View
215
Download
2
Category
Tags:
Preview:
DESCRIPTION
City celebration Putting safety first £16bn TRANSPORT SCHEME APPROVED LORD MAYOR’S SHOW Dec 07/Jan 08 CITY POLICE Issue no 61 N E W S A N D K E Y I S S U E S F O R T H E C I T Y O F L O N D O N
Citation preview
cityviewIssue no 61 N E W S A N D K E Y I S S U E S F O R T H E C I T Y O F L O N D O N Dec 07/Jan 08
Ticket to ride£16bn TRANSPORT SCHEME APPROVED
CITY POLICE
Putting safety firstLORD MAYOR’S SHOW
City celebration
www.cityoflondon.gov.uk
C I T Y V I E W2
cityviewmagazineWelcome to cityviewmagazine
C O N T E N T S
C I T Y P E R F O R M A N C E
The City – all together now 3
T H E I N T E R V I E W
Emissary of Whitehall, voice of the City 4L O R D M A Y O R ’ S S H O W
Putting the Show on the road 6C I T Y I N F R A S T R U C T U R E
Crossrail is go! 8H E A L T H
Healthcare – it’s your choice 10C I T Y P O L I C E
Tackling concerns on safety 12A R T S F O C U S
Bitter aftertaste 14A R T S F O C U S
Christmas cracker 15N E W S I N B R I E F
...and finally 16
cityview is the magazine of the City of LondonCorporation, provider of local government,policing and other services for the Square Mile.
Unless otherwise stated in individual features,more information on both the magazine andonline articles is available from the PublicRelations Office address below.
The magazine is available to download fromwww.cityoflondon.gov.uk/cityview. If youwould like a summary of this publication in yourlanguage or in an alternative format such aslarge print, Braille or audio tape, pleasecontact us at
The Public Relations OfficeCity of LondonPO Box 270GuildhallLondon EC2P 2EJ
020 7332 3099pro@cityoflondon.gov.ukwww.cityoflondon.gov.uk
Registered at Stationers’ Hall
Designed by DesignRaphael Ltd
Printed by Empress Litho on
environmentally friendly paper
We welcome, and value, feedback but regret that
correspondence cannot be individually acknowledged.
MAIL ING ENQUIRIES
cityviewmagazine
PO Box 3014,
Romford
Essex RM3 0AS
01708 37 35 32
www.box3014.co.uk
C I T Y V I E W 3
C I T Y P E R F O R M A N C E
The City – all together now
November Capital contribution
Report on London's place in the
economy
Winners take it all Dragon Award winners
announced
OctoberSchool’s out
City firms tap school talent
Be safeYoungsters join ‘responsible
citizen’ scheme
Green houseEco-friendly centre opens at
Burnham Beeches
SeptemberRoute canal
New canal-side office
available to SMEs
Helping handCity Police launch initiative to
tackle rough sleeping
Capital gainMuseum of London
gets cash boost
AugustAll abroad
Immigration boosts London
economy
Team effortLicensing team hits the streets
Be safeYoung City Safe Scheme
launched
The Goldsmiths’ Company
has collected the speeches of
the Queen's Remembrancer,
Master Turner, in a handsome new
brochure 'Within the permitted
variation'. 020 7606 7010
The.clerk@thegoldsmiths.co.uk
This year’s City Business Lecture
hosted by The Marketors Company
was delivered by one of Britain's
most successful entrepreneurs, Sir
Robin Saxby on 'From start-ups to
global stand and beyond.' 01727
824446 clerk@marketors.org
O N L I N E
cityviewmagazineO N L I N E
liverylivedigest
ww
w.c
ityo
flond
on.
go
v.uk
/city
vie
w
The views of City residents and workers are beingsought by The City Together (TCT), the City ofLondon’s Local Strategic Partnership, to help shapethe renewal of its strategy for the future of theSquare Mile.
TCT Chairman Michael Snyder believes “This strategy will build on the City of London’s role as theworld’s leading international financial and businesscentre. It will also help to define how the TCT partnerswill provide high quality, accessible and responsiveservices that benefit our communities, neighbours,London and the nation.”
