Agenda item

Questions

Minutes:

Arrangements for the September meeting of the Court

Michael Hudson asked a question of the Deputy Chairman of the Policy and Resources Committee, seeking clarity in relation to the arrangements for the Court’s September meeting and requesting an undertaking for it to be held as a physical, formal meeting.

 

Responding, the Deputy Chairman shared his hope that, by September, Covid was sufficiently under control that no restrictions were in place and a return to “life as normal” was possible. He added that the Policy and Resources Committee had been of the opinion that the Court should meet in person when safe to do so, hence today’s in-person meeting; however, the Committee was also mindful of the very valid concerns in respect of physical meetings at this point in time. On balance, it had felt that now was the right time for the Court to meet in person and demonstrate leadership to the City; however, in doing so, it also recognised the need to be prudent and ensure this was managed safely. This was why the Court was set-up in a more socially distanced configuration, with an outdoor lunch, and with the encouragement of the use of masks in the building and lateral flow tests before coming to Guildhall.

 

Notwithstanding this, the Deputy Chairman cautioned that the threat of Covid was still very real and, despite high vaccination rates, infection numbers were rising and many people were still having to self-isolate. It would, therefore, be precipitate to make any commitment now given the uncertainties of the situation in September. The City would need to follow Government directions, irrespective of personal views on physical meetings; however, the situation would be monitored very closely over the summer Members kept informed as the situation evolved.

 

The Deputy Chairman added that efforts continued in respect of seeking for the Government to revisit its decision to prohibit virtual participation in meetings, allowing for hybrid arrangements, such as now in place for meetings relating to the City’s non-local authority business. In the interim, steps would be taken to ensure that the published decisions taken at informal meetings under the Court’s Covid approval procedures were placed in a more accessible location on the website. He also clarified that governance-related proposals were no longer expected to come to the September meeting of the Court, in view of the slight slippage associated with various aspects.

 

In response to further supplementary question from Marianne Fredericks, the Deputy Chairman agreed with the importance of ensuring appropriate caution and mitigation factors were in place, so as to facilitate a safe return to the workplace and encourage workers back into the City in large numbers.

 

Staff Catering Arrangements

In accordance with Standing Order 13(3), the Town Clerk put a question to the Deputy Chairman of the Policy and Resources Committee on behalf of Oliver Sells, concerning the use of the staff canteen (“the Gild”) by the City of London School for Girls and the implications for City Corporation staff.

 

In reply, the Deputy Chairman reminded Members that the Gild catering contract had expired in August 2020, during the pandemic. The catering provider had already requested termination of their contract prior to this, as they had struggled to make the Gild economically viable; consequently, there had been a situation whereby there were only small numbers of staff in the building to use the facilities, and no realistic possibility of bringing in a new supplier until after Covid was over.

 

However, it had transpired that the City of London School for Girls was in need of additional space, both because their current dining hall was not big enough to accommodate social distancing at lunch, and because their existing dining space was also required to be repurposed for science lessons. The opportunity to use the Gild area productively, particularly in the circumstances during a very difficult period for all school children, was therefore taken.

 

Recently, the Girls’ School had requested that the current arrangement and use of the Gild be extended for the entire academic year 2021-2022. While this extension had been agreed, this would be as part of a shared-use plan, accommodating both school pupils and returning Corporation staff. Corporation staff had already been informed of this and that they can continue to use the space for meetings, to heat up own food from home or eat food bought at local businesses – although they could not be provided for by the School’s caterer, as this would breach contractual agreements and procurement regulations.

 

The City Corporation continued to seek a new catering solution for the Gild in the longer-term but, in the meantime, was also looking into further initiatives to support staff returning to the workplace and particularly supporting local businesses, such as staff discount at local cafes and so on. This would not only provide staff with an affordable catering option but will also promote and help to inject much needed cash into local businesses.

 

In response to a supplementary question which was put on behalf of Mr Sells, the Deputy Chairman advised that the City Corporation’s current procurement regulations and contractual agreements prohibited the existing on-site suppliers from catering for City Corporation staff. However, he would be happy to raise this matter at the next meeting of the Guildhall Club’s House Committee to see if there was any scope to incorporate such possibilities in contracts in the longer term.