Public Document Pack
Policy and Resources Committee
Date: THURSDAY, 25 JULY 20 13 Time: 1.45pm Venue: COMMITTEE ROOMS, 2ND FLOOR, WEST WING, GU ILDHALL Members: Mark Boleat (Chairman) Alderman Sir David Howard Deputy Douglas Barrow (Deputy Edward Lord Chairman) Wendy Mead Jeremy Mayhew (Deputy Hugh Morris Chairman) Deputy Joyce Nash Deputy Catherine McGuinness Deputy Henry Pollard (Ex-Officio (Deputy Chairman) Member) Deputy Ken Ayers Stephen Quilter Deputy John Barker (Ex-Officio John Scott (Ex-Officio Member) Member) Deputy Dr Giles Shilson Deputy John Bennett Sir Michael Snyder Deputy Michael Cassidy (Ex- Deputy John Tomlinson Officio Member) James Tumbridge Ray Catt (Ex-Officio Member) Deputy Michael Welbank (Ex-Officio Roger Chadwick (Ex-Officio Member) Member) Alderman Fiona Woolf Deputy Alex Deane Alderman Sir David Wootton Simon Duckworth Alderman Alan Yarrow Revd Dr Martin Dudley (Ex-Officio Member) Stuart Fraser Marianne Fredericks The Rt Hon the Lord Mayor Alderman Roger Gifford George Gillon (Chief Commoner)
Enquiries: Angela Roach tel. no.: 020 7332 3685 [email protected]
Lunch will be served in Guildhall Club at 1PM
John Barradell Town Clerk and Chief Executive AGENDA
Part 1 - Public Agenda
1. APOLOGIES
2. MEMBERS DECLARATIONS UNDER THE CODE OF CO NDUCT IN RESPECT OF ITEMS ON THE AGENDA
3. MINUTES To agree the public minutes of the meeting held on 27 June 2013 (copy attached). For Decision (Pages 1 - 12)
4. PROJECTS SUB -COMMITTEE MINUTES To note the public minutes of the Projects Sub-Committee meetings held on 19th June and 4th July 2013 (copies attached). For Information (Pages 13 - 24)
5. 2012/13 REVENUE OUTT URN Joint report of the Town Clerk, Chamberlain and Remembrancer (copy attached). For Information (Pages 25 - 28)
6. TOWN CLERK'S BUSINES S PLAN MONITORING AN D RISK REGISTER Report of the Town Clerk (copy attached). For Information (Pages 29 - 34)
7. LOCAL AUDIT AND ACCO UNTABILITY BILL Report of the Remembrancer (copy attached). For Information (Pages 35 - 36)
8. ANTI -SOCIAL BEHAVIOUR, CR IME AND POLICING BIL L Report of the Remembrancer (copy attached).
For Information (Pages 37 - 42)
9. LIVERPOOL STREET ARE A ENHANCEMENT STRATE GY Report of the Director of the Built Environment (copy attached). For Decision (Pages 43 - 62)
10. CHAIRMAN'S VISIT TO CHINA Report of the Director of Economic Development (copy attached). For Information (Pages 63 - 70)
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11. TEENTECH CITY 2013 Report of the Director of Economic Development (copy attached). For Decision (Pages 71 - 76)
12. SINGAPORE STRATEGY Report of the Director of Economic Development (copy attached). For Decision (Pages 77 - 80)
13. SMITH INSTITUTE RES EARCH PROJECT Report of the Director of Public Relations (copy attached). For Decision (Pages 81 - 86)
14. POLLING ON THE EU Report of the Director of Public Relations (copy to follow). For Decision
15. PUBLIC RELATIONS ACTIVITIES Report of the Director of Public Relations (copy attached). For Information (Pages 87 - 96)
16. POLICY INITIATIVES F UND AND COMMITTEE CO NTINGENCY Report of Chamberlain (copy attached). For Information (Pages 97 - 108)
17. QUESTIONS ON MATTERS RELATING TO THE WORK OF THE COMMITTEE
18. ANY OTHER BUSINESS T HAT THE CHAIRMAN CON SIDERS URGENT
19. EXCLUSION OF THE PUB LIC MOTION - That under Section 100(A) of the Local Government Act 1972, the public be excluded from the meeting for the following items on the grounds that they involve the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in Part I of the Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act.
Item Nos. Paragraph(s) in Schedule 12A
20-23 3
3
Part 2 - Non -Public Agenda
20. NON -PUBLIC MINUTES To agree the non-public minutes of the meeting held on 27 June 2013 (copy attached). For Decision (Pages 109 - 114)
21. PROJECTS SUB -COMMIT TEE MINUTES To note the non-public minutes of the Projects Sub-Committee meetings held on 19th June and 4th July 2013 (copies attached). For Information (Pages 115 - 124)
22. RESOURCE ALLOCATION SUB -COMMITTEE To consider the following:-
a) To note the non-public minutes of the informal meeting of the Sub-Committee and agree the recommendations contained therein (copy attached). For Decision (Pages 125 - 132)
b) Joint report of the Town Clerk and Chamberlain (copy attached). For Information (Pages 133 - 140)
23. GRESHAM COLLEGE FUND ING Joint report of the Town Clerk and Chamberlain (copy attached). For Decision (Pages 141 - 146)
24. QUESTIONS ON MATTERS RELATING TO THE WORK OF THE COMM ITTEE
25. ANY OTHER BUSINESS T HAT THE CHAIRMAN CON SIDERS URGENT AND WHICH THE COMMITTEE AGREE SHOULD BE CONSIDERED WHILST THE PUBLIC ARE EXCLUDED.
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Agenda Item 3
POLICY AND RESOURCES COMMITTEE Thursday, 27 June 2013
Minutes of the meeting of the Policy and Resources Committee held at Committee Rooms, 2nd Floor, West Wing, Guildhall on Thursday, 27 June 2013 at 1.45 pm
Present
Members: Deputy Douglas Barrow (Deputy Chairman) Jeremy Mayhew (Deputy Chairman) Deputy Catherine McGuinness (Deputy Chairman) Deputy Ken Ayers Deputy John Barker (Ex-Officio Member) Deputy John Bennett Ray Catt (Ex-Officio Member) Roger Chadwick (Ex-Officio Member) Deputy Alex Deane Simon Duckworth Revd Dr Martin Dudley (Ex-Officio Member) Stuart Fraser Marianne Fredericks George Gillon (Chief Commoner) Edward Lord Wendy Mead Hugh Morris Deputy Henry Pollard (Ex-Officio Member) John Scott (Ex-Officio Member) Deputy Dr Giles Shilson Deputy Sir Michael Snyder Deputy John Tomlinson Deputy Michael Welbank (Ex-Officio Member) Alderman Sir David Wootton Alderman Alan Yarrow
Officers: John Barradell - Town Clerk and Chief Executive Michael Cogher - Comptroller and City Solicitor Philip Everett - Director of the Built Environment Peter Rees - City Planning Officer, Department of the Built Environment Paul Beckett - Department of the Built Environment Paul Sizeland - Director of Economic Development Chris Bilsland - Chamberlain Caroline Al-Beyerty - Financial Services Director Peter Bennett - City Surveyor Tony Halmos - Director of Public Relations Giles French - Assistant Director of Economic
Page 1 Development Nigel Lefton - Remembrancer's Department Neil Chrimes - Head of Programmes, Mansion House Graham Bell - Chief Information Officer Peter Lisley - Assistant Town Clerk Angela Roach - Policy Manager Xanthe Couture - Committee Administrator
1. APOLOGIES Apologies were received from the Chairman, Deputy Michael Cassidy, Roger Chadwick, Alderman Sir David Howard, James Tumbridge and Alderman Fiona Woolf.
2. MEMBERS DECLARATIONS UNDER THE CODE OF CONDUCT IN RESPECT OF ITEMS ON THE AGENDA The following declarations were made:-
The Chairman declared an interest in Item No. 23 by virtue of her daughter being a pupil at the Guildhall School.
Jeremy Mayhew declared an interest in Item No. 6 by virtue of his work with Pricewaterhouse Coopers and withdrew from the meetings when the item was discussed.
Deputy John Barker declared an interest in Item no. 10 as a trustee of the Thames Festival Trust.
Alderman Alan Yarrow declared an interest in Item No. 12 as a member of the Board of Lord Mayor’s Show Ltd.
3. MINUTES
3a. the public minutes of the Committee meeting held on 2 May 2013 were approved.
3b. the public minutes of the Resource Allocation Sub-Committee meeting held on 2 May 2013 were noted.
3c. the minutes of the Public Relations and Economic Development Committee held on 2 May 2013 were noted and the recommendations contained therein endorsed.
3d. the public minutes of the Projects Sub-Committee meeting held on 16 May 2013 were noted.
Page 2 4. COMMUNITY INFRASTRUCTURE LEVY DRAFT CHARGING SCHEDULE The Committee considered a report of the Director of the Built Environment setting out the results of the first round of public consultation on the Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL), details of the Draft Charging Schedule and proposals for the second round of consultation.
RESOLVED – That:-
1. the proposed City CIL Draft Charging Schedule and supporting material be approved for public consultation and, following the consultation, be submitted for public examination; and
2. Officers be authorised to make any further, non-material, changes to the CIL documentation, prior to public consultation.
5. 20MPH SPEED LIMIT The Committee considered a report of the Director of the Built Environment proposing the adoption of a 20mph speed limit for motor vehicles in the City of London.
It was noted that the proposal had been approved by the Planning and Transportation Committee.
The Director was heard in support of the proposal. He advised that it was not intended that the proposal should provide a standalone solution to road casualty figures but that the reduction in speed would form part of the other activities undertaken as part of the City Corporation’s Road Danger Reduction Plan. The Chairman supported his sentiments highlighting that road casualties were on the increase; that indications were that vulnerable users such as pedestrians and cyclists would increase and that it was clear from a City Residents’ meeting that she had attended recently that this type of action would be welcomed. Members proceeded to discuss the proposal in detail during which the following comments were made:-
• concern was expressed that the report had been written to come to one conclusion, that consultation had not been undertaken more widely, there was no evidence to suggest that such action was needed and that the cost of slowing down traffic had not been addressed;
• reference was made to the fact that the speed of traffic within the City rarely went beyond 20 mph therefore its introduction might have little or no effect;
• reference was also made to the possible proliferation of signage and to whether the introduction of two-way cycling in one way streets had had an impact on the casualty figures;
• it was suggested that consideration should be given to the speed limit applying to relevant hot spots only rather than City wide and that given the number of concerns expressed this day the report should be deferred to
Page 3 enable further work to be undertaken and a more balanced paper brought back for consideration;
• a Member, who was also the Chairman of the Planning and Transportation Committee, reminded Members that it had been agreed that the introduction of a speed limit would be investigated and that the report did that. It did not make any extravagant claims. With the number of people coming to the City set to rise and the number of road casualties increasing, it was important for the City Corporation to put certain measures into place to assist in reducing those casualty figures. A Member supported his sentiments and reiterated that the new speed limit would sit alongside other measures. Introducing it would require a change of culture which, like the introduction of seat belts, would be accepted in time.
• a Member pointed out that those Members who had expressed concern were not against the introduction of a reduced speed limit but merely felt that more information was needed. On that basis the report should be deferred and brought back for further consideration.
The Director proceeded to address each comment in turn. After further discussion a vote was taken which resulted in 13 votes for the introduction of a 20mph speed limit and 11 against.
RESOLVED – That:-
1. subject to the agreement of the Court of Common Council, approval be given to public notice of the City Corporation’s intention to make an order prohibiting the driving of motor vehicles on all streets in the City of London for which the City is the local traffic authority at more than 20mph;
2. any objections made to the making of that order be reported to the Planning and Transportation Committee for consideration; and
3. the costs of implementing a 20mph limit be met through Local Implementation Programme funding with approval being sought to utilise the ‘on street parking reserve’ in the event of any shortfall.
6. TOTAL TAX CONTRIBUTION RESEARCH Jeremy Mayhew withdrew from the meeting whilst the following item was considered.
The Committee considered a report of the Director of Economic Development concerning the commissioning of research on Total Tax Contribution and the waiver of the City Corporation’s Procurement Regulations to enable a single tender to be sought for producing the research.
RESOLVED – That approval be given to the commissioning of annual Total Tax studies over three years from PricewaterhouseCoopers and to the waiving of Procurement Regulation 15 i.e. the requirement to advertise to market.
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7. RAISING THE PARTICIPATION AGE - PARTNERSHIP FOR YOUNG LONDON CONFERENCE The Committee considered a report of the Director of Economic Development proposing support for Partnership for Young London’s conference in September on Raising the Participation Age (the strategy to increase the age at which all young people in England must continue in education or training).
RESOLVED – That approval be given to Partnership for Young London’s Conference on “Raising the Participation Age” at a cost of up to £12,000 to be met from the Policy Initiatives Fund charged to City’s Cash and categorised under the “Communities” heading.
8. INSTITUTE OF CORPORATE RESPONSIBILITY The Committee considered a report of the Director of Economic Development proposing support for the new Institute of Corporate Responsibility, a not for profit professional membership organisation for Corporate Responsibility practitioners.
It was noted that £100,000 in private sector funding had been raised already.
RESOLVED – That approval be given to the City Corporation becoming a lead supporter of the new Institute of Corporate Responsibility at cost of £50,000 to be met from the Policy Initiatives Fund 2013/14 and 2014/15 charged to City’s Cash. The cost would be split into two annual contributions of £25,000 and the initiative categorised under the Communities heading of the Fund.
9. QUEEN ELIZABETH II GARDEN IN NEW YORK The Committee considered a report of the Director of Economic Development proposing further support for the Queen Elizabeth II Garden project in New York.
RESOLVED – That, in recognition of the continuing links and co-operation between the City of London and New York, approval be given to a further contribution of up to £10,000 (US Dollar equivalent) to be met from the Committee’s City’s Cash contingency to support the Queen Elizabeth II Garden Project.
10. MAYOR'S THAMES FESTIVAL The Committee considered a report of the Director of Public Relations proposing support for the Mayor of London’ Thames Festival in future years.
RESOLVED – That approval be given to an annual contribution of £12,000 towards the Mayor’s Thames Festival for a period of three years to be met from the Committee’s City’s Cash contingency for 2013/14, 2014/15 and 2015/16.
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11. 2013 PARTY CONFERENCES The Committee considered a report of the Director of Public Relations setting out the plans for the forthcoming party conferences, including a request for additional funds to support the City Corporation’s programme for this year.
RESOLVED – That the content of the report be noted and that approval be given to the provision of £13,500 to support the 2013 Party Conferences programme to be met from the Committee’s City’s Cash contingency for 2013/14.
12. LORD MAYOR'S SHOW FIREWORKS The Committee considered a report of the Director of Public Relations proposals for the inclusion of a fireworks display as part of the Lord Mayor’s Show in 2013 and 2014.
The Chairman pointed out that besides financial responsibility the City Corporation would be assuming legal responsibility for the display. Officers had confirmed that appropriate arrangements (including insurance) were in place for this. In response to a number of questions the Director of Public Relations:-
• undertook to provide a Member with a detailed breakdown of the cost of the specialist contractor;
• confirmed the importance of having a display in 2014 in recognition of the 800 th Anniversary of the Lord Mayor’s Show;
• advised that it was less significant for the anniversary of the Magna Carta to be marked by the firework display in 2015 as arrangements had been for the various events to mark the anniversary of the Magna Carta to take place much earlier in the year; and
• provided details of how it was intended the fireworks display would be publicised.
RESOLVED – That:-
1. a public fireworks display be held by the City Corporation following the Lord Mayor’s Show in 2013 and in 2014;
2. the full cost of the display be underwritten by the City Corporation at a sum not exceeding £93,000 in each year, to be met from the Committee’s City’s Cash contingency for 2013/14 and 2014/15 respectively;
3. the Lord Mayor’s Show Ltd company be requested to use all its best endeavours to secure sponsorship support to cover at least some of the costs of the fireworks display;
Page 6 4. the City Corporation assume full legal and financial responsibility for the management and organisation of the fireworks display following the Lord Mayor’s Show in 2013 and 2014; and
5. the approval of all arrangements including the provision of the assurances (warranties and indemnities etc.,), required to enable the fireworks displays following the Lord Mayor’s Show in 2013 and 2014 to proceed be delegated to the Town Clerk, in consultation with the Chairman and Deputy Chairman.
13. REGULATION OF INVESTIGATORY POWERS ACT 2000 - QUARTERLY UPDATE REPORT The Committee considered a quarterly monitoring report of the Town Clerk in respect the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act (RIPA) 2000 which regulated surveillance carried out by public authorities.
RESOLVED – That:-
1. the content of report be noted and, in particular the amendment to Appendix 1 of the City Corporation’s RIPA policy and the procedure for the list of Authorising Officers; and
2. officers be authorised to make any necessary revisions to the RIPA Policy and Procedure in respect of the Authorising Officers, Single Points of Contact and/or Designated Persons, ahead of submission of the next quarterly update.
14. VISIT TO WASHINGTON DC The Committee considered a report of the Director of Economic Development providing details of the Chairman’s visit to Washington DC in the US in April 2013.
The Chairman welcomed the engagement with US regulators at a time when the lack of clarity around US regulation was causing uncertainty in the City.
RESOLVED – That the content of the report be noted.
15. VISIT TO INDIA The Committee considered a report of the Director of Economic Development providing details of the Chairman’s visit to New Delhi and Mumbai in India in April 2013.
RESOLVED – That the content of the report be noted.
Page 7 16. ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT ACTIVITIES The Committee considered a report of the Director of Economic Development updating Members on the activities undertaken by the Economic Development Office between January and March 2013.
RESOLVED – That the content of the report be noted.
17. POLICY INITIATIVES FUND The Committee considered a statement of the Chamberlain on the use of the Policy Initiatives Fund (PIF) and the Committee’s contingency for 2013/14.
RESOLVED – That the content of the report be noted and that approval be given to the additional costs associated with the Responsible Business Week event “Business in the Community” to be met from the Committee’s City’s Cash contingency for 2013/14.
18. DECISIONS TAKEN UNDER DELEGATED AUTHORITY OR URGENCY POWERS The Committee received a report of the Town Clerk reporting action taken by the Town Clerk in consultation with the Chairman and Deputy Chairman since the last meeting of the Committee in accordance with Standing Orders 41(a) and 41(b).
RESOLVED – that it be noted that approval was given to the following as part of the Extended Contact and Topical Issues programmes:-
1. up to £8,000 to host the 2013 Sir Keith Joseph Memorial Lecture;
2. up to £9,500 for research into the management of a portfolio of green spaces; and
3. up to £12,000 for research in the attitudes of the EU towards the future of the City of London as Europe’s financial centre.
19. QUESTIONS ON MATTERS RELATING TO THE WORK OF THE COMMITTEE There were no questions.
20. ANY OTHER BUSINESS THAT THE CHAIRMAN CONSIDERS URGENT The following item of urgent business was considered:-
The City, The UK and Europe
The Committee considered a joint report of the Director of Economic Development and the Director of Public Relations on the UK’s relationship with
Page 8 the EU since January 2013 and the suggested strategy for City Corporation’s engagement on Europe in future.
The Director of Economic Development was heard in support of the report. He advised that the revised paper followed the original European Banking Union (EBU) and the position of the City Corporation report considered by the Committee in December. It had been revised to take account of developments in Europe so far this year including the Prime Minister’s speech in January. It also took into account the views of the Resource Allocation Sub-Committee which had considered the matter informally at one of its recent meetings.
The Director drew attention to the issue of EU reform being a recurring theme in the City Corporation’s EU engagement programme and to the UK/EU debate creating uncertainty amongst international investors. There was anecdotal evidence which suggested that this was already affecting some business location decisions. He advised that sections 10 and 11 of the report set out the City Corporation’s position on the debate and the proposed policy for engaging on Europe in future. He pointed out that the two sections were not fully aligned and suggested that this be addressed by including a further bullet in section 11 along the lines that the City Corporation would “facilitate the debate with third parties such as CBI, on the reform agenda to support City and wider European economic competitiveness”. The Director reminded the Committee that the City Corporation was well placed to provide a platform for informed debate on the matter, across the spectrum of opinion, and that the intention was that the current paper would be updated as the debate developed.
The Director of Public Relations supported his sentiments and provided details of the survey of stakeholders which had been undertaken on the matter and the further work which would be undertaken in future.
The Committee proceeded to discuss the report in detail, during which the following comments were made:-
• a Member welcomed the rebalancing of the report to include the reform agenda as this was an area which required focus and where the City Corporation could gather opinion for options for reform from City stakeholders;
• currently a majority City businesses were of the view that opting out of the EU would have an adverse effect on them as they would have no access to the single market unless the UK retained its membership. This was demonstrated by the number of firms which were moving employees away from the City already.
