court of Common Council note its recent decisions, namely, that: · up to 20% of the City Bridge Trust Committee’s total annual grants budget would now be committed through proactive grant-making (not including the £1m strategic grant to the Prince’s Trust); · up to one-quarter of this 20% (i.e. 5% of the annual proactive grants budget) would be ring-fenced for the consideration of grant proposals that fall outside of the reactive grants programme criteria, but which were informed by those criteria, and/or the broader evidence of need; and · a number of improvements, filters and prioritisation guidance for proactive grants, as summarised in the report and attached appendix, had been agreed.
The proposed increase in the budget for strategic grants would not affect the monies available for the regular grants programme, nor the allocation to the Prince’s Trust.
Resolved – That the amendments to the City Bridge Trust’s grant-making approach be |
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To consider a report of the Licensing Committee proposing the adoption of a new Statement of Licensing Principles in accordance with the requirements of the Gambling Act 2005. Additional documents: Minutes: LICENSING COMMITTEE
(Marianne Bernadette Fredericks) 21 October 2015 Gambling Act 2005 – Review of Statement of Licensing Principles The Gambling Act 2005 requires all licensing authorities to produce and publish a Statement of Licensing Principles (‘policy’). As prescribed by the statutory timetable the City Corporation produced its first such statement at the time the Act came into force in January 2007. The legislation requires that all authorities review their policy at three yearly intervals. The Policy was last reviewed in January 2013 and therefore was required to be reviewed by January 2016.
The Licensing Committee had recently reviewed the City’s policy and undertaken consultation on a proposed new policy, with the intention of publishing the new document by the end of January 2016. The new policy contained minor administrative amendments to reflect some of the latest guidance issued by the Gambling Commission and, as such, was intended to be an interim policy until a more substantial policy fully reflecting the government’s changes to published guidance could be brought before Members for approval before the end of 2016.
The Deputy Chairman advised that the consultation period for the policy being proposed had concluded on 13 January 2016 and advised the Court that no substantial comments had been received to alter the policy as recommended.
It was therefore recommended that the draft Statement of Licensing Principles, as set out in the Appendix, be approved as the text of the City of London Statement of Licensing Principles.
Resolved – that the draft Statement of Licensing Principles, as set out in the Appendix to the report, be approved as the text of the City of London Statement of Licensing Principles.
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By the Chief Commoner That the public be excluded from the meeting for the following items of business below on the grounds that they involve the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in Paragraph 3 of Part 1 of Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act, 1972, or which fall under paragraph 100A(2) of the Local Government Act 1972 relating to confidential information that would be disclosed in breach of an obligation of confidence by a department of Her Majesty’s Government?:-
Minutes: Resolved – That the public be excluded from the meeting for the following items of business below on the grounds that they involve the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in Paragraph 3 of Part 1 of Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act, 1972, or which fall under paragraph 100A(2) of the Local Government Act 1972 relating to confidential information that would be disclosed in breach of an obligation of confidence by a department of Her Majesty’s Government.
Summary of exempt items considered whilst the public were excluded:-
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Non-public minutes To agree the non-public minutes of the meeting of the Court held on 3 December 2015. Minutes: Resolved - That the non-public Minutes of the last Court are correctly recorded.
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Application for Hospitality To consider an application for hospitality. Minutes: Application for Hospitality The Court agreed the provision of hospitality to coincide with the forthcoming State Visit of His Majesty the King of Spain and approved the terms of an Address of Welcome. |