A Sub-Committee of the General
Purposes Committee of Aldermen, formally established on 9 February
2016.
- Terms of
Reference
The Sub-Committee will ensure
that there is a formal, transparent and informed mechanism for
managing supervision of Livery matters and all other such issues
related to the Court of Aldermen’s judicial functions with
the key responsibilities as follows:
(a) to maintain a
regular channel of communication with the magistrates operating
within the City Courthouse at 1 Queen Victoria Street and make
recommendations to the General Purposes Committee of Aldermen in
respect of the City Corporation’s obligations with regard to
the magistracy’s on-going use of the Courthouse;
(b) to maintain a
regular channel of communication with the magistrates of
the
Central London
Bench;
(c)
to
liaise with the Central London Bench in relation to the Magistrates
Dinner at Mansion House;
(d) to make recommendations to the
General Purposes Committee of Aldermen in respect of any Livery or
Royal Charter applications;
(e) to make
recommendations to the General Purposes Committee of
Aldermen
in respect of
any other such matters that relate to the judicial functions of
the
Court of
Aldermen; and
(f) to report
annually to the General Purposes Committee of Aldermen about those
matters that have been considered by the Sub-Committee over the
preceding twelve months.
- Delegated
Powers.
The
Sub-Committee’s delegated powers are as follows:
To
oversee the exercise of the delegated powers (de
minimis) given to the Clerk to Chamberlain’s Court (as
agreed in June 2017);
a)
To recommend the names of the Aldermen to take up
the role of Sponsoring Alderman for a progressing entity towards
Livery (either initially or by way of replacement) for final
decision by the General Purposes Committee of Aldermen;
b)
To request and review annual reports of the
Sponsoring Aldermen on their respective progressing
entities;
c)
To review the procedures for the approval and
progression of a Guild, a Company without Livery and Livery Company
for recommendation to the General Purposes Committee of Aldermen
and the Court of Aldermen for formal approval of the
same;
d)
To oversee the process of the progression of
individual organisations towards becoming a Guild and a Company
without Livery and then towards becoming a Livery Company and
provide advice and assistance in consultation with the Clerk to the
Chamberlain’s Court. To recommend any progress in status for
approval to the General Purposes Committee of Aldermen and the
Court of Aldermen.
e)
To review any change of name of a Guild, Company
without Livery or Livery Company and make recommendation to the
General Purposes Committee of Aldermen and the Court of Aldermen
for approval of the same;
f)
To agree the basis upon which a Liveryman might
translate his or her mother company and to oversee and agree any
such application and report the decision to the General purposes
Committee of Aldermen and the Court of Aldermen (to be noted);
and
g)
To review all documentation relating to Livery
matters (including approval of bylaws and ordinances) and to agree
the final terms of such documents, except where they relate to any
petition for Royal Charter, amendment to a Royal Charter or
application for a Royal Charter, which are subject to the
concurrence of the General Purposes Committee of Aldermen, or where
it appears to the Sub-Committee that the matters under
consideration raise issues of general procedure or policy on which
it is appropriate for the General Purposes Committee of Aldermen to
adjudicate.
- Composition of the Sub-Committee
The
Sub-Committee’s composition shall be limited to between 6 and
8 members of the Court of Aldermen who are magistrates, serving or
on the supplemental list; or where they are appointed as a Recorder
or a Deputy High Court Judge, or otherwise have an appropriate
legal background. That is those Aldermen that are
serving in a judicial capacity in Courts operating within a
criminal jurisdiction (and not at large) either as an active
magistrate or on the supplemental list; or appointed as a Recorder
or Deputy High Court Judge; or those with an appropriate legal
background are eligible to serve on the
Sub-Committee.
- Quorum
The quorum shall consist of no less than three Aldermen appointed
to serve on the Sub-Committee.
- Frequency
of meetings
The
Sub-Committee shall meet whenever necessary at the suggestion of
the City Remembrancer, the Town Clerk or the Chamberlain but not
less than four times per year. The
scheduled meetings shall normally take place as follows:
a)
the first meeting to take place once the General
Purposes Committee has elected its Chairman for the ensuing year
(usually in December);
b)
the second meeting to take place in
March;
c)
the third meeting to take place in June;
d)
the fourth meeting to take place in
September.
- Chairman
and Deputy Chairman
a)
At the first meeting of the Sub-Committee each year
(usually in December), the Sub-Committee shall elect a
Chair/Chairman and Deputy Chair/Chairman for the ensuing
year. In the event of their absence at
meetings, a member of the Sub-Committee shall be elected for the
purposes of chairing the meeting in the Chair/Chairman and Deputy
Chair/Chairman’s absence.
b)
Ahead of the first meeting of the Sub-Committee each
year, the Town Clerk will seek written expressions of interest from
members eligible for election as Chair and who are willing to
serve. Such expressions of interest must be received by the Town
Clerk not later than one full working day prior to the scheduled
date of the meeting.
c)
Ahead of the first meeting of the Sub-Committee each
year, the Town Clerk will seek written expressions of interest from
members eligible for election as Deputy Chair and who are willing
to serve. Such expressions of interest must be received by the Town
Clerk not later than one full working day prior to the scheduled
date of the meeting.
d)
In the event that no expressions
of interest have been received by the deadline stated under 6a),
the Town Clerk will seek expressions of interest under the relevant
agenda item at the meeting of the Sub-Committee.
e)
In the event no expressions of interest have been
received by the deadline stated under 6b), the Town Clerk will seek
expressions of interest under the relevant agenda item at the
meeting of the Sub-Committee
f)
Neither
the Chair/Chairman nor the Deputy Chair/Chairman shall serve more
than five years in each role, with effect from December
2018.
- Access to Information
The Court of Aldermen is not covered by the
access to information regime (Part VA of the Local Government Act
1972, as amended by the Local Government (Access to Information)
Act 1985) as it is a separate executive body of the City
Corporation and does not exercise local authority functions. As the
Nominations Committee of the Court of Aldermen meets in private, as
a matter of long-standing custom, the same arrangements shall apply
to the Magistracy and Livery Sub-Committee.