• a Member commented that notwithstanding the alterations to the paper he was still seriously concerned about the content of the report. He questioned a number of the assertions made and whether it was right to make them in a public paper which included the views on the timing of holding a referendum; the consequences of not being part of the European Peoples Party group; the statement that there was no evidence of support for a
Page 9 unilateral change in the UK’s membership of the EU and whether the UK needed to remain in the single market to be effective. A Member supported his sentiments adding that the paper focused on the Conservative Party only and that it was important to reflect also the views of the other main the parties.
• a Member stated that it was important to separate commercial and economic needs from other reasons. There was no doubt that leaving the EU would have an impact, for example, the UK would need to create its own regulations. He felt that the paper represented a good start and would be developed as the debate progressed.
The Chairman sought the Committee’s views on the proposed key messages for debate and on the strategy for engaging in Europe (paragraphs 10 and 11). After further discussion she advised that the majority of the concerns expressed centred on the text prior to the key messages and the strategy but that the key messages and strategy for engagement themselves were broadly supported. She therefore suggested that the City Corporation’s role be agreed on that basis but that further work be undertaken on the content of the preamble of the report. Members supported her suggestion.
RESOLVED – That for the time being:-
1. the City Corporation’s key messages for dialogue on Europe be on the basis of the following:-
• promote London to policy makers as Europe’s international financial and business centre; • explain the role of financial and professional services in supporting the wider economy; • Europe needs to reform to be more competitive in the global economy; • strengthen and complete the Single Market; and • the UK needs to be fully engaged in EU policy making
2. the strategy on engagement with Europe be based on six key aims as follows:-
• greater engagement with EU institutions; • greater engagement with EU Member States; • dialogue around the City’s role as Europe’s international financial and business centre, and its role in the wider European and global economy; • contributing evidence to the debate on the economic benefits and costs to the UK of membership of the EU, and vice versa; • work with third parties, such as think tanks, political groups and business organisations, to provide forums to make the case for the importance of the Single Market to the UK; and. • facilitate the debate with third parties such as CBI, on the reform agenda to support City and wider European economic competitiveness
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3. in the meantime, further work be undertaken to revise the content of the preamble of the report.
21. EXCLUSION OF THE PUBLIC RESOLVED – That under Section 100(A) of the Local Government Act 1972, the public be excluded from the meeting for the following items on the grounds that they involve the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in Part 1 of Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act. Item Nos. Paragraph(s) in Schedule 12A
22-28 3, 4 and 5
Part 2 – Non-Public Agenda
22. NON-PUBLIC MINUTES
22a. The non-public minutes of the Committee meeting held on 2 May 2013 were approved.
22b. The non-public minutes of the Projects Sub-Committee meeting held on 16 May 2013 were noted.
22c. The content of the non-public minutes of the Resource Allocation Sub- Committee meeting held on 13 June 2013 was noted and the recommendations contained therein endorsed.
22d. The contents of the non-public minutes of the Members Accommodation Working Party meeting held on 2 May 2013 were noted and the recommendations contained therein endorsed.
22e. The non-public minutes of the Hospitality Working Party meeting held on 15 May 2013 were noted.
23. MILTON COURT UPDATE The Committee considered and agreed a report of the Chamberlain updating Members on the progress of the Milton Court Development.
24. CROSSRAIL INVESTMENT STRATEGY REVIEW The Committee considered and approved a report of the City Surveyor reviewing the Crossrail Investment Strategy.
Page 11 25. 2 FANN STREET - LETTING The Committee considered and approved a report of the City Surveyor concerning the second stage of the process for marketing the building at 2 Fann Street EC2.
26. GUILDHALL AREA STRATEGY The Committee considered and agreed a progress report of the Director of the Built Environment concerning the Guildhall area enhancement strategy.
27. INFORMATION SYSTEMS MANAGED SERVICES The Committee considered and agreed a report of the Chamberlain setting out the results of the procurement exercise for the provision of the City Corporation’s Information Systems, infrastructure, maintenance and support which included improvements to disaster recovery capability for which this Committee was responsible.
28. DECISIONS TAKEN UNDER DELEGATED AUTHORITY OR URGENCY POWERS The Committee received a report of the Town Clerk reporting action taken by the Town Clerk in consultation with the Chairman and Deputy Chairman since the last meeting of the Committee in accordance with Standing Orders 41(a) and 41(b).
RESOLVED – that it be noted that approval was given to a proposal concerning the London Living Wage.
29. QUESTIONS ON MATTERS RELATING TO THE WORK OF THE COMMITTEE There were no questions.
30. ANY OTHER BUSINESS THAT THE CHAIRMAN CONSIDERS URGENT AND WHICH THE COMMITTEE AGREE SHOULD BE CONSIDERED WHILST THE PUBLIC ARE EXCLUDED. There were no items of urgent business for consideration.
The meeting ended at 3.05pm
Chairman
Contact Officer: Angela Roach tel. no.: 020 7332 3685 [email protected]
Page 12 Agenda Item 4
PROJECTS SUB (POLICY AND RESOURCES) COMMITTEE Wednesday, 19 June 2013
Minutes of the meeting of the Projects Sub (Policy and Resources) Committee held at Guildhall EC2 on Wednesday, 19 June 2013 at 10.00 am
Present
Members:
Sir Michael Snyder (Chairman) Mark Boleat (Deputy Chairman) Alderman Sir Michael Bear Deputy John Tomlinson Deputy Catherine McGuinness Deputy Michael Welbank Angela Starling
In attendance Marianne Fredericks Jeremy Simons
Officers:
Peter Lisley - Assistant Town Clerk Peter Bennett - City Surveyor Philip Everett - Director of the Built Environment Steve Presland - Department of the Built Environment Ian Simmons - Department of the Built Environment Caroline Al-Beyerty - Chamberlains Graham Bell - Chamberlains Huw Lewis - City Surveyors Julie Mayer - Town Clerk’s Karen Tarbox - Community and Children’s Services Mike Kettle - Community and Children’s Services Michael Bennett - Community and Children’s Services
1. APOLOGIES
Apologies were received from Hugh Morris and Roger Chadwick. The Chairman welcomed Deputy Catherine McGuinness and Angela Starling to their first meeting of the Projects Sub Committee.
Page 13 2. DECLARATIONS BY MEMBERS OF PERSONAL OR PREJUDICIAL INTERESTS IN RESPECT OF ITEMS TO BE CONSIDERED AT THIS MEETING Deputy Catherine McGuinness declared a personal interest in respect of item 18, as she has a child attending the Guildhall School of Music and Drama but this item was subsequently withdrawn.
3. MINUTES The public minutes and summary of the Projects Sub Committee held on 16 May 2013 were approved as a correct record.
4. BURY COURT - PROJECT PROPOSAL - GATEWAY 2 Members received a report of the Director of the Built Environment, seeking to improve Bury Court and make it a more desirable space.
RESOLVED, that:
The project proceeds to Gateway 5 (Authority to Start Work) under the streamlined route.
5. 5 BROADGATE - OUTLINE OPTIONS APPRAISAL - GATEWAY 3-4 Members received a report of the Director of the Built Environment which sought to deliver a British Standard PAS 69 rated security scheme. This would provide the northern perimeter of the 5 Broadgate development (on the south side of Sun Street) with protection from vehicle borne explosive devices.
RESOLVED, that:
Option 3, as set out in the report, be adopted and the project progress to Gateway 4 (Detailed Options Appraisal)
6. BLOOMBERG PLACE - ISSUES REPORT Members received a report of the Director of the Built Environment, which sought to deliver highway improvement and environmental enhancement. In response to a query about materials, officers expected this to be York stone paving and granite curbing but it had not been confirmed. Members commented that the hoardings were very attractive and had a positive effect on the environment.
RESOLVED, that:
(a) The project scope be extended, from solely evaluating highway options and design, to include the evaluation, design and implementation of necessary highway improvements (and desired environmental enhancements) including possible introduction of trees in the public highway.
Page 14 (b) The total estimated costs be increased from £250,000; i.e. the estimated cost of highway evaluation and design reported to Members in February 2012, to £3 million - to include the cost of implementation as described above.
(c) A further £200,000 be approved from the £250,000 already received, to progress the project to Gateway 3-4, as shown in Appendix 1 to the report.
(d) Authority for any further budget adjustments for highway evaluation and design purposes be delegated to the Town Clerk in consultation with the Chairman and Deputy Chairman.
(e) The project proceed from “Streamlined” to “Standard”, as required for projects of a value exceeding £2 million.
(f) The project progress under a combined Gateway 3-4 due to lack of real options
7. RIVERSIDE WALK MILLENNIUM BRIGDGE AREA - ISSUE REPORT: FURTHER INFORMATION Members received a report of the Director of the Built Environment. At the last meeting of the Projects Sub Committee, Members had concluded that further information was required before they could take an informed decision regarding proposals to carry out further ground investigations on St Paul’s Walk. Members were satisfied with the extra detail set out in the latest report. RESOLVED, that: Additional costs of £18,895 be approved (fees = £17,895 and staff costs = £1,000) to enable the necessary ground investigations to take place for Option C on Paul’s Walk, to be funded from the approved project budget of £1,123,305.
8. STONECUTTER STREET - OUTCOME REPORT Members noted that the Streets and Walkways Committee had referred this report back for more information on the following:
• The need to carry out a proper 12 month review of the casualty situation and document this fully, with remedial action as necessary. • Queries over the replacement trees in Giltspur Street, maintenance costs and replacement if any of the trees die within their first season.
Members of the Projects Sub Committee therefore agreed to defer the report and noted its likely return in September 2014
DEFERRED
Page 15 9. QUESTIONS ON MATTERS RELATING TO THE WORK OF THE COMMITTEE
There were no questions.
10. ANY OTHER BUSINESS THAT THE CHAIRMAN CONSIDERS URGENT
Further to a recent email from the Town Clerk, Members were asked to note 13 August 2013 at 10.00 am for a possible extra meeting during recess, dependant on the level of delegated decisions during this time. The Town Clerk would be able to give a clearer indication at the next meeting on 4 July 2013.
11. EXCLUSION OF THE PUBLIC RESOLVED, THAT:
That under Section 100(A) of the Local Government Act 1972, the public be excluded from the meeting for the following items on the grounds that they involve the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in Part I of the Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act.
Item Paragraph 12 - 21 3 22 – 23 -
12. NON-PUBLIC MINUTES The non-public minutes of the meeting held on 16 May 2013 were approved.
13. RICHARD CLOUDESLEY SCHOOLS - PROJECT PROPOSAL GATEWAY 2 Members received a report of the Director of Community and Childrens’ Services.
14. EASTCHEAP PUBLIC CONVENIENCES - PROJECT PROPOSAL GATEWAY 2 Members received a report of the Director of the Built Environment.
15. INSTALLATION OF BAGGAGE STORES - OPTIONS APPRAISAL - GATEWAY 3/4 Members received a report of the Director of Community and Children’s Services.
16. 20 FENCHURCH STREET SECURITY OPTIONS APPRAISAL GATEWAY 3-4 Members received an options appraisal report of the Director of the Built Environment.
17. WINCHESTER HOUSE - ISSUE REPORT Members received a report of the Director of the Built Environment.
18. GUILDHALL SCHOOL OF MUSIC AND DRAMA- ANNUAL REPORT
Page 16 This report was deferred as it required prior approval by the Resource Allocation Sub committee.
19. BUILDINGS PROGRAMME Members received a joint report of the City Surveyor and Town Clerk.
20. INFORMATION SYSTEMS, POLICE, OPEN SPACES AND CULTURE HERITAGE AND LIBRARIES PROGRAMMES Members received a joint report of the Town Clerk, City of London Police, Open Spaces and Culture, Heritage and Libraries
21. DECISIONS TAKEN UNDER DELEGATED AUTHORITY/URGENCY Members received a report of the Town Clerk, setting out decisions taken under urgency/delegated authority since the last meeting. Members were also notified of those decisions which would require a delegated authority before the next meeting.
22. QUESTIONS ON MATTERS RELATING TO THE WORK OF THE COMMITTEE There were no questions
23. ANY OTHER BUSINESS THAT THE CHAIRMAN CONSIDERS URGENT AND WHICH THE COMMITTEE AGREE SHOULD BE CONSIDERED WHILST THE PUBLIC ARE EXCLUDED There were no items of urgent business
The meeting ended at 10.50
Chairman
Contact Officer: Julie Mayer tel. no.: 020 7332 1410 julie .mayer @cityoflondon.gov.uk
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Page 18 PROJECTS SUB (POLICY AND RESOURCES) COMMITTEE Thursday, 4 July 2013
Minutes of the meeting of the Projects Sub (Policy and Resources) Committee held at Guildhall on Thursday, 4 July 2013 at 10.00 am
Present
Members: Sir Michael Snyder (Chairman) Mark Boleat (Deputy Chairman) Alderman Sir Michael Bear Deputy Michael Welbank Angela Starling
In attendance: Marianne Fredericks
Officers: Susan Attard - Deputy Town Clerk Peter Lisley - Assistant Town Clerk Rebecca Kearney - Town Clerk’s Julie Mayer - Town Clerk’s Caroline Al-Beyerty - Chamberlain’s Graham Bell - Chamberlain’s Victor Callister - Department of the Built Environment Peter Bennett - City Surveyor Huw Lewis - City Surveyor’s Michael Dick - Barbican Centre Jim Turner - Barbican Centre Eric Nisbett - Director of Corporate Support, City of London Police
1. APOLOGIES Apologies were received from Hugh Morris, Deputy Catherine McGuinness and Roger Chadwick.
2. MEMBERS' DECLARATIONS UNDER THE CODE OF CONDUCT IN RESPECT OF ITEMS ON THE AGENDA By virtue of his position as Chairman of the Board of Governors for the City of London School for Girls; the Chairman advised the Deputy Chairman would take the Chair for agenda item 11 (Girls’ School Gymnasium: Project Proposal – Gateway 2).
3. MINUTES The public minutes and summary of the Projects Sub Committee held on 19 June 2013 were approved as a correct record.
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4. INTERNET PROJECTS - LESSONS LEARNED Members noted that, with the launch of the City of London’s website approaching its first anniversary, the Deputy Town Clerk had carried out a ‘lessons learnt’ exercise to provide insight and review deliverables against objectives. The Deputy Town Clerk advised that the reasons for the issues around delivery had been identified and temporary resources were in place to improve the areas of concern. In response to a question about the search function, Members noted that the facility would be fully functioning by the end of the year. Members were also re-assured that the forthcoming IT reorganisation would retain and enhance the skills in the IS team.
In concluding, the Chairman and Members welcomed the frank tone of the report. The Sub-Committee emphasised the importance of institutionalising the lessons learned from all projects so future projects benefit from past experience. The Assistant Town Clerk agreed to prepare a report for the Sub- Committee setting out how this would be achieved.
RESOLVED, that:
The project be closed, the lessons learnt be noted and a report be prepared on the institutionalisation of lessons learnt from capital projects.
5. INTERNAL AUDIT CORPORATE REVIEW: GOVERNANCE AND VALUE FOR MONEY IN THE APPLICATION OF PROJECT PRIORITIES The Head of Internal Audit and Risk Management provided a verbal update on the outcome of an Audit Review, which had been reported to the Audit and Risk Management Committee. Members noted that the review had been undertaken on behalf of the officer-level Corporate Projects Board, at the request of the Financial Services Director and Assistant Town Clerk. The review had tested the accuracy of the categories attributed to projects and whether they were compliant with the criteria previously agreed by Members.
Members noted that three amber recommendations had been made; to further refine the use of software in respect of data entry and verification controls and to improve the quality of financial assessments. Three green recommendations had been made to clearly define the criteria to which project categories were being applied; to train staff in their application and to improve the use of existing reporting templates. Members noted that all the recommendations had been agreed and would be implemented by the end of September.
In response to a question about protecting (locking down) certain fields in the City’s corporate project management system ‘Project Vision’, the Assistant Town Clerk advised that there might be some risk to the system, if this were not done as part of a major upgrade. For now, a manual override had been put in place. The Assistant Town Clerk informed Members that a major upgrade to the Project Vision system would be implemented soon to address a number of ‘glitches’. Whilst some concern was justified, there had been no risk to the
Page 20 integrity of the system and the glitches had been irritating rather than damaging.
The Deputy Chairman of the Audit and Risk Management Committee was in attendance and commended the work of the Head of Internal Audit. Members were also pleased to note that the independence and impartiality of this role had recently been endorsed by the Public Sector Internal Audit Standards Guidelines. The Chairman and Members were keen to see the matter addressed as part of the project management culture change.
RECEIVED
6. FISHMONGERS WHARF - PROJECT PROPOSAL - GATEWAY 2 Members received a report of the Director of the Built Environment and noted that the relatively high fees had been due to the level of expertise and Consultation required.
RESOLVED, that:
The project progress to Gateway 3-4 via the streamlined track.
7. QUESTIONS ON MATTERS RELATING TO THE WORK OF THE COMMITTEE There were no questions
8. ANY OTHER BUSINESS THAT THE CHAIRMAN CONSIDERS URGENT There were no items of urgent business
9. EXCLUSION OF THE PUBLIC RESOLVED, that:
Under Section 100(A) of the Local Government Act 1972, the public be excluded from the meeting for the following items on the grounds that they involve the likely disclosure of exempt information, as defined in Part 1 of Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act.
Item Paragraph 10 - 23 3 24 – 25 -
10. NON-PUBLIC MINUTES
RESOLVED, that:
The non-public minutes of the Projects Sub Committee held on 19 June 2013 be approved as a correct record
Matters arising
Page 21 The City Surveyor would report to the next meeting of the Sub Committee on procurement methodology.
11. GIRLS' SCHOOL GYMNASIUM - PROJECT PROPOSAL - GATEWAY 2 Members received a joint report of the Headmistress of the City of London School for Girls and the City Surveyor.
12. BARBICAN FIRE ALARM REPLACEMENT - PROJECT PROPOSAL - GATEWAY 2 Members received a report of the Barbican Centre.
13. 53 NEW BROAD STREET, EC2, POTENTIAL REFURBISHMENT/ LEASE SALE - PROJECT PROPOSAL -GATEWAY 2 Members received a report of the City Surveyor.
14. 4 / 14 TABERNACLE STREET, LONDON, EC2 - POTENTIAL REFURBISHMENT / REDEVELOPMENT - PROJECT PROPOSAL - GATEWAY 2 Members received a report of the City Surveyor.
15. BARBICAN THEATRE - REPLACEMENT OF THEATRE LIGHTING/TANNOY/AUDIO AND VISUAL COMMUNICATIONS SYSTEM - AUTHORITY TO START WORK - GATEWAY 5 Members received a report of the Barbican Centre.
16. BARBICAN GARDEN ROOM - ISSUE REPORT Members received a report of the Barbican Centre.
17. BEECH GARDENS (BARBICAN PODIUM WATERPROOFING) - ISSUE REPORT Members received a report of the Director of Community and Children’s Services.
18. POLICE ACCOMMODATION STRATEGY - PROGRESS UPDATE Members received a report of the Chamberlain.
19. TOWER BRIDGE LIGHTING - OUTCOME REPORT - GATEWAY 7 Members received a report of the City Surveyor
20. ANIMAL BY-PRODUCT FACILITY FOR SMITHFIELD MARKET - OUTCOME REPORT - GATEWAY 7 Members received a report of the City Surveyor
21. HIGHWAYS AND PUBLIC REALM PROGRAMME: AMBER AND RED PROJECTS Members received a joint report of the Town Clerk and the Director of the Built Environment.
22. BARBICAN CAMPUS PROGRAMME Members received a joint report of the Town Clerk and the Barbican Campus
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23. REPORTS EXPECTED UNDER DELEGATED AUTHORITY DURING RECESS Members noted a number of projects that would be reaching key decision points between now and the end of recess.
24. QUESTIONS ON MATTERS RELATING TO THE WORK OF THE COMMITTEE
There were no questions.
25. ANY OTHER BUSINESS THAT THE CHAIRMAN CONSIDERS URGENT AND WHICH THE COMMITTEE AGREE SHOULD BE CONSIDERED WHILST THE PUBLIC ARE EXCLUDED
There were no items.
The meeting ended at 11.10
Chairman
Contact Officer: Julie Mayer 020 7 332 1430 [email protected]
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Page 24 Agenda Item 5
Committee: Policy and Resources Date: 25 July 2013
Subject: Public Revenue Outturn – 2012/13 Report of: For Information Town Clerk, Chamberlain and Remembrancer
Summary
This report compares the revenue outturn for the services overseen by your Committee in 2012/13 with the final agreed budget for the year. Overall, total net expenditure during the year was £16.0m, whereas the total final agreed budget was £17.3m representing a better than budget position of £1.3m. This outturn comprised underspends of £0.2m on local risk resources and £1.1m on central risk/support services items. In the table figures in brackets indicate income or in hand balances, increases in income or decreases in expenditure. Table 1 Policy and Resources Committee - Revenue Outturn 2012/13
Final Agreed Revenue Variations Budget Outturn Worse/(Better) £000 £000 £000 By Division of Service Security and Contingency Planning 880 820 (60) Public Relations 2,672 2,645 (27) Economic Development 4,665 4,606 (59) Grants and Contingencies 3,356 2,604 (752) Ceremonial 5,696 5,283 (413) Division of Service Totals 17,269 15,958 (1,311)
The Remembrancer is proposing to carry forward £19,000 of his local risk underspend. The Town Clerk proposes to carry forward £116,000 of his local risk and £81,000 of his central risk underspends. These proposals will be considered by the Chamberlain in consultation with the Chairman and Deputy Chairman of the Resource Allocation Sub Committee and, if agreed, will be added to budgets for 2013/14. The underspend on central risk/support services items included the unallocated balances within the Policy Initiatives Fund and your Committee’s contingencies of £256,000 and £370,000 respectively. Approval has been given to carry forward these balances.