TCT, which includes the City Corporation andrepresentatives from the public, private, voluntary andcommunity sectors, has used the strategy developed in2004 and looked at current and future challenges, theneeds of City people and how things can be improved byworking together to draft a revised Community Strategy.
As a result the draft Strategy identifies five key themesthat TCT considers will help further advance the City ofLondon as ‘A World Class City which� is competitive and promotes opportunities� supports our communities� protects, promotes and enhances our environment� is vibrant and culturally rich� is safer and stronger.’
Each theme will guide the delivery of actions for anenhanced City and will also affect the work of the City
Corporation and its partners beyond the Square Mile.
Michael Snyder stated that the revised strategy ”will helpshape how we work over the next seven years.We havecreated a consultation draft which should certainly helpto get people thinking. But this is a community strategy,so we would really value everyone’s views – particularlythe business community.The City Together partners havealready been engaging with City stakeholders about theemerging challenges we need to address and thisincluded the successful annual TCT stakeholder eventheld during September (pictured).”
What do you think? Please give your views duringJanuary by going to the new TCT website below.
More information
020 7332 1411
community.strategy@cityoflondon.gov.uk
www.thecitytogether.org
ww
w.c
ityo
flond
on.
go
v.uk
/liv
ery
live
C I T Y V I E W4
Kitty Ussher sees herself as both the emissary ofWhitehall to the City and the voice of the City inWhitehall – “hearing views on problems andbeing an advocate”.
In her first four months as Economic Secretary to theTreasury, her first ministerial post, she met roughly 40 CEOs and chairmen of top City firms – all the topnames among retail and investment banks, theleading insurers and the main representative bodies.She spends at least half a day a week on average in theCity or Canary Wharf, as well as visiting other centressuch as Manchester.
Of course, she has a hard act to follow in Ed Balls.He held the post of City minister for less than 14 months but was seen both as very influential,because of his closeness to Gordon Brown, and as veryactive. Ms Ussher lacks his obvious clout and personalhigh profile, but clearly has both energy and a firmgrasp on City issues – many of which she is familiarwith from her time as chief economist for Britain inEurope and as special adviser to Patricia Hewitt at theold Department for Trade and Industry.
It has not been a quiet time. Working with AlistairDarling, she has been involved in the aftermath of theNorthern Rock affair. Obviously, this has been a“testing-time”, and many lessons have been learnt,but she does not believe there will be “long-termreputation effects on the competitive position”of theCity. “Over the last few years it has been tacitlyrecognised that London has been overtaking NewYork as the dominant financial centre. We wouldclearly not do anything that put its competitiveposition in any danger”. So there will be neither “aknee-jerk reaction of a Sarbanes-Oxley law”nor “therigidity of pan-European regulations”.
Stressing that no one lost any money as a result ofNorthern Rock’s problems, she notes that there arenot only questions about supervision by the FinancialServices Authority, but also about the distinctionbetween the position of retail and wholesaledepositors.
The Treasury has already issued a discussion paper ona revised protection scheme, but,“at this stage, has nopreferred options”. After the consultative period, theGovernment will hold further discussions aboutdetailed proposals in the New Year, with the intentionof bringing in legislation after Easter.The FSA hasalready extended protection to 100 per cent ofdeposits up to £35,000.The discussion now is abouthow much higher the protection limit should go, howthe cost should be spread among banks and deposittaking institutions and whether, as in the USA,depositors should have immediate access to theirfunds while ownership issues are resolved.
This is apart from international discussions abouthow to strengthen the regulatory framework. MsUssher notes, but does not endorse, the complaintmade by Mervyn King about a Brussels directivestopping him quietly coming to the aid of NorthernRock.This point would, she said, be considered inthe review of the lessons.
Ms Ussher sees a particular role on EU issues since
T H E I N T E R V I E W
Peter Riddell of The Times talks to Kitty Ussher, Economic Secretary to the Treasury
Emissary of Whitehall, voice of the City
C I T Y V I E W 5
”Only the Government can represent the City acrossthe EU and to Commission on behalf of the privatesector. Only the Government can be present whencrucial decisions are taken on financial services at Ecofinand other EU bodies”. Her immediate focus is on theimplementation of the Markets in FinancialInstruments Directive (MiFID) which came into effecton November 1. She is pressing to ensure that it is fullyimplemented across the EU since a few member stateshave not taken the necessary actions. She believes thatthe directive, intended to make it much easier to tradesecurities, should result in an increased share for UKcompanies. However, she acknowledges that financialservices currently have to deal with the “transitionalcosts of compliance”.
