Agenda item

(The Revd. Stephen Decatur Haines, Deputy)

16 July 2015

Report of Urgent Action Taken: City Office in Brussels

In June 2015, the Policy and Resources Committee agreed to allocate £500,000 per year for three years (2015/16 to 2017/18) to fund the creation a new Senior Representative post in the City Office in Brussels. This funding covers the salary of the Senior Representative, the salary of a new officer post based in the City Office in Brussels to support the Senior Representative, plus additional office and IT resources and funding to support additional activity in support of the work of the new Senior Representative.

As the salary of the Senior Representative post is in excess of £100,000, approval for the creation of the post was also required from your Establishment Committee and the Court of Common Council.

We therefore submit a printed and circulated report advising that on 16 July 2015 approval was given, in accordance with Standing Order No. 19, to create the post.

ESTABLISHMENT COMMITTEE 

(The Revd. Stephen Decatur Haines, Deputy)

16 July 2015

Report of Urgent Action Taken: City Office in Brussels

In June 2015, the Policy and Resources Committee agreed to allocate £500,000 per year for three years (2015/16 to 2017/18) to fund the creation a new Senior Representative post in the City Office in Brussels. This funding covers the salary of the Senior Representative, the salary of a new officer post based in the City Office in Brussels to support the Senior Representative, plus additional office and IT resources and funding to support additional activity in support of the work of the new Senior Representative.

As the salary of the Senior Representative post is in excess of £100,000, approval for the creation of the post was also required from your Establishment Committee and the Court of Common Council.

We therefore submit a printed and circulated report advising that on 16 July 2015 approval was given, in accordance with Standing Order No. 19, to create the post.

Responding to a question from Deputy Alex Deane, the Chairman of the Policy and Resources Committee clarified that the post holder’s mandate would be set by the City Corporation and, as an Officer of the Corporation, they would accordingly be tasked with reflecting its views. With reference to Chancellor of the Exchequer’s recent comments in respect of pursuing treaty change to protect the City, the Chairman agreed that he was supportive of the Government’s diplomatic efforts to ensure the protection of the integrity of the single market and to prevent any discrimination against the countries outside of the Eurozone, whether this was on the form of a treaty or any other form of agreement.

The Chairman consequently undertook to provide an update to Members on the work undertaken by the post holder in due course. He added that a briefing session for Members had also been arranged, to allow them to meet the post holder and hear from him directly.

In response to a further supplementary question from Deputy Stanley Ginsburg, the Chairman clarified that funding for the post was not allocated at the expense of other areas, such as policing. He also expressed his belief that the long-term benefits of establishing such a post would directly lead to the Corporation having greater ability to fund its various services. 

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