Page 25 Recommendations It is recommended that this revenue outturn report for 2012/13 and the budgets proposed to be carried forward to 2013/14 are noted.
Main Report
Revenue Outturn for 2012/13
1. The 2012/13 actual net expenditure for the services being reported to your Committee totalled £16.0m, a decrease of £1.3m compared to the budget of £17.3m. This comprised underspends of £0.2m, £0.8m and £0.3m on local risk, central risk and support services budgets respectively. A comparison with the final agreed budget for the year is set out in Table 2. Figures in brackets indicate income or in hand balances, increases in income or decreases in expenditure.
Table 2 Comparison of 2012/13 Revenue Outturn with Final Agreed Budget
Final Agreed Revenue Variations Budget Outturn Worse/(Better) £000 £000 £000 By Chief Officer
Local Risk The Town Clerk 7,452 7,316 (136) The Remembrancer 979 937 (42) The City Surveyor – Additional Works Programme 422 381 (41) Total Local Risk 8,853 8,634 (219) Central Risk The Town Clerk 2,957 2,161 (796) The Remembrancer 779 765 (14) Total Central Risk 3,736 2,926 (810) Support Services & Capital Charges 4,680 4,398 (282) Committee Totals 17,269 15,958 (1,311)
By Division of Service
Security and Contingency Planning 880 820 (60) Public Relations 2,672 2,645 (27) Economic Development 4,665 4,606 (59) Grants and Contingencies 3,356 2,604 (752) Ceremonial 5,696 5,283 (413) Division of Service Totals 17,269 15,958 (1,311)
Page 26 2. The most significant variations were:
3. Reduced net expenditure on Grants and Contingencies £752,000 (Town Clerk’s central risk) primarily due to:-
• unspent central risk provisions of £256,000 and £370,000 within the Policy Initiatives Fund and the Committee’s Contingencies respectively; and • lower than anticipated expenditure on Improvement and Efficiency Initiatives of £81,000 (which is proposed to be carried forward).
4. Reduced net expenditure on Ceremonial (Remembrancer) of £413,000 largely in respect of:-
• a reduced charge of £253,000 for accommodation to reflect the lower outturn costs of the Guildhall Complex; • reduced expenditure on Additional Works Programme projects totalling £41,000 which will be rolled over into 2013/14; and • lower expenditure on catering of £37,000, (0.5% of the overall hospitality budget) as a result of fewer smaller scale ad hoc events during the period of the Jubilee and Olympics.
Local Risk Carry Forwards to 2013/14 5. Chief Officers can request underspendings of up to 10% or £500,000 (£1m for the City Surveyor), whichever is the lesser, of the final agreed local risk budget to be carried forward, so long as the underspendings are not clearly fortuitous and the resources are required for a planned purpose. Such requests are considered by the Chamberlain in consultation with the Chairman and Deputy Chairman of the Resource Allocation Sub Committee.
6. Overspendings are carried forward and recovered through reductions in 2013/14 budgets.
7. The Remembrancer is proposing to carry forward £19,000 of his local risk underspend and the Town Clerk proposes to carry forward £116,000 of his local risk and £81,000 of his central risk underspends.
8. If agreed, these proposals will be added to the Remembrancer’s and the Town Clerk’s budgets for 2013/14.
Page 27 Policy Initiatives Fund, Committee Contingencies and Other Contingencies 9. At your meeting on 2 May 2013 your Committee agreed to carry forward the balances remaining in the Policy Initiatives Fund and Committee contingencies in recognition of the on-going importance of having funding available for projects supporting the City Corporation’s overall aims and policy objectives. The balances remaining were £256,000 and £370,000 respectively. The unspent balance of £50,000 from the contingency set aside for security issues is to be retained centrally.
Contact Officers:
Chamberlain’s Department – Ray Green [email protected]
Town Clerk’s Department – Paul Debuse [email protected]
Page 28 Agenda Item 6
Committees : Dates : Policy and Resources 25 July 2013 Establishment Committee 25 July 2013
Subject: Business Plan Progress Report (1st April to 30th June 2013) Town Clerk’s Office (Policy and Democratic Services)
Report of: Publi c Town Clerk
Executive Summary
• This report provides an activity update as at 30 June 2013 on progress towards achieving the objectives set out in the Town Clerk’s Business Plan. • Objectives due for delivery within this reporting period such as the induction of the new Members and the working arrangements with the new Deputy Chairmen of the Policy and Resources Committee have been implemented and are working well. • Major pieces of work scheduled for the rest of the year such as the Service Based Reviews and the review of support for Members are proceeding according to plan. • Performance within the division is at or above the performance level standards set within the Business Plan. • A financial monitoring statement that covers the period 1 April 2013 to 30 June 2013 can be found at paragraph 13. It is expected that the Division will remain within its local risk resources in this financial year. • The Town Clerk’s Office summary risk tracker is included at Annex A Recommendation That Members note the content of this report.
Main Report Introduction 1. The Town Clerk’s Office lies at the centre of the City Corporation’s strategic management processes, helping to shape the development of corporate policy and strategy. It provides corporate leadership and co-ordination at officer level. The Town Clerk’s Office is also responsible for promoting high standards of corporate governance and providing support to Members and Committees. The section consists of Committee and Member Services, Corporate Policy and Performance, Corporate HR, Resilience and Community Safety, and a Business Support Unit. Key Developments 2. Satisfactory progress has been made towards achieving the actions detailed in the plan. Some of the highlights are listed below.
Page 29 3. The London Agenda – This concerns the work that the City Corporation does for the benefit of London as a whole and whether that offer can be improved. A presentation was made at the Resource Allocation Sub Committee away day on June 21 st . The general approach outlined to join-up our activities and communicate a consistent story was endorsed. More detailed work will follow over the coming months. 4. Service Based Reviews – At the Resource Allocation Sub Committee away day, Members considered and endorsed the proposed approach to the planned Service Based Reviews. A detailed report will be submitted to the Policy and Resources Committee on 25 th July for approval. 5. Induction of new Members – Following the 2013 Ward Elections, the process of inducting the newly elected Members has been planned to involve 2 phases. The first phase has been completed successfully and feedback from the new Members will help shape future induction sessions following Elections. The second phase is aimed at all Members and consists of a briefing programme, to be delivered over 3 weeks in July. 6. Working with the new Deputy Chairmen – The new arrangement involving the Deputy Chairmanship of Policy and Resources has been implemented and the support arrangements are in place and are working well. 7. Improving support for Committees and Members – The retirement this summer of a senior member of the Town Clerk’s Office management team has presented the opportunity to strengthen the Member support team as well as make some savings. The aim is to add capacity to the team to improve the standard of service offered, but minimise the changes of personnel, providing continuity of support to Members. 8. Member Development – Building on the experience gained from the Member induction process, and the feedback that will be provided from the all Member briefing sessions, a review of the Member development programme will be undertaken with the intention of engaging and enhancing the Membership. This programme review should ensure that all Members are provided with the necessary information, support and advice to operate effectively as locally elected Councilmen and Aldermen. 9. Business Risk Management – The assessment of business risk is integrated into the business planning process and a detailed risk tracker is maintained to ensure that all identified risks and mitigating actions are taken. Our summary risk tracker can be found at Annex A. Two of the listed risks have changed rating since the last review. The Election risk has been down-graded as a result of the successful completion of the 2013 Ward Elections; the Workforce Issue risk is being mitigated by the review of Committee Support planned for this quarter. 10. Performance Monitoring – The Town Clerk’s Office has performed at or above the various performance level standards that were identified within the Business Plan.
Page 30 Resource Issues 13. A summary of Policy and Democratic Services’ budgetary position, for the quarter ended 30 th June, is provided below. It is expected that the division will remain within its local risk resources in this financial year.
Town Clerk’s Office – (Policy and Democratic Services) Local risk budgetary statement for the quarter ended 30th June 2013
Section Original Budget for Actual Variance Notes 2013/14 Year to Date YTD Ad/(Fav) £000 £000 £000 £000
Town Clerk’s Office 6,506 1,643 1,598 (45) (Committee & Corporate HR)
Security and 593 148 135 (13) Contingency Planning
Total 7,099 1,791 1,733 (58)
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Page 32 Town Clerk's Office Summary Risk Tracker Annex A
Risk Gross Risk Risk Owner / Net Risk Control Risk Existing Controls Planned Action No. Lead Officer Risk Status & Evaluation Likelihood Impact Likelihood Impact Direction City Corporation fails to work effectively with related parties City Police proactively managing to respond appropriately the risk of terrorism. Disaster following a terrorist attack to recovery/contingency plan in SR1 4 5 Town Clerk 1 5 A ↔ Maintain existing controls G restore service delivery, assist place, includes responsibilities business recovery and support under the Civil Contingencies the community. Act.
Projects Sub-Committee Commissioning and delivery of Development of providing scrutiny over project large scale, high profile or requirements for Post risk. Project Management prestigious projects proves to Project Appraisal, SR6 3 4 Town Clerk Toolkit in place and includes 2 3 A ↔ G be inadequate, resulting in learning lessons from reference to risk management reputational, organisational experience. Risk model in accordance with City and financial problems. Management Training Policy.
Page 33 Major failure of health and Officer Health and Safety Members to receive safety procedures resulting in a Health and Safety Committee in operation, Health and Safety training fatality in an accident on City of Committee / SR9 4 4 monitoring key H&S issues and 1 4 A ↔ beginning in June. Health A London Corporation premises Relevant Chief having oversight of the Health and Safety audits to or to a member of the City of Officer and Safety Top X risks. commence in October. London workforce.
City Corporation fails to manage effectively negative Monitor and review in impacts arising from Public Major Incident Plan and Disaster SR13 4 4 Town Clerk 1 4 A ↔ light of lessons learned G Order and Protest, leading to a Recovery Plan from recent issues loss of confidence in the organisation. Central monitoring & issuing of Compliance audits to be guidance including DP undertaken by the Town A breach of the Data awareness .Annual awareness Clerk's Information Protection Act due to poor SR16 5 5 Deputy Town Clerk emails and other awareness 3 3 A ↔ Officers.E-learning A compliance or mishandling of raising tools. Some monitoring training course to be kept personal information of data processor contracts to up to date and reviewed ensure DPA compliance. at regular intervals. Town Clerk's Office Summary Risk Tracker Annex A
Risk Gross Risk Risk Owner / Net Risk Control Risk Existing Controls Planned Action No. Lead Officer Risk Status & Evaluation Likelihood Impact Likelihood Impact Direction Review plans in the light External Events leading to a Various contingency plans are in of experience from the serious disruption to service place. Staffing levels and more TC03 3 2 Town Clerk 3 1 A ↔ Olympics and the G delivery e.g. transport strikes, flexible working practices trialled introduction of more severe weather, flu pandemic during the Olympics flexible working practices Full review of the Elections process Town Thorough test of existing The arrangements for an planned, informed by the TC04 2 3 Clerk/Assistant systems undertaken during 2013 1 3 G ↓ G Election fail. successful 2013 Ward Town Clerk Ward Elections. Elections (Business Plan action 2.02) Some issues with staff Structures regularly reviewed to turnover have been Workforce issues cause ensure optimum staffing levels identified. A review of TC05 service levels to drop to an 3 3 Town Clerk 2 3 A ↑ G and the right skills are contained this trend is planned unacceptable standard (Business Plan actions
Page 34 within the workforce. 2.05 and 3.04) Agenda Item 7
th Committee: Policy and Resources Date: 25 July 2013
Subject: Public Local Audit and Accountability Bill Report of: For Information Remembrancer
Summary
This report informs the Committee of a provision of the Local Audit and Accountability Bill which would enable the Secretary of State to direct local authorities to comply with the Code of Recommended Practice on Local Authority Publicity. Recommendation
The Committee is invited to note the contents of this report.
Report
Background
1. The Local Audit and Accountability Bill was introduced in Parliament following the Queen’s Speech in May. Its main purpose is to put in place a new legal framework for local government audits (changes which will be reported separately to the relevant committee). This report concerns a further provision of the Bill which would strengthen the legal status of the Code of Recommended Practice on Local Authority Publicity.
2. The Code is issued under section 4 of the Local Government Act 1986, which enables the Secretary of State to issue codes of recommended practice as regards the content, style, distribution and cost of local authority publicity, and related matters. Local authorities are obliged to have regard to the Code, but cannot currently be required to comply with it. The present version of the Code came into force in March 2011. The legislative changes
3. The Bill would enable the Secretary of State to direct local authorities in England (whether individually or generally) to comply with all or part of the Code. He would be able to specify the particular steps which must be taken
Page 35
to comply with the Code and the time in which they must be taken. Affected authorities would be notified in advance and given 14 days in which to make representations before a final decision to give a direction could be made. A direction could be given whether or not there had been any failure to comply with the Code.
4. The principal motivation for the proposal is the supply of free news-sheets by certain councils in departure from the Code’s recommendations about the frequency, content and appearance of such publications. The Government regards this as providing unfair competition to local newspapers, and in some cases inappropriately promoting political views from public funds. The proposal has attracted criticism in the House of Lords as running counter to ‘localist’ principles, and will be resisted by the Opposition and the Local Government Association. If successfully passed into law, the power of direction is likely to come into force later this year or early in the next. Application to the City Corporation
5. The Code applies to the Common Council in its capacity as a local authority, police authority or port health authority (that is, where public funds are deployed). The current policy of the City Corporation is none the less to abide by the Code in all areas of its activity. The regular publications which are presently issued to voters by the City Corporation are designed to comply with the Code. Accordingly, the changes proposed should not affect the Corporation operationally. Consultation
6. The Director of Public Relations has been consulted in the preparation of this report. Recommendation
7. The Committee is invited to note the contents of this report. Background Papers
• Report of the Director of Public Relations to the Policy and Resources Committee, 21 st October 2010. • D.C.L.G., ‘Protecting the independent press from unfair competition’: Consultation, April 2013; Government response, May 2013.
Contact Sam Cook, 020 7332 3045, [email protected]. Page 36 Agenda Item 8
th Committee: Policy & Resources Date: 25 July, 2013
Subject: Public Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Bill Report of: For Information Remembrancer
Summary
This report informs the Committee of the relevant provisions of the Anti- social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Bill currently before Parliament. The Bill is reported to the Committee on account of its effects on local authority functions relating to crime and disorder. The Bill will replace the various measures currently available to tackle anti- social behaviour with a new set of powers, intended to provide a simpler and more streamlined framework. It will introduce new mechanisms with the aim of giving victims and local communities a greater say in the treatment of anti- social behaviour and low-level crime, and it will strengthen the ability of landlords to terminate tenancies on grounds relating to anti-social behaviour.
Further measures on policing and criminal justice in the Bill have been reported separately to the Police Committee. Recommendation
The Committee is invited to note the contents of this report.
Report
1. The Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Bill was introduced in Parliament following the Queen’s Speech in May. Its main purpose is to reform the powers available to local authorities, the police and other bodies to tackle anti-social behaviour. Some 19 separate remedies—including the controversial ‘ASBO’—are to be replaced with a simpler framework comprising six broad powers. The general direction of the Bill is not expected to meet with significant parliamentary controversy, although the Opposition have criticised some of the reforms as ‘watering down’ the fight against anti-social behaviour.
Page 37
2. The Bill also provides the vehicle for a number of relatively minor reforms in the fields of policing and criminal justice, which have been reported separately to the Police Committee and are not referred to further here. Anti-social behaviour
3. The Bill will introduce six new powers to control anti-social behaviour, as set out below:
• Injunctions to prevent nuisance and annoyance. An injunction may be granted where a court is satisfied to the civil standard of proof that a person has engaged in (or is threatening to engage in) behaviour capable of causing nuisance or annoyance to another person. The injunction may include prohibitions or positive requirements for the purpose of preventing or reducing the likelihood of such behaviour. Injunctions may be accompanied with a power of arrest without warrant, and breach of an injunction will be punishable as a contempt of court. Local authorities, police forces, private providers of social housing and certain other public bodies will all be able to apply for injunctions. An injunction must specify a person or body responsible for supervising compliance, and that person or body must be consulted about the appropriateness of the measures in the injunction.
• Criminal behaviour orders. An order may be granted on the application of the prosecution when a person is convicted of a criminal offence, if it is proved beyond reasonable doubt that the person has engaged in behaviour which caused or was likely to cause harassment, alarm or distress to someone outside his household. Orders may include prohibitions or positive requirements for the purpose of preventing or reducing the likelihood of such behaviour. Breach of an order will be an imprisonable offence. An order must specify a person or body responsible for supervising compliance, and that person or body must be consulted about the appropriateness of the measures in the order.
• Dispersal powers. A police officer of the rank of inspector or above will be able to authorise the use of dispersal powers in a specified locality for up to 48 hours, for the purpose of preventing harassment, alarm or distress to the public, or preventing crime or disorder. Where dispersal powers are in force, a uniformed constable (or a community support officer designated by the chief officer of police) will be able to direct persons to leave the specified area (so long as they do not live or work there) if necessary to prevent the relevant outcome. Failure to comply with a direction will be an imprisonable offence.
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• Community protection notices. A local authority or constable will be able to issue a notice to a person whose unreasonable behaviour (or unreasonable behaviour on whose premises) is having a persistent and continuing detrimental effect on the quality of life of those in the locality. The notice may impose such requirements as are reasonable to prevent or reduce the detriment. An order will only be made after written warning is given, and will be subject to a right of appeal to the magistrates’ court. Failure to comply with a notice will be an offence punishable with a fine or by a fixed penalty notice. Local authorities will be given certain powers to carry out remedial work to mitigate failures to comply with notices.
• Public spaces protection orders. A local authority will be able to make an order if activities are (or are likely to be) carried on in a public place in its area which are unreasonable, are persistent or continuing, and have a detrimental effect of the quality of life of those in the locality. An order will be able to include prohibitions or requirements for the purpose of preventing or reducing the detriment. The police and community representatives will have to be consulted before an order is made. Orders may last for up to three years at a time. Breach of an order will be punishable by a fine or fixed penalty notice. Orders will replace any byelaws covering the same subject-matter for the period during which they are in force.
• Closure of premises associated with nuisance or disorder. A local authority or police officer of the rank of inspector or above will be able to issue a closure notice if necessary to prevent nuisance or disorder arising from the use of premises. Closure notices will be able to restrict access to the premises (other than by persons who live in or own the premises) for a period of up to two days, and must (unless first cancelled) be followed by an application to the magistrates’ court for a closure order. A closure order will be able to prohibit access to the premises (other than by persons who live in or own the premises) for a period of up to three months. The relevant local authority or police force will be able to secure the premises against entry, and breach of a closure notice or order will be an imprisonable offence.
4. The new powers will replace an array of existing powers, including anti- social behaviour orders and injunctions, drinking banning orders, individual support orders, litter clearing notices, defacement removal notices, ‘section 30’ dispersal orders, premises closure orders, gating orders and dog control orders.
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5. The Bill will introduce two new mechanisms to give local communities a greater say in the treatment of anti-social behaviour and low-level crime. Each local policing body ( i.e. police and crime commissioners, the Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime, and the Common Council) will have to prepare a ‘community remedy document’ setting out actions which it might be appropriate to require those guilty of anti-social behaviour or low-level crime to perform as an alternative to court proceedings or a caution, or as conditions to a caution. Examples might include repairing damage or paying compensation. Where a police officer or prosecutor decides on an out-of- court disposal, the victim or victims must be consulted about whether the offender should be required to carry out any of the actions in the community remedy document, and the offender must be invited to comply with any appropriate suggestion rather than face the possibility of formal proceedings.
6. The other community mechanism in the Bill is the so-called ‘community trigger’. This will require local councils, police forces, clinical commissioning groups and certain social housing providers to make arrangements for reviewing the response to anti-social behaviour where a certain number of complaints about the behaviour have been received and where an application for a review has been made. The Bill sets the number of complaints needed to engage the ‘trigger’ at three, but the arrangements will be able to specify a higher number.