But she insists that the British Government is notadding to the regulatory burden. Referring back to herown time in the DTI, she does not believe there aremany examples of gold plating. She offers thechallenge: “show me where there is a case of goldplating and we will correct it. I promise to act on all complaints”.
Ms Ussher also defends the controversial tax proposalsin the October Pre-Budget Report. She does notbelieve the proposed change in capital gains tax willhave an adverse effect. She sees no signs of people or companies intending to leave London or notcoming here.
Similarly, she claims there is a good consensus behindthe proposals for taxing resident non-domiciles. “Sincethe payments only kick in after seven years they shouldnot affect middle manager ex-pats with young families– such as Americans working in banking”.
Ms Ussher is also seeking to encourage thedevelopment of London as the centre for carbon
emissions trading in Europe.The current scheme runsout in 2012 and talks are well advanced on the nextgeneration. She is also an enthusiast for Islamic finance,which has been growing very rapidly in recent years.Given London’s expertise in this area and strong ties toAsia and the Middle East, she wants more bond issuesto be made and traded here, with increasing liquidity inUK markets.
Ms Ussher also believes her envoy role involves raisingnon-financial concerns, notably transport. Her firstpublic comments in her new job were about theshortcomings of Heathrow.This is more than a generalmoan, not least because of the length of time requiredto produce solutions, but she wants to hear morespecific worries from business to see what can be donein the short-term.
Many of these issues – transport, Islamic finance,carbon trading and Europe – were highlighted, andtaken forward, at the meeting of the High-Level Groupon City Competitiveness, consisting of financial sectorrepresentatives, including the City Corporation, at 11 Downing Street on November 14.
This autumn brought the long-awaited agreement onthe funding package to allow the Crossrail project to goahead. She pays tribute to the role of the CityCorporation in ensuring that the talks succeeded and inmaking a significant contribution from its own fundsand assisting in delivering additional voluntarycontributions from the largest London businesses.TheGovernment has said it will “offer the City Corporationits support, where necessary, to deliver these additionalcontributions”, but Ms Ussher is not more specificabout what such support might involve in practice.
Ms Ussher is determined to maintain close relationswith the City, saying the City Corporation itself has “anextremely important position with Government,representing its members, and in being a strong,essential, vibrant voice for the community”.
Peter Riddell is Chief Political Commentator
of The Times
Obviously, this has beena “testing-time”, andmany lessons havebeen learnt, but shedoes not believe therewill be “long-termreputation effects onthe competitiveposition” of the City.
quote
As always the military presencewas substantial with a flypast toofficially start the procession andplenty of representation from thethree services as well as theCentral Military Band of theRepublic of Kazakhstan. Thistraditional theme continued withthe involvement of numerouslivery companies, based around
City trades, and the figures of Gogand Magog.
Community floats (many sponsoredby the City of London Corporation)were on hand to demonstrate thecreativity and enthusiasm of youngpeople in the City and on its fringes.Progress, Ekta Project, CopenhagenPlay & Youth Project, SunshineInternational Arts and Icon Theatreall showed the crowds how theirefforts had paid off with displays ofcolour, excitement and vibrancy.
The Lord Mayor’s Welsh rootswere reflected in a number ofentries – the Band of the WelshGuards, Pembrey West WalesAirport, the Welsh AssemblyGovernment and the Welsh LiveryGuild. Further afield the PolishNational Tourist Office and HongKong Economic Trade Office wererepresented, boosting their own
links with the UK and showcasingthe variety of attractions in theircountries.
Both on the outward and returnroutes, the roads were full ofwellwishers, of all ages, withtelevision coverage provided bythe BBC which this year includedfilming of the swearing of the oathof allegiance at the Royal Courts ofJustice – which will be included infootage of next year’s Show.
