Agenda item

Report of the Town Clerk and Chief Executive.

The Committee received a report of the Town Clerk that provided a high-level executive summary of the work of the Town Clerk and his Executive Leadership Board over the past two years to January 2025.

The Town Clerk introduced the paper and remarked on having arrived at an organisation that was rich with resources in terms of staff and with it already delivering outstanding work.  The City had its USP around Financial and Professional Services and with there being good cause for celebration with the City having generated over £100bn of economic output annually for the first time. There was the importance of financial and professional services to the UK and its contribution to UK GDP, with the City also having achieved a 49% year-on-year increase in foreign direct investment.  Another key highlight was the success of Price Waterhouse Cooper’s global Chief Executive Officers Survey finding that the UK had become the second most important destination for investment after the United States.   It was stressed how key deliverables had been achieved through working in partnership with Members.   

It was also about the future and not only focussing on what the City Corporation had already delivered, with there being an acknowledgement of ongoing areas of challenge moving forwards.   There were HR policies and systems in place that needed updating, some of which were now over twenty years old.  The City’s housing stock had seen years of under investment.  There was the need for a strategic review of all City Corporation assets and to think critically about which of these should be retained.   There was the City of London Police’s national lead role on fraud and a need to prioritise and solidify its position. 

The City Corporation had previously been heavily siloed but with there now being an excellent Leadership Team in place to help drive forward transformation.  New systems for HR and finance needed embedding, as well as establishing values and behaviours over the next two to three years.   A key area of work would be  focussing on the strategic direction and transformation agenda and looking to ensure alignment with the City Corporation’s long-term objectives.

During discussion that followed, reference was made to the impact of foreign investment and an increase in foreign workers, with the Town Clerk responding and emphasising the positive contribution of foreign investment to the City’s economy and the importance of a diverse workforce driving innovation and growth.  The Town Clerk responded to questions relating to HR issues, acknowledging the challenge they presented and offering Members an assurance that steps were being taken to address these issues through implementation of a new ERP system, values and behaviours.  A concern was raised regarding possible change fatigue, with the Town Clerk agreeing that it was a real issue and confirming that additional resources would be brought in to take forward the transformation agenda. 

There was an observation regarding the cost of delivering decent homes and a strategy being needed to manage these costs, with the Town Clerk stressing the importance of innovation and efficiency in achieving cost-effective solutions whilst maintaining high standards.  The Town Clerk agreed that strategy development to implementation was pertinent.  Key results would come forward to Members at an appropriate point to allow for progress to be tracked against agreed KPIs.  This would show where we were now whilst reporting on progress and with this holding people to account.

The Town Clerk thanked Members for their comments and encouraged open dialogue moving forwards to ensure all concerns and suggestions were being addressed.

The Chairman of Policy concluded the discussion confirming that there would be an opportunity to discuss this initiative and the broader strategy to address the City Corporation’s challenges at the Policy and Resources Committee Awayday.   The Chairman referred to there being much work to be done and with the Town Clerk having never flinched from taking decisions to deliver.   The Chairman took the opportunity to thank the Town Clerk on behalf of Policy and Resources Committee, with this receiving the unanimous agreement of Members.

RESOLVED: That Members:-

• Noted the report.