7. The Bill will also provide new grounds for possession in relation to secure tenancies (the form of tenancy usually granted by local authority or social landlords). Conviction of certain serious criminal offences or infringement of certain controls on anti-social behaviour (including the injunctions, criminal behaviour orders and closure powers introduced by the Bill) will become a mandatory ground for possession available to landlords. Two new discretionary grounds of possession will also be created, namely conduct causing nuisance to landlords and conviction of an offence connected with rioting. Similar provision will be made in relation to assured tenancies in the private sector. Application to the City Corporation
8. In its capacity as the local authority for the City, the Common Council will be able to apply for injunctions to prevent nuisance and annoyance, and to exercise the new powers for community protection, public spaces protection and (subject to the control of the magistrates’ court) the closure of premises associated with nuisance or disorder. It will have to participate in arrangements for reviewing the response to anti-social behaviour where the ‘community trigger’ is engaged.
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9. In its capacity as the police authority for the City, the Common Council will be required to prepare a community remedy document setting out actions which it might be appropriate to require those guilty of anti-social behaviour or low-level crime to perform as an alternative to court proceedings or a caution, or as conditions to a caution.
10. In its capacity as a provider of social housing, the Common Council will be able to make use of the new powers to evict tenants who are guilty of crime or anti-social behaviour. Discussions are taking place with officials about the extent to which the Corporation will be permitted to make use of the new injunctions to prevent nuisance or annoyance in respect of its social housing outside the City.
11. The City Corporation is currently entitled to make dog control orders in respect of its open spaces. These orders will be among those abolished by the Bill. Discussions are taking place with officials about the extent to which the Corporation could be permitted to make use of the new powers for the protection of public spaces in respect of its open spaces outside the City.
12. Certain powers and duties will also extend on an operational level to the City Police. These have been detailed in the separate report to the Police Committee. Consultation
13. The Commissioner of Police has been consulted on this report and has commented as follows:
“The City of London Police and the City of London Corporation are already working together to assess the impact that the new legislation is likely to have on the City of London. The multi-agency Anti-social Behaviour (ASB) Strategic Group and Tactical Group are monitoring the progress of the Bill and are engaged in preparing for the new legislation once enacted. ”
14. The Town Clerk, the Director of Children’s and Community Services and the Director of Open Spaces have also been consulted in the preparation of this report. Recommendation
15. The Committee is invited to note the contents of this report.
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Background Papers
• Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Bill: Explanatory Notes, published by The Stationery Office by the authority of the House of Commons. • Home Office, ‘Putting victims first: More effective responses to anti- social behaviour’, White Paper, May 2012. • Home Office, ‘Community Remedy: Consultation Response’, April 2013.
Contact Sam Cook, 020 7332 3045, [email protected].
Page 42 Agenda Item 9
Committee(s): Date(s): Planning and Transportation 16 July 2013 Policy and Resources 25 July 2013 Court of Common Council 12 September 2013 Subject: Public Adoption of Liverpool Street Area Enhancement Strategy
Report of: For Decision Director of the Built Environment
The City has adopted several Area Enhancement Strategies as mechanisms for delivering public realm improvements in areas of significant change within the City including the Riverside, Cheapside, Eastern City Cluster, Aldgate & Tower and Fenchurch and Monument and most recently the Bank area. The plan showing all the strategy areas covering the whole City is in Appendix A. This report seeks approval for the adoption of the Liverpool Street Area Enhancement Strategy and informs Members of the results of public consultation and the subsequent revisions to the Strategy.
The Liverpool Street Area Enhancement Strategy has been developed to provide prioritised enhancement proposals for public realm and road danger reduction in the area shown in the plan in Appendix B. New Crossrail station entrances in Liverpool Street and Moorgate and new developments in the nearby City Eastern Cluster will lead to increased numbers of pedestrians using the streets. The Strategy will provide an improved, accessible, functional and safe environment that would support the increased pedestrian footfall. It identifies current issues and future demands, and sets out a framework for addressing these within the context of existing policies and guidance.
A public consultation on the Strategy was undertaken from September to December 2012 and 109 responses were received. Responses were generally positive particularly in terms of improving the public realm and providing more space for pedestrians. Concerns were raised regarding street clutter and a lack of signage and way finding. Following the analysis of the consultation responses, two areas of the Strategy have been amended and revisions relate to:
• The strategy is proposing the creation of a pedestrian civic space in Liverpool Street, The importance of providing vehicle access for deliveries has been recognised and the strategy has been revised to include a drop off point at the eastern end of the street; • In Bishopsgate, the importance of improving safety for pedestrians, cyclists and other road users, and the need to provide more public facilities and a cleaner environment in the area.
A delivery plan for the Strategy has been created and proposals have been grouped into high and medium priorities. It is proposed that projects will be delivered according to priority level and it is anticipated that funding for these will be from
Page 43 external sources such as Section 106, Section 278 and Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) contributions from existing and future developments. Funding will also be sought from Transport for London and Crossrail.
The Middlesex Street Area project has been identified in the Strategy as one of the high priority key opportunity areas. The project is funded from the 201 Bishopsgate Section 106 and has already been initiated because of a need for its funding to be committed by January 2013 as specified in the Section 106 Agreement. A specific public consultation has been carried out in the local area, and 231 responses were received. These responses have been analysed and this has resulted in two further areas of the Liverpool Street Area Enhancement Strategy being amended and these relate to:
• For the Middlesex Street Area proposal, the importance of improving the pedestrian environment throughout the whole length of Middlesex Street. The area boundary has therefore been extended to include the whole length of Middlesex Street up to St Botolph Street and include Rose Alley;
• The importance of including Artizan Street in the Strategy because of the changes in the area linked to the Artizan Street Library & Community Centre that recently opened and the new project for the removal of the redundant parking ramps located in the Middlesex Street Estate.
All 340 submissions for both the Liverpool Street Area Enhancement Strategy and the Middlesex Street Area have been collated and are available in the Member’s Reading Room or electronically upon request.
If the Strategy is approved, delivery of some of the high priority schemes will be initiated through the project gateway process.
It is recommended that: (i) The Liverpool Street Area Enhancement Strategy is adopted.
Main Report
Background
Context 1. The City faces the challenge of co-ordinating sustainable long-term economic and working population growth, whilst protecting and improving the environment and quality of life for the City’s community. The City’s Core Strategy plans for employment growth of 96,000 jobs between 2006 and 2026, with much of this focused on the eastern half of the City. 2. The Liverpool Street area is located in the north east of the City on the border with the London Boroughs of Islington, Hackney and Tower Hamlets (see plan in Appendix B).
Page 44 3. The area is one of the City's busiest and most dynamic areas, with significant recent developments at 201 Bishopsgate, Heron Tower and 5 Broadgate, and adjacent to the growing City cluster of tall buildings. It is also a major transport hub with underground, overground and bus services, as well as airport coaches and taxis ranks. It is especially busy around Liverpool Street station, which is a key London transport interchange. The number of pedestrians in this area is set to significantly increase due to new Crossrail station entrances at both Moorgate and Liverpool Street stations. This is anticipated to bring an additional 15,000 commuters on street at peak times, and will increase pedestrian movements, demand for transport and interchange, as well as for pleasant, functional and safe spaces and streets. 4. Unusually for the City, the area is also busy during the weekend and has become the gateway to destinations such as the markets and the shopping areas of Spitalfield Market, Brick Lane, Petticoat Lane Market, and the bars and restaurants of Shoreditch and Hoxton. It should be noted that in the area adjacent to the station there are more pedestrian movements on a Sunday than there are during the working week. 5. The Liverpool Street Area Enhancement Strategy aims to address both the existing conflicts and problems whilst also addressing the demands associated with future growth in the area. In line with the Core Strategy, the City needs to plan for future growth to ensure that it functions successfully, provides a suitable environment and maintains the City’s status as the world’s leading international financial and business centre. 6. The Liverpool Street Area Enhancement Strategy sets out the City’s vision for transportation and public realm improvements in the Liverpool Street area over the next 5-10 years. It provides a framework, ensuring that proposals are coordinated and prioritised to make the best use of available funds. This allows the City to plan for future growth, in accordance with the City’s Core Strategy Policies. 7. The Strategy area is very busy and faces many challenges and pressures which will become further exacerbated as the area develops and becomes busier. Liverpool Street is therefore a key area to ensure that measures proposed help to implement the road danger reduction plan for the City. This relates particularly to pedestrian movement through the area and the safety of cyclist on both the main transport route and their quieter alternatives. 8. The pressure for change in the Liverpool Street area is identified in the City Core Strategy and more specifically in the North of the City policy area which is a key City Place. This identifies the particular challenges over the next 20 years and these challenges relate to :
• This is one of the most densely developed areas of the City and the streets are busy and crowded, particularly at peak times and during the weekend; • The existing footways are narrow and crowded making it difficult to navigate. This is a concern for all users and especially for people with mobility restrictions;
Page 45 • The planned increase in the number of pedestrians in the area will add to the existing pressure and will amplify existing issues if they are not addressed; • Taxis in Liverpool Street with the rank frequently over-subscribed have a detrimental impact on a local air quality as well as congestion on Bishopsgate which leads to further road safety issues particularly for cyclists and pedestrians; • Airport coaches create congestion on Bishopsgate for pedestrians and road users and do not offer a pleasant and comfortable environment for the customers, especially at night time; • The area is diverse with a mix of uses at night, leading to problems with antisocial behaviour such as urination, and associated cleansing challenges; • There is a shortage of public spaces in the area and very few seating opportunities - although it is recognised that the installation of new seating needs to be balanced by the impact on local residents ; and • Many of the open spaces in the area are privately managed and this creates inconsistency within the public realm.
9. Employment in the City is variously predicted to increase with the Mayors high end of prediction to be 428,000 in 2026 (source : 2010 Round Demographic Projections for the London Plan GLA - February 2011 ), and although this may turn out to be a high prediction, there is no doubt that the City population will increase significantly. Much of this will be realised by the planned new office developments in the Eastern Cluster. In 2018, the Crossrail station is also due to open at Moorgate/Liverpool Street and will effectively add 10% to the capacity of London’s transport thus changing the way people move in the area. There are also planned transport infrastructure improvements including the upgrade of the Northern line platforms.
Strategy Background 10. The evaluation of an Area Enhancement Strategy for the Liverpool Street area was first approved by Members in June 2011 and has been funded through the 201 Bishopsgate Section 106 (S106) contribution. 11. In July 2012, the draft Liverpool Street Area Enhancement Strategy was reported to the Planning & Transportation Committee and approval was given for a public consultation exercise on the Strategy document. Briefing workshops were held for Members and copies of the draft Strategy were supplied to the Member’s Reading Room ahead of that Committee. 12. The Liverpool Street Area Enhancement Strategy develops further the objectives contained within the London Plan, the Mayor of London’s Transport Strategy, the City’s Corporate Plan, Core Strategy and the emerging Local Plan, the Road Danger Reduction Plan and the Department of the Built Environment’s Departmental Business Plan. 13. An Equality Impact Assessment (EQIA) has been carried out for the Strategy and it is considered to have positive impacts upon the users of the City’s streets and spaces.
Page 46 14. All projects identified within and arising from the Strategy will be subject to detailed option appraisal and design, targeted consultation and reporting via the relevant Committee processes. 15. The Middlesex Street Area project is a high priority project identified in the draft Liverpool Street Area Enhancement Strategy. In March 2012, Members approved the initiation of the project in advance of the Strategy because of a need to commit the funding by January 2013, as specified in the related S106 Agreement. A public consultation for this specific project was carried out from January to April 2013 and 186 comments were received. These comments are included in the second part of the Strategy consultation results document. Both of these documents are available in the Member’s Reading Room. 16. Members should also note that the Middlesex Street Estate Car Parking Ramps project, located in the Middlesex Street Area, was initiated following the permanent relocation of the Artizan Street Library and Community Centre in the Middlesex Street Estate. The Gateway 3 report (Option appraisal) was approved by Members in May 2013 and the design is being developed.
Public Consultation Exercise 17. The public consultation for the Liverpool Street Area Enhancement Strategy was undertaken from September to December 2012 and a total of 109 written submissions were received. All submissions have been collated and are available in the Member’s Reading Room or electronically upon request. 18. This consultation was carefully targeted to ensure that the views of relevant stakeholder groups were gathered including pedestrians, cyclists, motorists, City of London Members, residents, local occupiers and businesses, workers, local churches, visitors, Network Rail, Crossrail, City of London Police, Transport for London, the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, the London Borough of Islington and the London Borough of Hackney . 19. A variety of consultation methods were utilised to ensure a broad coverage including: • Direct consultations with the main stakeholders, regulatory agencies and the Corporation’s statutory consultees • City of London website – Liverpool Street Area Enhancement Strategy webpage with a link to return comments on the draft Strategy via e-mail • Online survey (SNAP survey) • Stakeholder meetings • Emails to businesses listed in the Strategy area • Mail-out of letters to all residents in the Strategy area • Emails to Ward Members • City AM article (hard copy, Thurs 13th September 2012) • City of London E-shot to external parties (19th September 2012) • City Resident article (hard copy, Issue 27 – Autumn/Winter 2012) • City View article (online, October 2012 edition) • Hard copies of the draft Strategy were provided for information in the Guildhall Library and Guildhall North Wing (Planning reception) • Link on the weekly City Traffic Management Bulletins • On-street information node signs throughout the Strategy area
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20. The City’s Public Relations team also monitored and participated in online blog conversations about the draft Strategy. The general topics mainly revolved around perceived cycling implications of the draft Strategy proposals regarding cycle safety and provision.
Responses to the Public Consultation and changes to the Strategy document
21. Of the 109 responses, 39 were received via email to the Liverpool Street Area email address, 68 responses via the online SNAP survey and 2 written letters. 22. The overall response to the draft Area Enhancement Strategy has been very positive and the proposals have largely been well received by the City community. Many respondents provided meaningful comments that have assisted in prioritising and refining the improvement projects identified within the Strategy. 23. It is noted that only minor revisions were required to the draft Strategy as approved by the Planning & Transportation Committee in July 2012 following the public consultation exercise. Full details between the draft and final Strategy can be found in Appendix D. The pre-consultation workshops undertaken with Members and officers and informal stakeholder liaison throughout the development of the draft Strategy have proven reflective of the wider public opinion. 24. The five Strategy objectives were agreed as being the right ones for the area with 88% of Snap survey responses citing the objectives to “ accommodate future growth, addressing the impacts of new Crossrail station entrances in Liverpool Street and Moorgate” and ” to improve public spaces and provide more greenery and seating ” as the most important. 25. 88% of the SNAP survey comments supported the objective to “improve public spaces and provide more greenery and seating” , and to “ declutter any unnecessary street furniture and signage, particularly surrounding Liverpool Street station”. 26. 81% of the SNAP survey comments supported “improving Moorfields as a better space for pedestrian accessibility and safety” , and 83% agreed that “Moorgate should be improved to provide a calm environment for all road users and to introduce more greenery ”. 27. The amendments to the Strategy are summarised as follows: 28. Liverpool Street • 82% of the SNAP survey comments supported making Liverpool Street a new civic space for pedestrians and 66% supported removing the taxis from Liverpool Street relocating them in the underused taxi rank located within the station. This proposal is also widely supported by City Members. • 87% of the taxi passengers originate from Liverpool Street station (74% by train and 13% by tube). It is therefore proposed that along with the use of the underused rank in the station, smaller (micro) taxi ranks are established within
Page 48 the wider area to accommodate the needs of the 13% of passengers who currently have to make their way to the station and the Strategy has been amended to propose possible locations for these micro ranks.
• As expected, negative comments were received from taxi drivers that are not supportive of the removal of the Liverpool Street taxi rank. However, the Strategy still proposes the removal of the taxi rank which is frequently congested (causing tail backs in Bishopsgate) and it creates a very poor quality environment, particularly its impact on local air quality. As specified in the Strategy, further discussion with Network Rail is planned.
• Concerns were raised by some respondents regarding access for deliveries in the Eastern end of Liverpool Street. The Strategy has been updated to reflect these comments and the proposals for Liverpool Street have been adjusted to include a vehicle access area on the East end of Liverpool Street for deliveries, and a drop off point.
29. Bishopsgate • A number of responses noted concern that Bishopsgate already experiences heavy traffic congestion and there are significant safety concerns for road users and cyclists in the area, and that action must be taken to reduce or manage this. • Comments regarding the removal of the airport coach located in Bishopsgate mentioned the necessity of its location being in a close walking distance of the station. As mentioned in the Strategy, further discussion is proposed with the companies managing the coaches. • These comments are to be passed to Transport for London to be considered as part of their detailed design process for Bishopsgate.
30. Middlesex Street Area • In response to significant levels of feedback from both the public and statutory bodies, the draft Strategy has been revised to increase the Middlesex Street Area to include the whole length of Middlesex Street. • A separate public consultation was carried out for the Middlesex Street Area project and 186 comments have been received supportive of public realm improvements in the area including providing more space for pedestrian and more greenery. People also support traffic improvements especially in Widegate Street and Sandy’s Row. • Comments received supported reinforcing the historical character of the area. These comments have been reflected in the revised Strategy document. • Members commented that Rose Alley needs improvements to discourage anti-social behaviour. This has been reflected in the Strategy. • Comments were also received regarding the importance of including Artizan Street in the Strategy because of the changes in the area linked to the nearby Artizan Street Library and Community Centre that recently opened, and the
Page 49 project for the removal of the Middlesex Street Estate Parking Ramps that has been initiated and approved by Members in May 2013.
31. Cycling • A few responses commented that the draft Strategy did not account adequately for cycling needs and increased footway widths would impact on cycle safety. It is apparent that a common email was circulated amongst some of the cycling community to copy and paste and send in their views. 14 of the 19 email responses appear to be based on this copy and paste response. • The Strategy has been amended to make clear that designs will not be developed that would jeopardise the safety of any particular user group and that any footway widening proposals will need to take account of other road users including cyclists. There is clear evidence that the pedestrian environment needs improving; however this will not be undertaken without consideration for the needs of cyclists or vulnerable road users safety. The traffic demands and the implications for all road users will be carefully reviewed as part of the detailed design of the proposals. A similar approach in the redesign of Cheapside was so far delivered reduced vehicle speed and road danger reduction both of which are of particular benefit to pedestrians and cyclists.
32. Signage and Way finding • Poor signage and way-finding was mentioned as an issue in the area, especially around the Liverpool Street station and Sun Street/Eldon Street. The Strategy already highlights this issue and proposes to improve signage as part of the detailed design of each project.
33. Cleansing and Public toilet facilities • Comments were received regarding the need for more public toilet facilities in the area and the fact that the public toilets located in Bishopsgate are only opened one day a week. The Strategy, based on TfL proposal for Bishopsgate (as the Highway Authority) indicated the removal of the public toilets in Bishopsgate. The Strategy has now been revised to include the public facilities in Bishopsgate to take into account the needs expressed thought the consultation. • A review is currently being carried out by the City Cleansing Team regarding the use and the maintenance of the public facilities in Bishopsgate. The results are due to be reported to the City Port Health and Environmental Services Committee in the autumn of 2013 and will inform the future development of the area. • Future enhancement proposals in the area need also to consider the issues surrounding the clutter and the lack of bins as well as a general need for more frequent cleaning of the area. These comments have been passed to the City Cleansing Team who are currently negotiating with TfL regarding bin installation .
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34. Rose Alley • Concerns regarding rough sleepers and anti-social behaviour in Rose Alley were raised and therefore options to improve or close the alley have been added in the key objectives for the Middlesex Street Area.
Financial Implications 35. The consultant’s fees to develop the area Strategy document and City of London staff costs were both fully funded by the developer of 201 Bishopsgate. Table 1 sets out the Staff costs that have been incurred in the preparation of the Strategy.
Table 1: Liverpool Street Area Enhancement Strategy Evaluation Budget
Approved Budget (£) Expenditure & Commitments to date (£) Fees 20,000 20,000
Staff Costs 36,743 36,711 Evaluation 56,743 56,711 Total
Implementation Framework and Funding Strategy 36. The Liverpool Street Area Enhancement Strategy sets out a Delivery Plan which identifies projects arising from the Strategy, prioritises them and indicates the funding strategy for delivery. These projects are: • High priority: Liverpool Street Area, Bishopsgate, Middlesex Street Area, Middlesex Street Estate Car Parking Ramps, Sun Street/Eldon Street Area; • Medium priority : Moorgate, Moorfields. The full Delivery Plan is shown in Appendix C. Unusually for this strategy area there are currently no identified low priority projects. This relates to the importance given to this area in the Core Strategy. 37. The projects identified in the Delivery Plan are prioritised according to the significance of the issue they address, the results of the public consultation and the objectives of the Strategy that they deliver. The projects are divided into High and Medium priority categories. 38. The implementation of the various measures identified in the Delivery Plan will be subject to approval to traffic orders which will be considered separately following further consultation, including statutory consultation, in respect of those measures. 39. External funding for the Middlesex Street Area project, considered as a high priority project, has already been secured using 201 Bishopsgate S106 funding. The project was initiated in March 2012 and presented in advance of the Strategy because of a need for its funding to be committed by January
Page 51 2013 as specified in the S106 Agreement. The Eldon Street/Sun Street project has also been initiated, as a result of the commencement of the development of 5 Broadgate triggering the payment of S106 and S278 funding to implement the scheme.