C I T Y V I E W6
T H E L O R D M A Y O R ’ S S H O W
Putting the Show on the roadIf anyone ever asks what makesthe City unique there is nobetter answer than to watch theLord Mayor’s Show.
Created centuries ago for thenewly elected person in the role to‘show’themselves to the people ithas expanded over time to becomea showcase for all the different
elements that go to make up theSquare Mile.These elements –business, overseas links, heritage,military, community, arts andculture – were all on display in oneform or another in this year’sShow, watched by thousands onthe route, wishing AldermanDavid Lewis well for his year of office.
Although proud of his Welsh roots
he was actually born and raised
in the Far East. He joined City law
firm Norton Rose in 1969 and
since then has risen through the
ranks to Chairman and Senior
Partner and is now a Consultant.
He became Alderman of the
Ward of Broad Street in 2001 and
Sheriff in 2006. He is married to
Theresa and has a son, Tom, and
daughter, Suzannah.
The theme for this year’s Lord
Mayor’s Appeal is to “invest in
healthy lives, healthy vision and
healthy future”. Under this
banner the two main
beneficiaries will be Wellbeing of
Women – the only UK charity
dedicated to solving health
problems that solely affect
women – and Orbis – whose aim
is to reduce avoidable blindness
by working with local partners to
ensure affordable eye care is
available to all.
The Lord Mayor heads the City of
London Corporation. The main
function of the role is as a
dedicated ambassador
promoting the Square Mile as the
world’s leading international
financial and business centre.
Alderman David Lewis Is the 680th Lord Mayor of the City of London
More information including a biography of the Lord Mayor
020 7332 3099, pro@cityoflondon.gov.uk
www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/lordmayor
7C I T Y V I E W
Mind the gapWho contributes what
The Government has agreed
to contribute £5.6bn.
Transport for London has agreed
to contribute £7.7bn. This figure
will be achieved through a
variety of means including
‘prudential borrowing’, a
supplement of 2p per pound
on properties with a rateable
value above £50,000, developer
contributions (particularly
those who develop in the
vicinity of Crossrail stations) and
the new statutory London
Planning Charge.
Just over £2.5bn will be provided
from other sources including
Network Rail. The City of London
Corporation will make a
significant contribution to this
sum from its own funds, and will
assist in delivering additional
voluntary contributions from the
largest London businesses. The
Government will offer the City
Corporation its support, where
necessary, to deliver these
additional contributions. British
Airports Authority has also
agreed in principle to make a
financial contribution.
The Government is to
publish a White Paper
by 2010 to introduce a power
for local authorities
to raise supplementary
business rates to fund
economic development.
C I T Y V I E W8
C I T Y I N F R A S T R U C T U R E
It may have been a long time arriving but the Crossrail project was finally given theofficial go ahead with October’s announcementby the Government of a funding package for it to proceed.
It marks the end of a campaign by the CityCorporation stretching almost 20 years to get the cross-London rail route built and will offermuch needed relief to London’s overstretchedtransport network.
Chairman of the City’s Policy & ResourcesCommittee Michael Snyder was one of the key
players in getting the project agreed. “Therewere times when it seemed it would never
get the go-ahead despite few being able todispute its benefits. We have continued tohammer the message home over the yearsand the cost-benefit ratio increasedsignificantly during that time, bolstering
our argument. As always with capitalprojects of this magnitude, it came down to
the issue of money and the contributionexpected from different quarters.
“The final result is a partnership project in thetruest sense of the word with government,ourselves, the GLA, the business community andcommuters all helping to fund the development.”
Crossrail is go!
It is expected that Crossrail will add a net benefit of £30bn to UK GDP over 60 years andcontribute £12bn in tax revenues but moresignificant for commuters will be the reductions inovercrowding achieved.� All underground lines (except the Northern) will
see a decrease in passengers and 10% reductionaveraged over the network
� The biggest reduction will be on the Central Line (30%)
� Reductions will also occur westbound on the District Line between east and centralLondon; eastbound on the Piccadilly Linebetween west and central London; southboundon the Bakerloo Line between Paddington andOxford Circus; eastbound on theMetropolitan/Hammersmith and City/Circle linesbetween Paddington and Moorgate; and theWaterloo & City line.
