Agenda item

The Aldermen took the opportunity to reflect upon the annual Wardmotes held in March.

The Town Clerk reminded all that this had first been introduced as an agenda item last year and that the Aldermen had expressed a desire for it to now feature annually to facilitate discussion. Aldermen had been asked to reflect specifically on attendance on this occasion.

During the course of discussion the following points were raised:

·       The Bread Street Wardmote had attracted the normal number of attendees (approximately 20) and had featured a Motion concerning taxi access to Bank Junction.

·       The Billingsgate Wardmote had approximately 15 attendees and the number one concern aired had been in relation to cyclists and their inability to obey the rules of the road through Bank Junction and elsewhere.

·       The Cheap Wardmote had a good turnout of around 40 and involved a standard, business as usual agenda.

·       The Farringdon Without Wardmote had seen increased turnout this year and a Motion regarding permitting taxi access to Bank Junction had been carried. Concerns around cyclists had also been raised.

·       The Langbourn Wardmote had attracted 15 attendees and the resolution passed here had related to Leadenhall Market which was the main concern locally.

·       The Cornhill Wardmote had 15 voters in attendance which was slightly up on last year. A local police officer had been in attendance to talk on crime in the area which had been well received. Issues around bicycle parking was raised.

·       The Cordwainer Wardmote had been attended by 15 voters which was comparable with attendance figures from recent years. A motion to allow taxi access at Bank Junction had also been passed here.

·       The Bridge Wardmote had attracted 35 attendees which was approximately double that of last year. The Wardmote had been changed to an evening event on this occasion and had been followed by a drinks reception. A Corporation Officer had been in attendance to speak on the new Corporate Plan and a local police officer had also joined the meeting which had been very well received.

·       The Aldersgate Wardmote had been attended by between 60-80 people with standing room only – a slight increase on the turnout of last year. Issues raised here concerned the implementation of the Considerate Lighting Charter and the management of Tudor Rose Court which the Lord Mayor had recently visited.

·       The Bassishaw Wardmote had passed a motion to allow taxi access to Bank Junction and it was noted that a total of six other Wards had passed similar. Attendance this year had been approximately 40 which was down on last year which had seen a record of 100 attendees. Prior to COVID attendance had sat at around 15-20 as the norm. Issues raised here also concerned cyclists.

·       The Aldgate Wardmote had welcomed around 25 attendees. There had been mixed views around Bank Junction and so no motion had been passed.

·       The Castle Baynard Wardmote had seen it’s largest attendance of around 30 with a mixture of both residents and businesses represented. Lots of questions on local issues such as construction/development had been raised and all Ward Councillors had been in attendance. It was noted that no one had been a fan of the formal set up and so alternatives would be explored going forward as would more informal/regular engagement sessions.  

·       The Walbrook Wardmote had seen much improved attendance this year with around 30 present. A motion to allow taxi access to Bank Junction had also been passed here and concerns around cyclists and safety were raised. Four City police officers were in attendance which had been well received. Concerns around the increase in rough sleepers in the area were also aired.

·       The Portsoken Wardmote had been managed by the Ward Deputy as the Alderman had been engaged with a visit to Edinburgh with the Policy Chair. The event had been well attended by between 20-30 people.

·       Candlewick had only recently held a Wardmote around the Aldermanic election but, nevertheless, the March event had been attended by 15-20 people who had come to offer their support to their elected Members.

·       The Farringdon Within Wardmote had welcomed 59 electors which was an improvement on last year and certainly on levels pre-COVID.  There was a 50/50 spilt between residents and workers which was representative of the wider Ward make-up. Many of the issues already highlighted had been raised here too as well as a local issue relating to the design of the new public space at Christchurch/Greyfriars which would be created with the re-routing of traffic and the opening of the HSBC building and wanting this to be the best possible public amenity it could be.

·       The Coleman Street Wardmote had attracted record numbers of attendees (approximately 20) on this occasion. Many attendees had limited knowledge of the City and so the meeting sought to provide some historical context in the first instance. Concerns around cyclists were raised. In terms of format, the Wardmote took place in two parts, commencing with the formal meeting and then an opportunity for questions over drinks.

Noting that cyclists were a major issue across the board in terms of both cycle safety and parking, the Town Clerk commented that the City Police had undertaken some great work in terms of tackling unsafe cycling. Since the Cycle Response Unit had been introduced approximately 9 months ago around 1,000 fixed penalty notices had been issued and the Lord Mayor and Lady Mayoress had recently been engaged in an education and enforcement awareness campaign.