Corporate & Strategic Implications
Corporate Plan
40. The Strategy will support the delivery of the Strategic Aim : ‘To support and promote the City as the world leader in international finance and business services’ by ensuring that the area is fit for purpose in terms of function and environment and is able to accommodate future growth. 41. The Strategy will also assist in meeting the Strategic Aim: ‘To provide modern, efficient and high quality local services and policing within the square mile for workers, residents, and visitors whilst delivering sustainable outcomes’ by providing a fitting and functional local environment that supports sustainable transport and promotes the cultural and historic identity of the City’. Core Strategy 42. The Core Strategy sets out the vision for planning in the City up to 2026. The proposed Liverpool Street Area Enhancement Strategy helps to deliver this vision and, in particular, Policy CS5 that identify the Liverpool Street Area as having scope for improved movement as part of the wider initiative to improve the North of the City area as a ‘Key City Place’ Conclusion 43. The Liverpool Street Area Enhancement Strategy is based on evidence of needs and requirements for future sustainable growth. The Strategy document sets out a clear framework of proposals for the improvement of the public realm within this area. 44. The Strategy is linked to and informed by the City’s Core Strategy and emerging Local Plan, urban analysis and public consultation. The objectives and proposals of the Strategy develop further the objectives contained within the London Plan, the Mayor of London’s Transport Strategy, the City’s Corporate Plan’s and the Department of the Built Environment Departmental Business Plan. 45. The Strategy has been revised in response to the public consultation feedback to ensure the document reflects the needs of the City community. It sets out a Delivery Plan which identifies the projects arising from the Strategy, prioritises them and indicates the funding Strategy for delivery.
Page 52 46. It is recommended that Members adopt the revised Liverpool Street Area Enhancement Strategy. On adoption, a number of the high priority proposals can be initiated as projects subject to the gateway project reporting procedures. Comments from the consultation will be used to assist and inform the design briefs for individual proposals.
Appendices • Appendix A – City Area Strategies Plan • Appendix B – Liverpool Street Area Strategy Plan • Appendix C – Delivery Plan • Appendix D – Schedule of Changes to Liverpool Street Area Enhancement Strategy – June 2013
Background Papers: • Bank, Fenchurch & Monument, Liverpool Street and West Smithfield draft Area Enhancement Strategies – Pre-consultation report for Planning & Transportation Committee 24 th July 2012.
Clarisse Tavin Project Manager (Environmental Enhancement) Department of the Built Environment 020 7332 3634 clarisse.tavin @Cityoflondon.gov.uk
Page 53 Appendix A – CoL Area Enhancement Strategies Map Page 54
Appendix B - Liverpool Street Area Enhancement Strategy Boundary Page 55
Appendix C – Delivery Plan
(The costs are estimates, based on similar schemes and current industry rates for comparable works). Priority Scheme Cost Funding Target Status Estimate Strategy (£)
High Priority High Liverpool Street Area £750k + S106 Evaluation: 2015/16 Proposed Improve pedestrian environment and create a (part funded by CIL Completion: new civic space, introduce street trees and Crossrail) TfL 2017/18 improved surface materials. Crossrail
Page 56 High Bishopsgate TfL n/a Project to be Improve pedestrian environment connectivity Project to be developed, and create ease of movement; widening developed, funded and footways, rationalising street furniture, improve funded and implemented by TfL signage and way finding, raised crossing and implemented by improved surface materials. TfL
High Middlesex Street Area £1-£3m S106 Evaluation: 2013/14 Initiated Improve pedestrian environment in the whole CIL Completion: length of Middlesex street, Widegate Street TfL 2016/17 and Sandy’s Row. Create a new public space at the location of the 2 traffic islands in the north of the Middlesex Street , widen footways, rationalise street furniture, organise traffic improvements and improve or close Rose Alley.
High Middlesex Street Estate – Car Parking Evaluation: 2012/13 Initiated Ramps £400k – £500k S106 Completion: Remove the 2 redundant ramps and provide a 2014/15 new improved pedestrian environment and improved surface materials.
High Sun Street/Eldon Street Area £1,5m S106 Evaluation: 2013/14 Initiated Improvements to pedestrian environment S278 Completion: connectivity, street trees, security, improve 2016/17 signage and surface materials.
Medium Priority Medium Moorgate £250-£1m S106 n/a Project to be Footway widening/build-outs, street trees CIL managed by Page 57 and public realm enhancements, safety and TfL Transport for crossing improvements. Crossrail London
Medium Moorfields £0- £250k S106 n/a Project to be Footway widening/build-outs, flexible space S278 managed by and improved surface materials. CIL Transport for Crossrail London
Appendix D – Schedule of Changes to Liverpool Street Area Enhancement Strategy – June 2013
Page Section Proposed Change Reason for (New change Version) 50 Wider Area Devonshire Square opening times changed. Response to Survey Blackstone • Strategy revised as following: comments “Devonshire Square has recently extended its opening hours, and is now accessible to the public in the evenings and at weekends.”
102 Middlesex Sandy’s Row Synagogue historical presence to be mentioned. Response to Page 58 Street Area: Sandy’s Row Survey • Strategy revised as following: Synagogue The borough boundary runs along Sandy’s Row. This street is the setting for the representatives Sandy’s Row Synagogue, the oldest surviving synagogue building in London. The comments Artillery Passage Conservation Area contains a number of notable sites of particular significance to Jewish communal heritage. • Picture of the Synagogue added.
114 Middlesex Rename “Artillery Passage Conservation Area” to “Middlesex Street Area”. Response to Street Area - several Key Opportunity comments Area 114 Middlesex Middlesex Street area map to be revised with boundaries to be extended to include the Response to Street Area - whole length of Middlesex Street. several Key Opportunity comments Area • Map updated accordingly
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Page Section Proposed Change Reason for (New change Version) 115 Middlesex Traffic improvements needed in Sandy’s Row. Response to Street Area: Sandy’s local Proposals • Strategy revised as following: shop owners and “Consider resurfacing and restricting vehicular access on Sandy's Row.” Row Synagogue comments 116 • Photomontages of Middlesex Street Area proposals added. 119 Middlesex More trees to be introduced in Middlesex Street. Response to Street Area: several Proposals • Middlesex Street Area – Principle 7 updated as following: comments “Consider introducing street trees in any new public spaces and along sections of received Middlesex Street to signal a pedestrian route and to soften the effect of the blank Page 59 façades that line extensive sections of the street.” 119 Middlesex Artizan Street and the new Artizan Street Library and Community Centre to be Response to Street Area: included in the Strategy. Ward Members Proposals and local • Middlesex Street Area – Principle 8 updated as following: occupiers “Consider restricting vehicular access on Artizan Street to improve pedestrian access comments to the new Artizan Street Library and Community Centre. The City of London is currently considering the removal or remodelling of the parking ramps located at the end of Artizan Street.”
119 Middlesex Rose Alley to be included in the Strategy. Response to Street Area: Ward Members Proposals • Middlesex Street Area – Principle 8 updated as following: and local “Consider upgrading or closing Rose Alley to create a better and safer environment at occupiers night.” comments
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Page Section Proposed Change Reason for (New change Version) 121 Bishopsgate : Mention A10 Bishopsgate Corridor study regarding Bishopsgate traffic flow. Response to Overview British Land • Strategy revised as following: comment “Bishopsgate is one of the City’s key north-south routes, with the main entrance to Liverpool Street station making it the port of arrival for many of those working in and using the City. Although it is often referred to as a traffic corridor, only 4% of vehicles travel the entire length of Bishopsgate. (Source: A10 Bishopsgate Corridor Study, MP, 2008).”
132 Bishopsgate: National Express is looking at extending their service to Waterloo. Response to Proposals National Express Page 60 Airport • Strategy revised as following: comment Coaches: “I t should also be noted that final coach stop locations will need to be agreed with both Alternative Terravision and National Express, who are currently exploring options for an extension locations to their service.”
135 Bishopsgate: Need for public toilet facilities in the area. Response to Proposals several • Bishopsgate Principle 7 updated as following: comments “Explore opportunities for additional public toilets.”
151 Sun British Land is looking at improving the permeability from Exchange Square with east- Response to Street/Eldon west connection. British Land Street Area: comment Proposals • Proposal updated to show East West connection from Appold Street to Exchange Square, and remove the Sun Street Exchange Square connection.
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Page Section Proposed Change Reason for (New change Version) 160 Liverpool Liverpool Street bus station is to remain in its current location. Response to Street, British Land Moorfields & • Strategy to mention : comment Moorgate : bus “The Liverpool Street Interchange Study undertaken by Colin Buchanan and Partners routes in 2009 examined various alternative options for accommodating buses in the study area. The appraisal clearly indicated that options that removed the existing bus station had negative consequences for bus passengers that outweighed the benefits to pedestrians. The study concluded that the bus station is an essential transport facility and should remain central to the interchange. The Crossrail Urban Integration Design Study Report (2011) assumes that the bus station on Sun Street Passage will remain, highlighting that the economic disbenefits of
Page 61 moving it would be considerable. Consequently, the bus station is expected to handle the same amount of traffic. Nevertheless, if the pedestrianised option is programmed, buses will no longer turn into Sun Street Passage from Liverpool Street, resulting in a safer pedestrian environment. “
160 Liverpool London-wide bus network predicts passenger reassignment from bus to other modes Response to Street, following the opening of Crossrail in 2018/19. British Land Moorfields & comment Moorgate : bus • Strategy to mention : routes “Preliminary modelling work undertaken by TfL indicates that there will be a reduction in demand on certain east-west bus routes in the City following the opening of Crossrail. This may free up a limited amount of capacity at Liverpool Street bus station but there will still be a need to cater for north-south routes, both those which already use the bus station and others which currently cannot be accommodated due to lack of space. “
19
Page Section Proposed Change Reason for (New change Version) 168 Liverpool Concerns expressed about the under-provision of on-street spaces for taxis. Response to Street: British Land Proposals • Strategy to mention : comment “Additionally, smaller taxi ranks could be integrated in less congested streets, taking care to ensure the overall taxi capacity and provision in the area are not reduced. “
171 Liverpool Street Delivery access and drop off point needed in the eastern end of Liverpool Street. Response to Key Opportunity Andaz Hotel Area • Liverpool Street Principle 2 revised as following : comment “Consider a restriction on vehicle access, whilst exploring options to keep vehicular access for deliveries and a potential taxi drop-off for the Andaz Hotel, to be discussed Page 62 with TfL.”
171 Liverpool Signage around the taxi rank within the Liverpool Street station to be improved. Response to Street: comments Proposals • Liverpool Street Principle 6 revised as following: “Consider improved, clear signage within the station locating the taxi rank.”
119, 135, Key Opportunity Cyclist comments on Liverpool Street. Response to 171, 177, Proposals comments 185 • Principle 1 revised as following: “The aim of the strategy is to provide more space for pedestrians and a safer environment for cyclists.”
20 Agenda Item 10
Committee(s): Policy and Resources Date: 25 July 2013
Subject: Chairman’s visit to Shanghai and Beijing Public
Report of: Director of Economic Development For Information
Summary
This report advises Members of the outcomes of the recent visit by your Chairman to Shanghai and Beijing, from 27 June to 1 July 2013. The purpose of the visit was to demonstrate the City’s commitment to cooperation and exchange in financial services with China and to strengthen links with the Chinese government and financial services sector on behalf of the City.
The visit provided insight into the current thinking of the City of London’s key public and private sector stakeholders in China and raised the profile of the City of London as a partner for bilateral links between the two countries. This report includes views gathered on China’s changing economy and the Chinese government’s agenda for financial reform in China, opportunities for developing capital market flows and the continued internationalisation of the currency: topics that dominated your Chairman’s discussions.
Throughout the visit, Chinese regulators and officials emphasised plans to introduce institutional reform and to open up the capital account further, including speeding up the process of the Chinese currency, the Yuan renminbi’s (RMB) convertibility. The meeting of the City of London Advisory Council for China was well attended, and the visit helped to deepen the relationship with members as well as to highlight key issues for the City of London to incorporate into its work and to be followed up on by the Economic Development Office (EDO) and City of London offices in China. In particular strong support was shown for further collaboration between the UK and China to develop the Chinese insurance and asset management sectors and increase cross border RMB flows through product innovation and expansion of existing channels. The Advisory Council will next meet on 22 November in London.
Members are asked to:
• Note the report.
Main Report
Background 1. Your Committee previously approved an annual visit to China by your Chairman in November 2012. This annual visit builds on the work of the Advisory Council for China and the City of London offices in Beijing and
Page 63 Shanghai, to promote the interests of the UK-based financial and related business services sector and strengthen trade and investment links between China and the UK.
2. Your Chairman visited Shanghai and Beijing from 27 June to 1 July 2013. The programme began in Shanghai with a roundtable with UK and European financial services firms, the meeting of the Shanghai International Financial Advisory Council (a committee of distinguished international financial professionals which advises the Shanghai government, and of which your Chairman is a member), and the Chairman’s participation in a plenary session at the annual Lujiazui Forum (China’s most high profile annual financial services conference). Your Chairman then travelled to Beijing for a meeting of the City of London Advisory Council for China (which provides guidance on the City of London’s engagement with China from leading Chinese experts), and a symposium with senior representatives from People’s Bank of China (PBoC, China’s central bank), as part of the City of London initiative on the development of London as an RMB centre. Your Chairman was accompanied by the International Affairs Officer for China and India and a Senior Press Officer. A full list of meetings and events is attached in the annex.
3. The objectives of the visit were: to strengthen links with the Chinese government, financial institutions and trade bodies; to position the UK as Shanghai’s partner of choice in its development as an international financial centre; and through the meeting of the City of London Advisory Council for China to discuss the City of London’s priorities in China for the next six months.
Visit report 4. Discussion in both cities was dominated by the Chinese authorities’ plans to introduce institutional reform and to support the liberalisation of China’s financial markets. A number of new policies will be announced over the coming months and market fluctuations are expected to continue as the authorities bring in new reform, whilst maintaining control over the market to avoid creating systemic risk. Chinese and UK stakeholders viewed the reform as necessary but highlighted that a balance between the reform and maintaining control has yet to be found in many areas. A senior British practitioner highlighted the liquidity squeeze caused by the State Administration of Foreign Exchange (SAFE, which is responsible for maintaining China’s foreign reserves) led measures to crackdown on fraudulent invoices and China Insurance Regulatory Commission’s (CIRC) restriction of wealth management sector investment, as recent examples of this. However, the outlook was overall positive from both the UK and Chinese interlocutors with China’s growth expected to continue at a slower but sustainable rate. A senior Chinese official stated that China’s economic development over the coming months will dictate its financial markets development. High interbank rates and the allowance of defaults have changed attitudes towards investment in China, with investment in state- owned firms no longer offering guaranteed returns.
Page 64 5. Your Chairman heard the Governor of the PBoC at the Lujiazui Forum announce his plan to introduce policies to support further opening of China’s markets, including allowing foreign banks and non-financial firms to participate in China’s interbank markets.
6. The internationalisation of the Yuan renminbi (RMB) continues to be a key topic of discussion in China. There was widespread support from Chinese officials and private sector participants for London’s development of RMB usage and the recent swap line agreement between the Bank of England and PBoC was seen as a mark of the UK’s commitment to work with China. In Shanghai there was great interest in developing the city’s status as the leading mainland centre for RMB in connection with wider development of China’s capital markets. For example, promoting the development of the corporate bond market by extending existing RMB bond issuance allowances and considering allowing international firms to issue RMB bonds.
7. Your Chairman heard views from PBoC and China’s top economists on the development of the new international payments system, the Cross-border Interbank Payments System (CIPS), and on plans to increase capital flows to and from mainland China. Chinese sector representatives heard proposals from the City on how to extend existing capital channels and key considerations for PBoC in developing the new payments system, such as the importance of applying international standards and clear criteria for direct membership. The Advisory Council positively acknowledged the work done by the City of London initiative to feed into the development of CIPS and that more focus is now needed on the development of China’s capital markets, to ensure that the right environment is created for CIPS to operate within.
8. A demand for higher levels of innovation and a quicker development of financial products was expressed by Chinese interlocutors, particularly RMB- denominated products, which would be an important step forward in developing the currency, as well as providing much needed capital to Chinese and overseas markets.
9. The opportunity for insurance and reinsurance sector collaboration was raised during the visit. CIRC has been leading the sector towards taking a more market-driven approach, but there are still strong government controls in place. Two senior Chinese insurance sector representatives highlighted that specific focus should be taken on catastrophe insurance and in sharing the UK’s expertise in product development and training of personnel in the sector.
10. Issues relating to the UK’s openness to international business were raised, with an acknowledgement from the Deputy Head of Mission of the British Embassy in Beijing that further developments are needed in the provision of visas. Some progress has however highlighted, including the introduction of quicker processing times and mobile biometric scanning machines. Your Chairman updated Chinese stakeholders on conversations with the UK regulators on the requirement for Chinese banks to establish subsidiaries – rather than branches - in London, assuring them that it had been raised
Page 65 consistently and the City of London Corporation is closely monitoring developments.
11. Throughout your Chairman’s visit to China the PRO proactively arranged media interviews to disseminate the City’s messages to the wider Chinese audience. This included one-on-one interviews and two press briefings with journalists in Shanghai and Beijing. A number of leading Chinese financial news outlets quoted your Chairman’s views on Shanghai’s needs to take in order to become an international financial centre and development of RMB business in London.
Implications 12. In November 2012, your Committee approved a budget for an annual visit to China by your Chairman accompanied by an EDO officer and a visit to the UK for local office representatives, of up to a total of £25,000. In addition, the City Offices in Beijing and Shanghai have funding from the EDO’s local risk budget for roundtables, receptions and the meetings of the Advisory Council for China, separate to these travel costs.
13. Transport, accommodation and hospitality for the visit cost a total of £10,000, which is within the agreed budget of £25,000 (agreed for international visits and travel). Two nights’ free accommodation in Shanghai was provided by the Shanghai government for your Chairman and one accompanying EDO official, a saving to the City of London of £2,000.
Travel, accommodation, hospitality and incidental expenses for this visit were in accordance with the Business Travel Scheme.
14. The visit to China by the Chairman supported by the vision in the Corporate Plan 2013-2017: “The City of London Corporation will support and promote the City of London as the world leader in international finance and business services.”
15. Equal opportunities considerations have been taken into account in the preparation of this report and we are content that there are no negative impacts.
Conclusion 16. The visit provided insights on the current thinking of the City of London’s key public and private sector stakeholders in China. The current agenda for institutional reform in China was raised throughout the visit, with the emphasis on areas where UK expertise and experiences can be applied to the mutual advantage of UK and Chinese financial sector actors. Specifically, the continued internationalisation of the RMB and the development of China’s capital markets were focussed on. The meeting of the City of London Advisory Council for China was well attended, and the visit helped to deepen the relationship with members following the previous meeting in London in
Page 66 December 2012. There was strong support from the City of London Advisory Council for China for further dialogue and exchange between the UK and China on financial services issues, particularly on insurance sector development, exploring bond market and wider investment options and providing expertise from the UK on capital account reform. These areas will be followed up by the EDO, including the City of London representative offices in Shanghai and Beijing. The Advisory Council will next meet on 22 November 2013 in London.
Appendix • Appendix 1 – List of meetings and attendees.
Angela Lynch International Affairs Officer – China and India
T: 0207 332 3659 E: [email protected]
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Page 68 Annex 1: List of meetings and attendees
Visit by the Policy Chairman to Shanghai and Beijing: 27 June – 1 July 2013 Shanghai
• Roundtable with the British and EU Chambers of Commerce, chaired by Rory Farquhar-Thomson (Chairman of the Financial Services Group, British Chamber of Commerce Shanghai). • Meeting with members of the Shanghai International Financial Advisory Council. • Meeting with Yang Xiong (Mayor of Shanghai); Tu Guangshao (Vice Mayor of Shanghai) and regulatory officials from Shanghai. • Meeting with British Counsel General Brian Davidson. • Panel discussion at the Lujiazui Forum with Zhang Yun (President, Agricultural Bank of China); Andrew Stoner (Minister for Trade and Investment, NSW, Australia); Lai Xiaomin (Chairman, China Huarong Asset Management Co., Ltd.) and Zhu Congjiu (Vice Governor, People’s Government of Zhejiang Province). • Meeting with Qian Wenhui (Executive Vice President, Bank of Communications). • Meeting with Shao Yaliang (President, Shanghai International Group).
