Agenda item

To agree the public minutes of the meeting held on 10 May 2017.

The public minutes of the meeting held on 10 May 2017 were considered and approved as a correct record.

MATTERS ARISING

Members’ Declarations under the Code of Conduct in Respect of Items on the Agenda (page 2) – The Deputy Chairman reported that, since the last meeting of the Markets Committee, Greg Lawrence had applied for a dispensation from the City’s Standards Committee to enable him to speak/vote on any matters that he might be considered to have a disclosable pecuniary interest in in the context of this Committee’s business going forward. The Committee were informed that the Standards Committee had granted Mr Lawrence a dispensation ‘until the ward elections in 2021 to speak on all matters concerning the London Central Markets, other than those in which he has a disclosable pecuniary interest as a shareholder or director of any company which holds a tenancy in the market, and which would affect only him personally or his business interests as opposed to the generality of the tenants within the market’. The request for a dispensation to vote on such matters was refused.

Billingsgate Market Seafood School (page 4) – In response to questions, the Superintendent of Billingsgate Market reported that there had been no formal meetings between the City of London Corporation and the Seafood School regarding their future to date but that the City continued to offer the School rent-free use of accommodation/facilities at the market. He added that he was kept well aware of the School’s finances as he also served as a Trustee of the charity.

The Superintendent went on to report that market tenants remained adamant that they would not be contributing any further to the running costs of the School.

The Deputy Chairman requested that the Committee be kept regularly updated on this matter going forward.

Departmental Business Plan: Markets and Consumer Protection (page 7) – Members thanked the Chamberlain for the circulation of the additional financial information circulated to all after the last meeting of the Markets Committee. 

New Spitalfields Market – Heads of Term (page 9) – The Superintendent of New Spitalfields Market reported that the vast majority of Heads of Terms had now been signed and returned with approximately eight of these still outstanding. He acknowledged that certain individuals were now unlikely to sign these and that this would result in the matter progressing to Court.

Billingsgate Market – Chairman of the Tenants Association (page 9) – It was with regret that the Superintendent of Billingsgate Market reported that the Chairman of the Tenants Association had sadly passed away since the last meeting of the Markets Committee. He, and many of the market’s staff and tenants had attended the Chairman’s funeral.

Billingsgate Market – Crossrail construction land (page 10) – The Superintendent of Billingsgate Market reported that land previously handed to Crossrail for the construction of a Canary Wharf station was still on track to be returned to the Market by the end of this month.

Billingsgate Market – HSBC Window (page 10) – The Superintendent of Billingsgate Market reported that the Market had now reported the incident which occurred as result of ‘Storm Doris’ back in February to the Health and Safety Executive themselves.