Beijing • Dinner with HM Treasury, Bank of England and the British Embassy, hosted by Li Lihui (CEO, Bank of China Group). • Meeting of the City of London Advisory Council for China: Wang Jianxi (Executive Vice President, China Investment Corporation); Ma Weihua (President & CEO of China Merchants Bank); Katherine Tsang (Chairperson Greater China of Standard Chartered); Gao Guofu (Chairman, of China Pacific Insurance (Group) Co. Ltd); Zhang Hong (Vice President of China Reinsurance (Group) Corporation); and Hu Ruyin (Chief Economist, Shanghai Stock Exchange). • Roundtable discussion with the Advisory Council and senior representatives of City firms, including John McCormick (Chairman RBS Group, Asia Pacific, RBS) and Colin Clark (Deputy CEO, Head of Global Client Group, Standard Life Investments). • Symposium hosted with Pan Gongsheng (Vice Governor of People’s Bank of China) and the British Embassy, with senior Chinese financial sector representatives and City of London RMB initiative members and observers. • Meeting with Wang Shaofeng (Mayor of Xicheng district, Beijing). • Reception for Chinese financial regulators and financial services sector stakeholders.
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Page 70 Agenda Item 11
Committee: Policy and Resources Date: 25 July 2013
Subject: Public Sponsorship of TeenTech City 2013
Report of: For Decision Director of Economic Development
Summary
1. Launched in 2008, TeenTech, a Community Interest Company 1, is a lively one-day event that aims to change perceptions of Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) careers in the UK. Targeted at year 8 and 9 pupils (aged 12-13) and their teachers, the day is intended to act as a catalyst for the STEM industry to engage with schools from disadvantaged areas.
2. The national series of events will engage with a total of 3,000 teenagers, 450 teachers and 1,000 engineers, technologists and scientists in 2013. As the London component of the event, scheduled for November, TeenTech City will invite 300 students and 30 teachers from London’s communities. Many of the schools invited will be based in the City fringes 2, with a particular emphisis on the City’s three academies (Southwark, Islington and Hackney).
3. TeenTech is endorsed by high profile public figures and corporate supporters including HRH Duke of York, RBS and Google. Around 20 STEM businesses, many of which are based in East London, will participate in TeenTech City. The event complements two key areas of work supported by the City Corporation, namely: work to raise aspirations among young people in neighbouring boroughs; and support for enterprise in the Tech City cluster of digital technology businesses.
4. The proposed contribution of £10,000 sponsorship of the event, paid in the 2013/14 financial year would bolster City Corporation’s support for education/raising aspirations and represents an opportunity to ensure TeenTech City reaches schools in the City’s neighbouring boroughs including the City’s three academies.
Recommendation(s)
Your Committee is requested to provide funding of £10,000 to cover the cost of sponsorship of TeenTech City for one financial year (2013/14), charged to City’s Cash and met from the Policy Initiatives Fund under the Communities heading.
1 A business with primarily social objectives; surpluses are principally reinvested for that purpose in the business or in the community. Page 71 2 City fringe boroughs comprise Islington, Hackney, Lambeth, Camden, Tower Hamlets, Southwark and Westminster. Main Report
Background
1. TeenTech, a Community Interest Company, was launched in 2008 in an effort to change the perceptions of young people from schools in disadvantaged areas in the UK towards Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) subjects. TeenTech is a lively one-day event that aims to change perceptions of STEM careers in the UK. Targeted at year 8 and 9 pupils (aged 12-13) and their teachers, the day is intended to act as a catalyst for the STEM industry to engage with schools from disadvantaged areas. By also engaging with their teachers, the one-day experience is designed to have a lasting impact back at school.
2. A national series of events will engage with a total of 3,000 teenagers, 450 teachers and 1,000 engineers, technologists and scientists in 2013. Conceived by radio and TV journalist Maggie Philbin, TeenTech has gained national recognition including: • Award for “Best Engineering Event” in Science and Engineering Week; • Enterprising Britain Award for the South East; • A Google RISE Award; and • Winners of the UKRC 3/WISE Outreach and Communication award.
3. TeenTech has also built a strong corporate support base of 40+ notable businesses (some of which are based in the Tech City cluster on the fringes of the City) including Google, Proctor & Gamble, and Skanska as well as educational establishments such as City University and Queen Mary University. It counts HRH Duke of York as a patron.
4. TeenTech City is the London based component of the national programme. The one day event will take place in November 2013 at the ‘Copper Box’ in the Olympic park. Over 300 year 8 and 9 students (ages 12-13) and 30 teachers from London secondary schools based in disadvantaged communities are scheduled to attend.
5. On the day, small groups of students are taken through three interactive zones (Innovation zone, Challenge zone and an Insight zone) led by an industry ‘Ambassador.’ Each zone is hosted by a STEM business who run interactive workshops and experiments as well as highlighting different STEM career entry routes including apprenticeship, technician and graduate level.
6. To further support teachers, TeenTech has introduced ‘pre’ and ‘post’ event Continuing Professional Development (CPD) sessions, encompassing hands- on activities and workshops aimed specifically at teachers. This year, TeenTech propose to track both teacher and student progress through a survey 6 months after the event.
7. Feedback from previous TeenTech events suggest that the experience is invaluable to both students and teachers. For example at a 2011 event, 40% of students left the event saying that they were ‘very’ interested in becoming an engineer compared with only 17% expressing this interest at the beginning
Page 72 3 UK Resource Centre is an organisation for the provision of advice, services and policy consultation regarding the under-representation of women in science, engineering, technology and the built environment (SET). of the session. Similarly, the perception of teachers towards STEM subjects was drastically enhanced following the event.
8. To date, TeenTech has received excellent media exposure including features on BBC 1’s The Politics Show, BBC Click, Regional News, independent radio and BBC online news. It is therefore expected that the City Corporation would receive significant reputational benefits through its sponsorship of TeenTech City.
Current Position
9. The City of London Corporation has been approached to sponsor TeenTech City in the financial year 2013/14 in view of the City Corporation’s broader work to raise the aspirations of young people in neighbouring boroughs and to support enterprise, with an increasing focus on supporting the Tech City cluster of digital technology-focused businesses.
Proposals
10. It is proposed that the City Corporation provide sponsorship of £10,000 to support TeenTech City to invite a minimum 300 year 8 and 9 students and 30 teachers from schools based predominantly in the City fringes to the event. This represents a 50% increase from the 2012/13 attendee numbers in London. A concerted effort will be made to ensure that a significant number of attendees are from City fringe secondary schools and particularly the City of London Academies (Islington, Hackney, Southwark).
11. Opportunities would also exist for the City Corporation to secure positive reputational and profile benefits in the form of joint media exposure, recognition through the use of the City Corporation logo. Sponsorship could also lead to a greater awareness of the City Corporation’s work to support education/aspiration-raising in neighbouring boroughs, of our support for the Tech City cluster and our work to promote employability.
12. As well as the chance to interact with global STEM companies, schools attending TeenTech City will gain a unique opportunity to engage with some of the most innovative small businesses based in the Tech City cluster such as Glass Eye, Global St Art and Sugru. It is anticipated that enduring relationships between City fringe schools and STEM companies will be built following the event.
13. TeenTech estimate that the full cost of the one day event in London will be approx. £35k. Other confirmed sponsors, include RBS, City University, Queen Mary University, London Borough of Hackney and the National Grid. The proposed £10,000 contribution from CoL would be earmarked towards the cost of Project Management (£9,000) and venue hire (£1,000); it represents the outstanding amount of funding required in order to deliver the event (see appendix 1 for full budget breakdown).
Corporate & Strategic Implications
14. The proposed support of TeenTech City contributes to The City Together Strategy themes: Page 73 a. is competitive and promotes opportunities b. supports our communities
15. It also supports the action ‘Raise the aspirations of young people in the City and neighbouring boroughs’ under objective 4 of the Economic Development Office Business Plan 2013-2016.
16. An equalities impact assessment has been undertaken concluding that the proposed sponsorship would not have an adverse impact on equalities.
Implications
17. There is no possibility of meeting the proposed funding from existing local risk resources. Your Committee is requested to provide funding of £10,000 from City’s Cash as sponsorship for TeenTech City, to be met from your Committee’s Policy Initiatives Fund under the ‘Communities’ category. The current uncommitted balance available within the Policy Initiatives Fund for 2013/14 amounts to £524,000 prior to any allowance being made for any other proposals on today’s agenda.
Conclusion
18. The proposed sponsorship of TeenTech City is a powerful way of raising the aspirations of a significant number of young people in London. By changing student perceptions towards STEM subjects, the event could make a valuable contribution to their longer term employability and support the growth of the next generation of Tech City professionals.
Appendices • Appendix 1 – Full Budget breakdown of TeenTech City sponsorship
Dorothée Njindou
Economic Development Office T: 020 7332 3622 E: [email protected]
Page 74 Appendix 1
TeenTech City 2013 Budget
2013/2014 £ TeenTech CIC management and support £5,000 Project Management £9,000 4 Room/Venue Hire £6,000 5 Stationery £500 Voting Buttons - for 300 pupils and support £2,000 Banner stands £500 Exhibition dividers (hire and assembly) £1,500 Audio-Visual equipment £2,500 Photography £500 Prizes for ‘Ideas Wall’ £300 Catering £2,275 Contingency for regional staff costs and additional venue costs £5,000 Total £35,075
Page 75 4 Proposed City Corporation contribution will cover the full project management cost. 5 Proposed City Corporation contribution will cover £1k of this cost. This page is intentionally left blank
Page 76 Agenda Item 12
Committee: Policy and Resources Date: 25 July 2013
Subject: City of London Singapore strategy Public
Report of: Director of Economic Development For Decision
Summary
The City of London has strong working relationships with major financial centres throughout the globe, including developed centres such as New York and Hong Kong and emerging centres such as Shanghai, Beijing and Mumbai.
The City has had limited interaction with Singapore (which is deemed to be the 4 th most important global financial centre, after London, New York and Hong Kong – in the 13 th Global Financial Centres Index) an important location for City institutions and firms.
There is an appetite from City firms (following discussions with the International regulatory Strategy Group) to increase engagement between the City of London and Singapore, in areas of complementarity including regulatory dialogue and the internationalisation of the RMB, a city priority.
Funding is sought to commission a detailed research paper to scope the opportunities for developing a substantial regulatory dialogue with Singapore, through a facilitated visit by your Chairman and undertaking follow up actions arising from the visit.
The development of a Singapore strategy and associated visit by your Chairman supports the vision of the City of London’s 2013 – 17 Corporate Plan and the strategic aim: “To support and promote The City as the world leader in international finance and business services”.
Recommendation(s)
It is recommended that:
• Your committee approves £40,000 funding for City of London Singapore related activities during this financial year.
• This is funded from your Committee’s Policy Initiatives fund 2013/14, categorised under ‘Promoting the City’ and charged to City’s Cash.
• A further in-depth report is submitted to your committee detailing a Singapore engagement strategy and post-visit report.
Page 77
Main Report
Background 1. The City of London has developed relationships with strategically important global financial centres in both developed and emerging markets. The City enjoys a strong relationship with partners in the USA, India, China and to a lesser extent Hong Kong.
2. Singapore has emerged as a truly global financial centre; the Singaporean Government has spent a lot of time promoting Singapore as a financial hub to access pan-Asian markets. This alongside a very favourable tax environment has positioned Singapore as financial centre that is of real interest to financial and professional services firms.
3. Singapore’s development does not place the City State as a competitive threat to the City’s position as the world’s leading global financial centre, but over time it is clear that Singapore will attract greater levels of investment. An on-going dialogue with Singaporean authorities would enable the City of London to monitor the development of Singapore, whilst looking to identify and build upon areas where we have complementary strengths (including areas such as the internationalisation of the RMB, global regulatory dialogue and asset management).
4. Singapore as a market is of both great importance and interest to the UK based financial and professional services industry, which has been discussed and endorsed by the International Regulatory Strategy Group (IRSG) Council and Executive Board.
Main report 5. The financial services industry currently contributes about 12% of Singapore’s GDP and employs 5.5% of the total workforce, Singapore is home to over 700 local and foreign financial institutions and the range of financial services offered by the industry has expanded recently to include areas such as wealth and asset management, equity and bonds, foreign exchange and derivative markets.
6. Singapore has one of the most established capital markets in the Asia-Pacific region and notably the Singapore Exchange (SGX) is the preferred listing location of close to 800 companies. The areas of global wealth management and fund management have grown significantly and Singapore is currently the most active foreign exchange trading centre in Asia (excluding Japan), the second largest over-the-counter derivatives trading centre in Asia and a leading commodities derivatives trading hub. With total assets of SGD 1.4 trillion under management, Singapore is also a premier asset management centre in Asia.
7. Singapore is taking active steps to develop its RMB business capabilities and Singapore has ambitions to develop as an offshore RMB centre. It has also established market infrastructure to enable the direct clearing and the settlement of RMB. This is a different model to that pursued by London. The development of London as an international hub for RMB business is a priority for the City of London, an initiative that is fully supported by Her Majesty’s Treasury.
8. City firms are increasingly interested in exploiting opportunities that exist in Singapore and have expressed a desire (through the IRSG) for the City of London to develop a formalised relationship with Singaporean interlocutors. This would be based around regular dialogue with the Monetary Authority of Singapore, the Singaporean Government, the British and European chambers and a series of other important stakeholders.
Page 78
9. Pending funding approval, the City of London will commission a short research piece focusing on the opportunities for Singapore and the City to develop a long standing relationship across a number of priority industry segments. A visit would be arranged for your Chairman to meet with key interlocutors and undertake a roundtable with interested parties; a Singapore engagement strategy will be developed and followed up by the City Office in Mumbai.
Corporate & Strategic Implications
10. The development of a Singapore strategy and associated visit by your Chairman supports the vision of the City of London’s 2013 – 17 Corporate Plan and the strategic aim: “To support and promote The City as the world leader in international finance and business services”.
11. It also meets the strategic aim of the Economic Development Office to “support and promote the City as the world leader in international finance and business services, by championing a positive, responsible and competitive business and policy environment, supporting the City’s interests in global markets and helping to realise the economic and social potential of London, especially the City and our neighbouring boroughs”.
Implications
12. Procurement and travel, accommodation, hospitality and incidental expenses for the programme will be arranged in accordance to the Business Travel Scheme. The total cost of activity in the 1-3 – 14 financial year will be £40,000.
Conclusion 13. The development of a Singapore strategy, underpinned by a research report and visit by your Chairman will not only provide valuable insight into the development of Singapore as a financial centre, but help build on complementary strengths between the City and Singapore. This will further help us to support the UK financial and professional services industry in international markets.
Peter Sissons Head of International Affairs
T: 020 7332 1020 E: [email protected]
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Page 80 Agenda Item 13
Committee : Policy and Resources Date: 25 July, 2013
Subject: Smith Institute: Research Project on Innovative Long Term Individual Financial Products Report of: For decision Director of Public Relations
Summary The Smith Institute is a leading independent ‘think tank’ which aims to promote progressive policies for a fairer society. They provide a high-level forum for new thinking and debate on public policy and politics, offering a platform for thought leadership on a wide range of topics, and how to translate policy into practice.
The Smith Institute is proposing a research project, sponsored by the City of London Corporation, that would be led by their Senior Research Fellow and former Treasury Minister Kitty Ussher to explore a new policy idea, namely that of using financial markets to grow the value of a retail savings product over time that can then convert to vouchers/credits for a specific pre-defined purpose. The intention would be that these credits could be used to ease the pressure of common life events, thus easing demand for taxpayer-funded acute services.
The proposed methodology would involve a four stage research process, namely desk research, qualitative interviews, modeling of the financial effects and policy recommendations. Outputs from the project would include a Smith Institute pamphlet, a high level launch seminar where the Policy Chairman would have a speaking role and an associated media strategy.
Recommendation This report recommends that the City of London Corporation sponsors the Smith Institute research project on innovative long term individual financial products at a cost of £18,000, categorised under research in the Policy Initiatives Fund for 2013/14, and charged to City’s Cash.
Page 81 Background 1. The Smith Institute is a leading independent ‘think tank’ which aims to promote progressive policies for a fairer society. It provides a high-level forum for new thinking and debate on public policy and politics. Through their research, reports, briefings, monographs, events, lectures, education, and website, the Institute offers a platform for thought leadership on a wide range of topics. It is interested not only in innovation and new ideas but also in how to translate policy into practice. Founded in memory of the late Rt. Hon. John Smith MP, the Institute seeks to engage politicians, decision makers, practitioners, academia, opinion formers and commentators.
2. The Institute’s activities are informed by a network of experts, policy makers, research fellows and patrons. Based in London, it works in partnership with a range of public and private sector organisations, foundations and charities. As a charity, The Smith Institute had an excellent track record in influencing and shaping public policy, and extensive national and international contacts. Over the last decade it held over 500 events and published more than 150 reports, with contributions from Prime Ministers and MPs to archbishops and chief executives. The Smith Institute, recently reconstituted as a not-for-profit organisation, will sustain and develop this record of achievement, and maintain its reputation and influence in Westminster and Whitehall.
3. The current Director is Paul Hackett, who was formerly Special Adviser to the Deputy Prime Minister, Financial Times journalist and adviser to the OECD and PwC. The Senior Research Fellow is the former Treasury Minister Kitty Ussher.
Proposal 4. The Smith Institute is proposing a research project that would be led by Kitty Ussher to explore a new policy idea, namely that of using of financial markets to grow the value of a retail savings product over time that can then convert to vouchers/credits for a specific pre-defined purpose. The intention would be that these credits could be used to ease the pressure of common life events, thus easing demand for taxpayer- funded acute services.
5. The proposed research will bring together three established policy tools into a new idea:
• Vouchers have long been used in social policy, from war-time rationing to childcare provision. In the US they are used to create a
Page 82 market in housing for those on low incomes. The current debate on whether benefits should be paid on a smartcard is akin to providing an electronic voucher for certain goods and services.
• Using the financial markets to grow an asset is also a valid policy tool. Stakeholder pensions, and their successor in (National Employment Savings Trust) NEST, are designed to boost the assets that people save on the markets for their own retirement. Child trust funds were designed to use the passage of time to give future young adults a financial asset on reaching maturity.
• There is a precedent for the use of compulsion in the provision of financial services. A pension cannot be drawn down before retirement; a student loan for fees must go direct to the university. It is compulsory, for example, to take out private motor insurance.
6. Kitty Ussher previously postulated in a December 2011 article in the Fabian Review whether it was possible for individuals to save on the open market for a particular life event in a scheme that would only pay out in some type of credit for the purchase of a particular pre-defined service. It may be - drawing on the latest results from behavioural economics - that the very provision of these types of products could change behaviour, leading to a greater savings habit, and the availability of a different class of asset - a type of complementary currency - that could be allocated within society according to need.
7. The nature of the credits or vouchers does not have to be restricted to childcare. They are potentially applicable to fill the need for any crunch- point in life. A good example could be the provision of education and training; it is a great irony of the current benefits system that when people are most in need of retraining, they are least able to pay for it. It would be empowering for an individual to have their own dedicated saving pot in which they contributed from birth, and growing on the market, ready to pay out only in training credits when it was needed. Individual accounts for all these purposes could last for life, with deposits made privately or through the payroll, by individuals and employers, growing in value as time went by, and then used to purchase defined services from accredited providers.
8. Similarly, policy towards later-life care has been developing apace in recent years but might also respond well to having dedicated saving products. Indeed it might be attractive to people in the middle-stages of life to have a dedicated way to save for their own elderly parents' care needs, with any surplus available to them or other family members as
Page 83 required further down the line. Key to this proposal would be the ability to transfer credits between individuals as long as they could only be used for the intended purpose. On death, any surplus credits could be bequeathed to family members or transferred to a central pot to distribute to the accounts of people in particular need. This central pot could also be topped up by charities, companies, and indeed government if it saw fit.
9. The Smith Institute is proposing the following methodology for the project:
• Stage one: desk research
Preliminary desk research to examine comparable policy initiatives both in the UK and abroad - including learning the lessons from failed experiments such as the Individual Learning Accounts of the early Labour government, exploring recent ideas such as the recommendation by the Social Market Foundation of a national loan scheme for childcare, and looking at the lessons, if any, from complementary currency initiatives. This would lead to tentative recommendations as to the applicable policy areas for the proposed approach, which might include, for example, childcare, care-homes, housing, education, and the parameters of how such schemes might work.
• Stage two: qualitative interviews
The second stage would include one-on-one interviews with pension fund managers, providers of long-term savings products, consumer groups, government officials, academics and policy experts to build consensus, peer review the results of stage two, and pin down the practical technicalities of such a scheme. It is envisaged around 15-20 interviews would take place.
• Stage three: modelling of financial effects
Once the broad parameters were established, the third stage would consist of high-level modelling as to the financial and behavioural effects of introducing such a policy over time on (a) people of different income levels and at different stages of life (b) the taxpayer as a whole and (c) the size of the potential market for the UK financial services sector, with corresponding tax take to the Treasury.
Page 84 • Stage four: policy recommendations and route map
Finally, the analysis and insight to date would be brought together into a concluding section that summarised the applicability of the proposed approach to current public policy challenges, discussed the necessary changes to law and regulations, and provided clear policy recommendations to all political parties.
Financial Implications 10. The proposal is that the City Corporation sponsors the Smith Institute research project on innovative long term individual financial products at a cost of £18,000. This sponsorship will cover the total costs of the project which includes staff time, design and printing.
11. There is no possibility of meeting the proposed financial support from existing local risk resources, because this proposal entails a substantial item of expenditure, for which no provision has been made in the Public Relations or other local risk budgets. It is proposed that the required funding of £18,000 be agreed, categorised under Research in the Policy Initiatives Fund for 2013/14, and charged to City’s Cash.
12. The current uncommitted balance available within your Policy Initiatives Fund amounts to some £524,000, prior to any allowances being made for any other proposals on today’s agenda.
Conclusion 13. It is proposed that the City of London Corporation sponsor the Smith Institute research project on innovative long term individual financial products. The City Corporation would receive recognition on the resulting pamphlet and other literature associated with the project. The Policy Chairman would receive a prominent speaking slot at the high level launch seminar and would have input into the guest list.
Contact: Tony Halmos Director of Public Relations [email protected] 020 7332 1450
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Page 86 Agenda Item 15
Committee : Policy and Resources Date: 25 July, 2013
Subject: Public Public Relations Office Activities Report: April – June, 2013 Report of: For Information Director of Public Relations Summary This report updates Members on Public Relations Office activities since the report submitted to your Committee in May 2013.
Activities in this report relate to the Communications Strategy 2013- 2016 and Public Relations Office Business Plan 2013- 2016; it covers the period April to June 2013.
Recommendation The Committee is recommended to receive this report on Public Relations Office activities during the period April to June, 2013.
1.0 INTRODUCTION 1.1 This report highlights the activities undertaken by the Public Relations Office, in the period April - June 2013, in support of the organisation’s medium-term communications objectives, as detailed respectively in the Communications Strategy and the Public Relations Office Business Plan , and new or enhanced areas of work not necessarily covered by the Strategy/Plan.
1.2 Work on new/social media During this quarter, the Public Relations Office has continued to pilot a project around videos, each about two minutes long, which mainly feature front-line staff. The project’s objective is to build up in-house video skills and experience, open a number of ‘windows’ on the work of the City of London Corporation, and grow our understanding of new media platforms. More than 70 mini-videos have been produced so far; they can be seen at http://www.youtube.com/user/CityofLondonvideos .
PRO now plans to add to the current corporate YouTube videos project with a series of mini-videos illustrating the lives and challenges faced by young Londoners living in our neighbouring boroughs. The series, which
Page 87 will concentrate on those who have found our skills projects useful, will form content that social media users across the City of London Corporation can pass to their local followers.
Over the next few months the media team will be making a series of video interviews with people who live in the City and other London boroughs who have directly benefitted from the City of London Corporation-funded activities. These may include a homeless person who has found accommodation; an apprentice at one of our Open Spaces or children at a City Bridge Trust-funded playground. The videos will then be used across the organisation – on our website, in speeches and across social media. The PRO (and its Media Team) continues to help the City Corporation’s departments acquire the requisite skills to monitor issues online as part of a wider skillset to address new/social media. PRO continues to work closely with Business Continuity on this front; the Deputy Town Clerk recently ran an exercise that tested the effect of new media on our ability to respond in the event of an emergency, the results of which are now being reviewed.
1.3 Media coverage
Throughout the quarter, 1 April – 30 June 2013, there were 893 City Corporation stories in the UK print media. 376 (42%) of these stories were related to financial services, with the remaining 517 (58%) related to Services.
1.4 Political Contact Programme
The period since the last report has seen considerable activity on the political contact programme. We have engaged with relevant politicians on issues including financial services, business visas, the UK’s relationship with The European Union, infrastructure, arts & culture, and education. The Policy Chairman has had meetings, or hosted roundtable discussions with, the Education Minister David Laws; the Immigration Minister Mark Harper; the Trade Minister Lord Green; the Shadow Business Secretary Chukka Umunna; the Shadow City Minister Chris Leslie; the Shadow Culture Minister Dan Jarvis, and; the Mayor of London’s Culture and Education Adviser Munira Mirza.
Page 88 1.5 Voter communication
To promote greater registration among City organisations, especially businesses, a review is being carried out of all materials sent by the City of London on this subject. This is with a view to simplifying the registration process and making it clearer to recipients why they should register to vote. This review will encompass letters, leaflets, forms, the campaign logo and other material as time goes on. The structure of the website content is also being reviewed by both PRO and Electoral Services to make things easier to find and more intuitive.
2.0 SUPPORTING AND PROMOTING THE CITY AS THE WORLD LEADER IN INTERNATIONAL FINANCE AND BUSINESS SERVICES 2.1 PRO has been liaising with CPAT on ‘We are the City’ – a new, high- quality publication aimed at encouraging businesses to locate or stay in the City; this has now been published and well received. Work is also underway on updating the ‘An Indispensable Industry’ – the very well received guide on the importance of financial services to the UK; this will be published later in the summer.
2.2 The Corporate Twitter feed continues to promote our work in this area. Research reports are still very popular, generating new followers and re- tweets and the rate of new followers continues to accelerate. The feed currently has over 6,200 followers.
2.3 A number of videos have been uploaded to the corporate YouTube channel and tweeted to appropriate channels, depending on the subject matter and end users.
2.4 Media coverage of the Lord Mayor included coverage in national newspapers and broadcast coverage of the Bankers Dinner (19 June). He also conducted major interviews with ITN News (19 June), Daily Mail (19 June), The Herald (11 May), Scotland on Sunday (12 May), The Derry Journal (21 May) and The Spectator (6 April). The visits to Japan/South Korea, Africa, Russia and Scandinavia secured very strong coverage, while the Future of Europe events were also widely covered in the FT and elsewhere (23 May).
2.5 Media coverage of the Policy Chairman included a major interview on Sky News’ Jeff Randall Live (15 May) and Financial News (3 May) . He was also widely quoted in the international press following a research report on the European financial transaction tax (3 April). Other reports on the economic outlook for the capital (30 April) and tree diseases (6
Page 89 June) were also covered widely in the London media including the Evening Standard and BBC London. Xinhua, CCTV and China Daily all interviewed the Policy Chairman ahead of his visit to the country in June.
3.0 PROMOTING THE CITY OF LONDON CORPORATION AS THE PROVIDER OF MODERN, EFFICIENT AND HIGH QUALITY LOCAL AND POLICING SERVICES WITHIN THE SQUARE MILE FOR RESIDENTS, WORKERS, BUSINESSES AND VISITORS 3.1 The latest edition of Cityview was printed and distributed in July. Articles included electoral registration, the Youth Offer, Gresham College and the City of London Festival. It also included an insert encouraging readers to subscribe to an email alert when the next online edition is available to download. This issue also included an interview with Tim Hames, the new director-general of the British Private Equity & Venture Capital Association (BVCA).
The next online edition of Cityview is due in September and is likely to include an article on the City Corporation’s new health responsibilities, a preview of the Lord Mayor’s Show and the opening of Milton Court.
3.2 The latest issue of City Resident was published in June with the next due in October.
3.3 The latest editions of the ward newsletters were distributed in June with the next issues planned for December.
3.4 There has been continuing coverage in both The Leader and on the intranet around the City of London Festival and Lord Mayor’s Appeal, specifically a major push for staff to participate in events and volunteer.
3.5 Media coverage of City Corporation services has included:
• The City Corporation’s new ‘code of good practice’ for licensed premises (19 April) was covered in the Evening Standard, City AM, The Morning Advertiser and Eat Out Magazine.
• A news story in the Evening Standard (10 April) on Ibthayhaj Shadique Gani, 20, the youngest ever member of the City of London Corporation.
• Clare Thomas, Chief Grants Officer at City Bridge Trust, wrote a letter to the Financial Times (2 May) highlighting the City of London
Page 90 Corporation’s initiative, ‘City Philanthropy: A Wealth of Opportunity’.
• The Evening Standard (1 May) ran a piece on philanthropy in the City in which the City of London Corporation’s philanthropy manager Cheryl Goodman was quoted
• The funeral of Lady Thatcher at St Paul’s Cathedral (17 April), and the receptions hosted afterwards at Guildhall and Mansion House, featured widely in the national and international press, including live BBC coverage.
4.0 COMMUNICATIONS PRIORITY: SUPPORTING LONDON’S COMMUNITIES
4.1 In the previous quarter, activities associated with the Supporting London’s Communities communication priority have included a dinner on education and NEETs with the Minister David Laws and the hosting a New Local Government Network Conference on local growth. In addition, a speech and reception was hosted on 10 July for Lord Adonis, former Education Minister.
4.2 The City Corporation’s website provides links to Facebook sites set up by departments to help them better communicate with their individual communities. Work continues to focus on better joined-up working between those creating content for the website and those doing the same through social media. PRO continues to offer advice on a communications ‘strategy’ for each of the website’s ‘clusters’.
4.3 July’s Cityview included a feature on the City Corporation’s Youth Offer.
4.4 An interview was published in The Leader with Ade Adetosoye, Director of Community and Children’s Services, focusing on staff communications and the challenges facing the department/service, as well as the ‘listening into practice’ work he is conducting with staff
4.5 There has been continued coverage of activities of colleagues in employee volunteering, as well as corporate and social responsibility, on the intranet and via The Leader. The Town Clerk is due to attend on 19 July a ‘listening into practice’ session at C&CS to hear the views of staff on this issue.
4.6 Media coverage for this area of work has included:
Page 91 • London Loves Business reported on how the City of London Corporation investing an extra £50,000 funding for the ‘Angels in the City’ scheme will help start-up businesses. • FTfm (28 May) reported on the City of London Corporation’s role in supporting social investment, in which the Policy Chairman was quoted.
5.0 COMMUNICATIONS PRIORITY: HELPING TO LOOK AFTER LONDON’S HERITAGE AND GREEN SPACES 5.1 Research was commissioned to examine the benefits of green spaces to communities. This was published in early July.
5.2 A series of Leader articles and continued promotion of the work of Open Spaces staff, including the new Visitor Trail ‘app’.
5.3 A series of visits was organised in which the Town Clerk met staff at Open Spaces, Cemetery and Crematorium staff.
5.4 Media coverage for this area of work has included:
• The launch of a new report into Tree Diseases in London: The Economic, Social and Environmental Impact (6 June) was covered by BBC News online , BBC London News TV , and Horticulture Week.
• Horticulture Week carried a piece on Gifford Wood, in which Epping Forest’s Superintendent Paul Thomson was quoted. • Shakespeare and London, the new exhibition at London Metropolitan Archives, secured coverage in The Daily Telegraph, Daily Express, BBC London TV, London Historians blog. • Reports on the Old Bailey and its £37m renovation works programme appeared in The Independent, The Daily Telegraph, BBC News online, and BBC Radio 4 ‘PM’ programme.
6.0 OTHER PRO ACTIVITIES/UPDATES 6.1 Online
A working group has been established to standardise statistical reporting of social media across the organisation to give a ‘snapshot’ of topline figures and highlights. This will give managers an appreciation of the scale of work being done already and trends. Monitoring continues apace and is proving successful in spotting and managing events and minor incidents.
Page 92 Major editorial changes for the ‘About the City’ section of the website have already started and should be completed in the next few months. The intention of these changes is to improve the user's journey, making the information easier to find.
The online consultation diary has been refreshed and work is being done to make sure the team who administer it are fully trained and able to maintain it. Work continues to meet the SOCITM (Society of Information Technology Management) standards identified in their annual report ‘Better Connected’. The main focus is improved user journeys.
The Shaw Trust, an independent accessibility body, carried out an audit of the entire website in April and has issued a report with recommendations on how to improve in this area. These recommendations are now being implemented and will be reviewed in October. In a related area, work continues to be done as a result of the weekly and monthly Site Morse reports on the website. These flag up a mixture of problems with functionality, usability and accessibility; incremental improvements are now being witnessed every month. June’s Eshot was sent to more than 12,000 subscribers. A new service provider has been chosen as part of a review of the email distribution and hosting provision and the switch to the new provider should take place by September. The design of Eshot will also be refreshed.
The Social Bakers’ six month trial of social media analytics continues, providing extremely detailed matrices on all individual Facebook, Twitter and YouTube channels.
Development of the intranet continues in a number of areas:
• with IS where a ‘ticker’ is in development to include breaking news, emergency updates and operational updates such as building evacuations and even ‘what’s on in the Guildhall Yard’ notices –full rollout should occur in the Autumn;
• increasing social participation, in order to allow staff to comment and rate stories;
• the promotion of communities and best practice via Yammer.
Page 93 The last quarter has also seen the development of e-Leader via the platform provided by Newsweaver – a fully integrated email bulletin where all staff (even those who cannot access intranet content) can access the stories; rollout is expected in the Autumn.
The internal communications strategy continues to be prepared with four key strands: strategic communications; channel management; communication skills and awareness provision, and; employee engagement. This has been agreed in principle by the Deputy Town Clerk and Director of HR in order to ensure alignment with the City Corporation’s overall human resources strategy.
There has also been continued internal communications activities, such as masterclasses and TC forums. There has been further development of the Town Clerk’s blog; full rollout will occur just before the Summer recess.
6.2 Events
The Corporate Affairs team organise a range of events as part of the political and business contact programme, and in support of wider corporate objectives. Major events in the last quarter have included the City wide residents meetings, the launch of the City’s code of practice for licensed premises, the Business in the Community responsible business convention, the Editorial Intelligence ‘Modern World’ digital seminar and the launch of the Financial Skills Partnership’s Guild of Financial and Professional Services.
6.3 Filming
The film team is currently working closely with two major feature films (‘Prone Gun Man’ and ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’) which are due to film in August and September at Millennium Bridge, Tower Bridge and Bank junction. A feature film re-make of ‘The Man from U.N.C.L.E’ have approached the film team about some potential City locations for filming later in the year.
6.4 Internal communications
The regular programme of internal communications work continues and since the New Year has included improvements to the corporate intranet,
Page 94 the organisation of the senior managers’ forum, and additional support for departments as part of the on-going change programmes.
6.5 Database
The Database Team has been working on the annual Ward Survey to update the City Occupiers Database (COD), as well as supporting the electoral services team in preparations for annual registration process .
6.6 Think tank engagement
We have worked with think tanks on a range of events. We hosted the Centre for Policy Studies Keith Joseph Memorial Lecture where the Education Secretary, Rt Hon Michael Grove MP, gave a speech on the Government’s reform agenda. We also worked with the Institute of Economic Affairs on dinners with the Fresh Start and Free Enterprise Groups of Conservative MPs, and with the Foreign Policy Centre on a dinner with the Trade Minister Lord Green that covered trade and international economic issues. In addition we worked with Centreforum on an education themed dinner discussion with education Minister David Laws and hosted a new Local Government Network conference on local growth.
6.7 Polling
The fieldwork for the major key audience surveys of Senior Executives, City Businesses, City Residents and City Businesses has now been completed by TNS. Officers are studying and analysing the results and implications for the City Corporation with the aim of reporting fully to the October meeting of the Policy & Resources Committee. The TNS survey of Senior Executives contained a single question on the impact on their firm’s business if the UK were to leave the European Union. Discussions are advanced with Ipsos MORI regarding a more detailed survey of senior business opinion on European Union issues and a report seeking approval for this and the requisite funding is on the agenda of the July Policy & Resources Committee meeting
7.0 PUBLIC RELATIONS OFFICE WORKING ENVIRONMENT AND BUDGET 7.1 The Public Relations Office continues to work closely with the Economic Development Office, the Remembrancer’s Department and Mansion House, as well as other Departments across the organisation, to ensure successful improved coordination of work. In addition PRO are working closely with
Page 95 EDO and Remembrancer’s Department on political developments in the UK and EU and their impact on the City.
7.2 The table below shows a comparison of revenue budget for the Public Relations Office (Local Risk) with actual income and expenditure for the period April to June 2013.
Approved Budget Budget for Actual Variance Town Clerk 2013/14 (£) Period (£) (£) (£)
Total Net Income and 2,370,000 592,500 581,000 11,500 expenditure
Background Papers: Members will find it useful to refer to the ‘ Communications Strategy 2013-2016’ and ‘Public Relations Office Business Plan 2013-2016’.
Contact: Tony Halmos Director of Public Relations [email protected] 020 7332 1450
Page 96 Agenda Item 16
Committee: Policy and Resources Date: 25 July 2013
Subject: Policy Initiatives Fund / Committee Contingency Report of: Public Chamberlain For Decision
Summary
1. The purpose of the Policy Initiatives Fund is to allow the Committee to respond swiftly and effectively with funding for projects and initiatives identified during the year which support the City Corporation’s overall aims and objectives.
2. The Committee contingency is used to fund unforeseen items of expenditure when no specific provision exists within Committee budgets such as hosting one-off events.
3. The attached schedules list the projects and activities which have received funding for 2013/14. Whilst the schedule shows expenditure to be incurred in this financial year, some projects have been given multi-year financial support (please see the “Notes” column).
4. It should be noted that the items referred to have been the subject of previous reports approved by this Committee and that balances of £496,100 and £510,400 are currently available in the Policy Initiatives Fund and the Committee contingency respectively for 2013/14.
5. In identifying which items would sit within the Policy Initiatives Fund the following principles were applied:
• Items that relate to a specific initiative ie research;
• Sponsorship/funding for bodies which have initiatives that support the City’s overall objectives; and
• Membership of high profile national think tanks
Page 97 Recommendation 6. It is recommended that the contents of the schedules are noted
Contact: Ray Green 020 7332 1332 [email protected]
Page 98 POLICY AND RESOURCES COMMITTEE - POLICY INITIATIVES FUND 2013/14 ALLOCATIONS FROM FUND STATUS OF BALANCE ACTUAL COMMITTEE RESP PAID BALANCE DATE DESCRIPTION OFFICER ALLOCATION TO 11/07/13 TO BE SPENT NOTES £ £ £
Promoting the City 24/01/13 European Financial Forum and Foreign Policy Centre: corporate DPR 17,500 0 17,500 2 year funding - final payment in 2013/14 memberships renewal of the two think tanks
14/02/13 Digital Derry: funding to stimulate the Derry/Londonderry economy and to DED 30,000 30,000 0 Possible further funding - to be reviewed next year bolster the relationship between Digital Derry and "Tech City"
02/05/13 Research Programme on Infrastructure for Cities: promoting London's TC 30,000 0 30,000 expertise as a centre of excellence for services associated with resilience and infrastructure investment
02/05/13 TheCityUK: CoL's additional funding DED 100,000 0 100,000 3 year funding: £100,000 in 2014/15 & 2015/16
Page 99 Communities 04/10/12 New Entrepreneurs Foundation (NEF) - sponsorship of NEF, a not-for- DED 20,000 20,000 0 3 year funding: £20,000 in 2014/15 profit organisation focussing on equipping young entrepreneurs to run scalable businesses
24/01/13 Social Investment Advisor: further extension to the dedicated specialist DED/CGO 50,000 16,152 33,848 Jointly funded by Policy and Resources and the role, to help accelerate to the Social Investment agenda in London - to City Bridge Trust March 2014
14/02/13 Angels in the City: continued support to deliver the Angels in the City DED 25,000 0 25,000 Further 2 year funding: £25,000 in 2014/15 Initiative, providing an opportunity for the City Corporation to demonstrate clear support for early stage businesses in its neighbouring boroughs, notably in the Tech City cluster
22/03/13 Continued sponsorship of Teach First through support of its Higher DED 18,000 0 18,000 3 year funding: £18,000 in 2014/15 & 2015/16 Education Access Programme for Schools
27/06/13 Raising the Participation Age (RPA) - Partnership for Young London DED 12,000 0 12,000 conference: CoL to host and sponsor the conference in September 2013. RPA is the strategy to increase the age in which all young people in England must continue in education or training
27/06/13 Institute of Corporate Responsibility (ICR): CoL to be lead supporter of DED 25,000 0 25,000 2 year funding: £25,000 in 2014/15 this new not-for-profit organisation for Corporate Responsibility practitioners ALLOCATIONS FROM FUND STATUS OF BALANCE ACTUAL COMMITTEE RESP PAID BALANCE DATE DESCRIPTION OFFICER ALLOCATION TO 11/07/13 TO BE SPENT NOTES £ £ £ Research 10/11/11 Proposed Polling of City Stakeholders - to carry out surveys of the City of DPR 61,700 0 61,700 Originally allocated from 2012/13, deferred to London Corporation's key audiences, namely City workers, City residents, 2013/14 City businesses and senior City executives
08/11/12 New Local Government Network - renewed Corporate Partnership of a DPR 15,000 15,000 0 2 year funding - final payment in 2013/14 national think tank.
08/11/12 Young Foundation: core funding - sponsorship of an organisation that DED/DPR 20,000 0 20,000 2 year funding - final payment in 2013/14 undertakes research to identify and understand social needs
13/12/12 Financial support of the Mile End Group (MEG) (the Queen Mary, DPR 20,000 0 20,000 2 year funding - final payment in 2013/14 University of London's forum for government and politics) - COL sponsorship
Attracting and Retaining International Organisations 17/04/08 International Valuation Standards Council - assistance with DED/CS 37,700 0 37,700 Originally allocated from 2012/13, deferred to Page 100 accommodation 2013/14
481,900 81,152 400,748 BALANCE REMAINING 524,100 TOTAL APPROVED BUDGET 1,006,000 ANALYSIS OF TOTAL APPROVED BUDGET ORIGINAL PROVISION 750,000 APPROVED BROUGHT FORWARD FROM 2012/13 256,000 TOTAL APPROVED BUDGET 1,006,000
NOTES: (i) The Committee date records the actual approval meeting; in some instances approval is given for multi-year support for a project but the financial details in this table only show the expenditure due in the current year (2013/14). It should be noted that actual payments sometimes are made towards the end of a financial year.
KEY TO RESPONSIBLE OFFICER:- MBC Managing Director Barbican Centre DPR Director of Public Relations CGO Chief Grants Officer DED Director of Economic Development CPO City Planning CPO Officer City Planning Officer DBE Director of the Built Environment TC Town Clerk CS City Surveyor DCCS Director of Community & Childrens Services DCHL Director of Culture, Heritage and Libraries CHRIS BILSLAND CHAMBERLAIN POLICY AND RESOURCES COMMITTEE - POLICY INITIATIVES FUND
2013/2014 £
POLICY INITIATIVES FUND - Balance remaining prior to this meeting 524,100
Less possible maximum allocations from this meeting
Sponsorship of TeenTech City 2013 10,000
Smith Institute research project on innovative long term 18,000 individual financial products
28,000
496,100
Chris Bilsland Chamberlain
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Page 102 POLICY AND RESOURCES COMMITTEE - CONTINGENCIES 2013/14 ALLOCATIONS FROM CONTINGENCY STATUS OF BALANCE ACTUAL COMMITTEE RESP PAID BALANCE DATE DESCRIPTION OFFICER ALLOCATION TO 11/07/13 TO BE SPENT NOTES £ £ £
13/01/11 The Honourable The Irish Society - COL's contribution towards the TC 11,600 1,180 10,420 Originally allocated from 2012/13, deferred to 2013/14 Society's legal cost in obtaining the Supplemental Charter plus providing specialist advice and support where appropriate
12/05/11 London Councils' London Summit - the City is to host the annual DPR 9,000 0 9,000 3 Year funding - final payment in 2013/14 conference for 3 years 16/06/11 Big Society Capital - contribution towards premises in the City and the TC 24,000 0 24,000 Originally allocated from 2012/13, deferred to 2013/14 launch event at Guildhall
21/07/11 800th Anniversary of the Magna Carta - administrative costs of Anniversary DPR 10,000 10,000 0 4 year funding: £10,000 in 2014/15 Committee, to carry out work to mark the anniversary of the Magna Carta in 2015
08/12/11 Whitehall & Industry Group: Corporate Membership - continued DPR 4,000 4,000 0 Originally allocated from 2012/13, deferred to 2013/14
Page 103 membership of the Whitehall Industry Group
22/03/12 Chatham House - Renewal of Corporate Membership of a research and DPR 12,500 12,500 0 2 year funding - final payment in 2013/14 analysis body which aims to help individuals and organisations to be at the forefront of developments in the global arena
03/05/12 Business Engagement Activity: Summer 2012 - hosting and engaging with TC 78,000 0 78,000 Originally allocated from 2012/13, deferred to 2013/14 key visiting dignitaries during the summer
05/07/12 New London Architecture - proposal for continued City of London support CS 16,700 0 16,700 3 year funding: £16,700 in 2014/15 as a principal sponsor
05/07/12 Sponsorship of Migration Matters Trust - the City Corporation to support DPR 5,000 0 5,000 2 year funding - final payment in 2013/14 the MMT - a cross-party political campaign to highlight the case for migration
04/10/12 Responsible Business Week: the City Corporation to host Business in the DED 26,000 25,800 200 Community's (BITC) 2013 Responsible Business Week
04/10/12 Demos and Centreforum - Renewal of Corporate Membership - City DPR 17,000 0 17,000 2 year funding - final payment in 2013/14 Corporation to remain a corporate partner of the two think tanks
13/12/12 Cheapside Retail Initiative - continued support to the Cheapside Initiative to CS 15,000 8,500 6,500 Further 2 year funding - final payment in 2013/14 part fund the human resource element of the management of the Initiative ALLOCATIONS FROM CONTINGENCY STATUS OF BALANCE ACTUAL COMMITTEE RESP PAID BALANCE DATE DESCRIPTION OFFICER ALLOCATION TO 11/07/13 TO BE SPENT NOTES £ £ £ 13/12/12 Reform and IPPR: COL corporate membership renewals plus sponsorship DPR 20,000 0 20,000 2 year funding - final payment in 2013/14 of IPPR research on a global emissions trading scheme
24/01/13 Social Investment Conference: the City Corporation to host Global Impact DED 20,000 0 20,000 Investing Networks (GIIN) conference in October 2013
14/02/13 Platinum Partnership with London & Partners - the official promotional DCHL 25,000 25,000 0 3 year funding: £25,000 in 2014/15 & 2015/16 organisation for London 22/03/13 Proposed support for Focus on Europe Day: City Corporation to host key DED 30,000 30,000 0 City contacts at the Guildhall Banquet to promote the City as Europe's international and business centre
22/03/13 City of London Advertising - continuation of placing advertisements in DPR 50,000 8,100 41,900 2 year funding: £50,000 in 2014/15 CityAM to promote services provided by COL 22/03/13 Additional Events and Topical Issues Papers: continuation of the extended DPR/DED 55,000 17,315 37,685 contact programme through appropriate events and the publication of Topical Issues Papers (TIPs) Page 104 22/03/13 Sponsorship of Digital Shoreditch: to cover in-kind support in the form of DED 10,300 0 10,300 connected events/hospitality at the Guildhall 22/03/13 City of London Reserved Forces' Cadets' Association: continued funding of TC 42,000 42,000 0 3 year funding - £42,000 in 2014/15 & 2015/16. the RFCA Previously the funding has been met by the Finance Grant Sub Committee 02/05/13 2012 Legacy - Major Sports Events: CoL to support four separate TC 50,000 0 50,000 hospitality events to be held for key international sport competitions in London 27/06/13 Queen Elizabeth II Garden in New York: CoL's further contribution to DED 10,000 0 10,000 support the Garden Project in recogonition of the continuing links and co- operation between the Corporation and New York
27/06/13 The Mayor's Thames Festival: support for an education project known as DPR 12,000 0 12,000 3 year funding - £12,000 in 2014/15 & 2015/16 The Rivers of the World - an annual free festival to celebrate the River Thames through arts, music & education
27/06/13 2013 Party Conferences: to assist in the payment of fees to think tanks and DPR 13,500 0 13,500 in securing high quality venue space for the 2013 Party Conference programme ALLOCATIONS FROM CONTINGENCY STATUS OF BALANCE ACTUAL COMMITTEE RESP PAID BALANCE DATE DESCRIPTION OFFICER ALLOCATION TO 11/07/13 TO BE SPENT NOTES £ £ £ 27/06/13 Lord Mayor's Show Fireworks: City of London Corporation to hold a DPR 93,000 0 93,000 2 year funding - £93,000 in 2014/15 public fireworks display following the LM's Show
659,600 184,395 475,205 BALANCE REMAINING 510,400 TOTAL APPROVED BUDGET 1,170,000
ANALYSIS OF TOTAL APPROVED BUDGET ORIGINAL PROVISION 800,000 APPROVED BROUGHT FORWARD FROM 2012/13 370,000 TOTAL APPROVED BUDGET 1,170,000
NOTE: The Committee date records the actual approval meeting; in some instances approval is given for multi-year support for a project but the financial details in this table only show the expenditure due in the current year (2013/14). It should be noted that actual payments sometimes are made towards the end of a financial year. KEY TO RESPONSIBLE OFFICER:- CH Chamberlain DPR Director of Public Relations CGO Chief Grants Officer Page 105 DED DirectorDirector of of Economic Economic Development Development CPO City PlanningCPO Officer City Planning Officer DBE Director of the Built Environment TC Town Clerk CS City Surveyor DCCS Director of Community & Childrens Services CHRIS BILSLAND CHAMBERLAIN This page is intentionally left blank
Page 106 POLICY AND RESOURCES COMMITTEE - CONTINGENCY
2013/2014 £
CONTINGENCY - Balance remaining prior to this meeting 510,400
Less possible maximum allocations from this meeting
0
Balance 510,400
Chris Bilsland Chamberlain
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Page 124 Agenda Item 22a
INFORMAL MEETING OF THE RESOURCE ALLOCATION SUB (POLICY AND RESOURCES) COMMITTEE
th st Thursday 20 and Friday 21 June 2013
NOT FOR PUBLICATION By virtue of paragraphs 3 of Part I of Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act 1972.
Minutes of an informal meeting of the Resource Allocation Sub (Policy and th Resources) Committee held at the Marriott County Hall on Thursday, 20 and st Friday, 21 June 2013.
Present:
Members: Mark Boleat, Chairman Roger Chadwick, Deputy Chairman *Deputy John Barker Deputy Doug Barrow Deputy John Bennett **Deputy Michael Cassidy **Ray Catt **Simon Duckworth Stuart Fraser George Gillon, Chief Commoner Jeremy Mayhew Deputy Catherine McGuinness Deputy Joyce Nash Sir Michael Snyder Deputy John Tomlinson Alderman Sir David Wootton
Officers: John Barradell Town Clerk Chris Bilsland Chamberlain Susan Attard Deputy Town Clerk Simon Murrells Assistant Town Clerk Tony Halmos Director of Public Relations Angela Roach Town Clerk’s Office ** Peter Lisley Assistant Town Clerk ** Paul Sizeland Director of Economic Development
* Thursday only ** Friday only
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Apologies
An apology for absence was received from Alderman Fiona Woolf.
Thursday, 20 June 2013
1. WELCOME
The Chairman welcomed Members to the Awayday and advised them of his views on the City Corporation’s current direction of travel. He stated that the City Corporation was in a good place as a number of major issues had now been settled including the organisation’s corporate governance and the Common Council elections. Relationships with Government and neighbouring boroughs were good and the election of three Deputy Chairmen for the Policy and Resources Committee was also working well. Looking forward, the Chairman highlighted certain issues which would need to be considered in order to enhance the City Corporation’s position and the activities it undertakes such as the London Living Wage, how businesses allocated their votes, expanding on what the City Corporation was able to offer to London and contributing to the debate on Europe.
2. POLITICAL OUTLOOK
George Bridges and Alasdair Murray from Quiller, the City Corporation’s public affairs advisors, led a discussion focussing on current affairs and the political context both nationally and in London.
A number of topical issues were raised including recent debates on matters such as immigration, the direction and future leadership of the three main political parties, the current position of UKIP and the uncertainties surrounding Europe, economic recovery and cuts in expenditure.
Detailed discussion ensued on the following:-
• position of the City Corporation in relation to the debate on Europe, including the need for reform, and what, if anything, the City Corporation should do to influence the debate;
• the need for banks to demonstrate a change in culture and the promotion of responsible banking;
• the unique nature of the City Corporation and future efforts to ensure that it remained relevant;
• the importance of City’s Cash and its use to enhance the organisation’s offer to London;
• the position with regard to lobbying generally.
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3. STRATEGIC OVERVIEW
The Town Clerk told Members of his perceptions of the City Corporation since joining the organisation in October 2012. He highlighted a culture of values, responsiveness and the ability to engage where appropriate, all of which gains the City Corporation kudos and recognition. He referred to the City Corporation’s uniqueness, citing research it had undertaken on open spaces related matters which proved to be invaluable internally and externally. Reference was also made to the three pillars of the organisation, our support for the City Financial, local authority services and services provided by the City Corporation for London and the nation and examples given of the activities and work undertaken in each of those areas.
The Town Clerk went on to highlight the key strategic issues and priorities on which the City Corporation should focus in the short to medium term, such as:-
• the debate on visas • Crossrail • public health • policing • the London Living Wage • publication of the City’s Cash accounts • further engagement with the Mayor of London and other London local authorities.
He advised that the City Corporation was currently undertaking non-binding arbitration with Transport for London regarding the transfer of highway assets. With the exception of the London Borough of Southwark and the City Corporation all other London boroughs had signed away their rights.
Detailed discussion ensued which focussed mainly on the following areas:-
• Policing: The relationship between the City Corporation and the Metropolitan Police was working well. It was noted that the City Corporation was hoping to attract funding to undertake work on cybercrime;
• London Living Wage (LLW) : Members were reminded that the City Corporation’s policy with regard to the LLW was to support the principle of the LLW, to pay it or above to directly-employed staff and to promote it to contractors, taking account of the legal, financial and operational circumstances that apply when considering contracts on a case-by-case basis. It was noted that the City Corporation’s position on the matter was being highlighted by an early day motion in the Commons.
Members were advised that the first contract to be considered had been the catering contract at the Barbican Centre and Guildhall School and that the City Corporation had agreed to pay LLW in that case and to meet the additional cost corporately. The next contract would be the corporate catering contract where LLW tenders had been submitted and it was likely
Page 127 that LLW would be applied there also. Despite this, the City Corporation continued to face protests at the Barbican about the cleaning contract.
Members were reminded that the City Corporation could not insist that its contractors include the LLW, they could only be encouraged to include it. It was noted that the cleaning contract was not due for renewal until late 2014. However, notwithstanding its stated policy and in light of the current difficulties, Members felt that the City Corporation should reconfirm its commitment to LLW. With regard to the cleaning contract it was felt that the issue should be addressed earlier rather than waiting until the end of the current contract and that Officers should therefore be instructed to investigate the best way of doing this including how the matter should be handled publically.
• City’s Cash accounts: It was noted that the City Corporation currently published an overview and summary of performance of City’s Cash and that consideration was now being given on whether to publish the full accounts, particularly in light of external pressures. Members noted the concerns of the Remembrancer about its publication and City’s Cash possibly being seen as part of the City Corporation’s local authority activity and the risks associated with this. They were nevertheless of the view that there were no longer sufficient reasons not to publish and not doing so could be potentially damaging. It was not envisaged that publishing the accounts would involve any major announcement.
Members endorsed the principle of publishing City’s Cash accounts in future.
RESOLVED – That:-
1. the Policy and Resources Committee be reminded of the City Corporation’s commitment to paying the LLW and it be recommended that given the current difficulties being experienced on the cleaning contract at the Barbican, the issue of LLW in the contract be addressed earlier rather than awaiting its renewal in August 2014 and that officers be instructed to investigate the best way of doing this including how the matter should be handled publically; and
2. the proposal to publish City’s Cash accounts in future be endorsed.
The meeting ended at 6.00pm .
Page 128 st Friday, 21 June 2013
1. THE CITY AND EUROPE
Members received a presentation from Iain Anderson, Director of the Cicero Group, giving an overview of the debate currently taking place on Europe. He highlighted the speech made earlier this year by the Prime Minister and the views of the main political parties on holding a referendum. He also questioned what opting out of Europe would mean and pointed out that the impression he had gleaned from those represented by Cicero was that the single market should be completed and that it would be difficult should the UK decide to opt out. Mr Anderson advised that the City Corporation’s Office in Brussels was in the right place at the right time and that the International Regulatory Strategy Group (IRSG) was also proving to be useful.
During discussion reference was made to the position of MEPs, forming allies and how best to make use of this. Reference was also made, amongst other things, to the impact of UKIP and what if anything could be done to address any negative messages.
2. FINANCIAL SERVICES AND EUROPE
The Director of Economic Development drew attention to the paper circulated on Europe. He advised that it followed the original European Banking Union (EBU) and the position of the City Corporation paper previously considered by the Policy and Resources Committee. The paper had now been revised to take account of recent developments and its purpose was to provide the City Corporation with a strategy for dealing with the issue of Europe over the next few years.
The Director stated that it was important for financial services to become more proactive and for the City Corporation to assist in ensuring that there was informed debate by providing political groups UKIP and others with the relevant facts. The City Corporation could undertake this work in conjunction with TheCityUK. The IRSG was also a valuable tool and it was possible also to partner with the CBI where relevant. He believed that the City Corporation was a trusted interlocutor and that more use should be made of the City Office in Brussels. It was flexible and should be available for use by anyone in Brussels who could assist in progressing the City’s agenda.
Detailed discussion ensued during which the following comments were made:-
• reference was made to the strategy for engaging on Europe and concern was expressed about the timing of any messaging. 2017 would be too late. There was a need to engage now;
• reference was also made to the difficulties associated with any proposal for treaty revisions as it was unlikely that all 28 states would concur;
Page 129 • It was agreed that the City Corporation needed to allocate more resources to European work given the importance of the issue;
• it was suggested that the word “global” should be inserted in the third bullet (paragraph 11) of the key aims so that it referred to the “wider European and global economy”. It was also suggested that reference should be made to the importance of the single market;
• the Chairman stated that given the importance of the debate on Europe the paper should be revised and circulated to the next meeting of the Policy and Resources Committee for consideration. Members supported this.
RESOLVED – That the content of the report be noted and that given the importance of the debate on Europe:-
1. the paper be amended and submitted as an additional item to the next meeting the Policy and Resources Committee for consideration; and
2. the Grand Committee be recommended to endorse the need to allocate more resources to work being undertaken on Europe.
3. FINANCIAL PLAN AND PROPOSALS FOR SERVICE REVIEWS
Members considered a joint report of the Town Clerk and Chamberlain setting out the medium term financial plan and the proposed service based reviews in order to achieve relevant savings. It was noted that the reviews would include:-
• statutory and non-statutory services;
• the relationship of non-statutory service spend to policy priorities;
• the movement of services between funds; and
• income generation
During discussion support was expressed for the approach outlined above be taken and the following comments were also made:-
• reassurances were sought regarding the robustness of the process to ensure that all areas were critically examined, that areas were not protected and that there was objectivity;
• Members were also keen to see the timetable for bringing the findings back to the Resource Allocation Sub-Committee brought forward to ensure that there was Member involvement at an earlier stage;
• reference was made to income generation, making use of the return on investments and the level of underspend which seemed to occur each year.
Page 130 Members were consequently of the view that whilst it was important to reduce spending by spending wisely it should not be to the detriment of fundamental services.
• reference was also made to prioritisation and it was acknowledged that the nature of the City Corporation and what it was trying to achieve in ensuring the City remained a key international business centre, would have an impact on this.
• Members were reassured that the service reviews would be rigorous. It was intended that the process would include effective bench marking, external challenge and be evidence based.
RESOLVED – that the content of the report be noted and it be recommended to the Policy and Resources Committee that:-
1. the approach to the service based reviews be approved; and
2. the timetable for the outcome of the reviews to be considered by the Resource Allocation Sub-Committee be brought forward to ensure that there was Member involvement at an earlier stage.
4. THE LONDON OFFER
Members received a presentation from the Assistant Town Clerk on the City Corporation’s offer to London. Members were advised that there was already a large number of activities and services the City Corporation provided for London. Its track record in offering services wider than the square mile was good and therefore rather than focussing on what else the City Corporation could offer. Members needed to consider how its current offering was prioritised and whether it could be communicated more effectively to ensure that the City Corporation received sufficient recognition for it.
It was acknowledged that there were areas of the City Corporation’s work on which more emphasis could be placed such as the green spaces and the tree research project, education and employability e.g. the education strategy review and work undertaken on apprenticeships. In progressing this it was important to ensure that departments were joined up e.g. consideration should be given to whether the priorities of the City Bridge Trust aligned with the rest of the organisation. During discussion the following comments were made:-
• the City Corporation needed to continue with its offering to London to ensure that it remained relevant;
• all Members needed to be ambassadors for the City Corporation’s offer to London;
Page 131 • the City Corporation needed to be a good partner but it was important to ensure that it did not make decisions for London but instead sought to work with the boroughs and relevant agencies;
• care would need to be taken over the style and nature of any publicity concerning the activities and services and consideration should be given to whether messages could be more tailored; communication on what the City Corporation does was a continuous exercise;
• it was acknowledged that the NEETs project had been well received and that it was likely that heritage would be a major topic particularly with the forthcoming display of the Magna Carta;
• it was noted that efforts were being made to ensure that more young people were encouraged into the City e.g. the introduction of a programme for spending a day in the City. This would be similar to what some universities offered to schools and academies. It was also noted that, in line with the City Corporation’s ambitions for training and employability, the recently tendered IS contract contained provision for a number of apprenticeships to be made available.
5. OTHER BUSINESS
It was agreed that Officers should look at alternative options for the format of next year’s Awayday so that its business was not spread over two working days and preferably moving from Friday to Saturday.
The meeting ended at 12.30pm .
------CHAIRMAN
Contact Officer: Angela Roach Tel. no. 020 7332 3685 E-mail: [email protected]
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