Crossrail will also provide relief on overcrowding on the most affected sections of the National Rail network.� Services to Liverpool Street� Services into Fenchurch Street, Charing Cross,
Cannon Street and Waterloo� Relief of Great Eastern and London, Tilbury &
Southend lines into Liverpool Street andFenchurch Street and,
� Relief of North Kent lines into London Bridge,Charing Cross and Cannon Street.
As a result, the project will help address one of thelongstanding criticisms of the capital – its transportinfrastructure. A recent survey showed that 70% of people considered good international airconnections as critical for business travel by staff;and 92% of respondents considered improvementof surface access and fast train links to the City to becritical or very important. Transport delays to theCity of London alone currently equate to around£1m per business day.
Capacity building is a key aim of the project with
employment in London forecast to increase to fivemillion by 2016 which will place particular demandon public transport. Growth on the Undergroundhas already reached 980 million passengers peryear, almost double the 500 million achieved in1983 based almost entirely on the new provision ofthe Jubilee Line Extension and crowding increaseson existing capacity.
The other funded mainline rail capacityenhancement is the Thameslink Project – a north-south railway which will increase capacity on existing rail lines. Crossrail will providecompletely new direct links between the City andHeathrow, Canary Wharf, Abbey Wood andMaidenhead.
The City is highly dependent on rail to bring in itsworkforce with over 88% using rail on a typicalweekday. Existing National Rail and Undergroundlines serving the City are running at capacity withregular peak overcrowding on commuter servicesinto Liverpool Street and on the Central Line inparticular.
But all this is only the first step in a lengthy project.The City Corporation now has to secure theadditional £150m funding from businessesthroughout London – particularly those close to theproposed line and therefore likely to benefit.
Michael Snyder will be approaching these andother organisations in the near future to see howthey can contribute to the monetary target.He is hopeful that the largest London businesseswill support this vital project “considering we have all been pushing for this project for almosttwo decades.”
C I T Y V I E W 9
The next steps
2008Royal Assent
2009Enabling works
2010Construction begins
2017First services commence
Stop us if you’ve heard this one
before… Cityview champions
Crossrail across the years
C I T Y V I E W10
H E A L T H
Healthcare – it’s your choicePrevention is better than cure goes the saying. That’s the City Corporation’s concernwhen it comes to healthcare in the Square Mileand beyond.
While it is not responsibile for primary healthcare, itdoes have specialist areas in the Community andChildren’s Service Department – Social Work, AdultCommunity Learning and Sports Development –that work to promote healthier lifestyles.
Whether it’s encouraging free flu jabs, the Young atHeart initiative or the fight against childhood obesity,teams from these areas are working to ensure thatpeople stay as healthy as possible.
This work includes Education staff going into schoolsto talk to pupils and parents about the need for ahealthier lifestyle. For those unable to prepare hotmeals, the City’s Meals on Wheels service is hopingto provide healthier options while ‘food deserts’(housing with no access to shops that sell healthyfood) are also being addressed. And the City’sHomecare team is focusing more on ‘re-ablement’–getting people to do things for themselves andmaking them self-reliant.
But the City Corporation’s work is only a small part of healthcare in the City. Its objectives and thoseof hospitals and other health service providers flow from the City’s Community Strategy whichbrings together different providers to pool resources,set common targets and focus money and efforts inkey areas.
Funding for primary healthcare in the Square Mile isprovided by City and Hackney Primary Care Trust.It also holds the money for health services in its area and commissions GPs, pharmacists,dentists, optometrists, mental health and hospitalservices.The Trust is responsible for providingservices such as care in the community, healthvisitors and district nurses.
The PCT recognises that residents in the east of theCity do not have a surgery close by but they areserved by practices in Tower Hamlets (eg Spitalfields
Health Centre). In addition Tower Hamlets PCT isworking with the City Corporation to bring anoutreach clinic to the Mansell Street estate to helpmake primary care more accessible.
In the City there are nine dentists, 17 pharmacists,12 optometrists and a commuter walk-in centre atLiverpool Street.This has been set up to deal withnon-urgent and unscheduled care and the PCT is keenfor City people, workers and residents alike, to realisethat no appointments are necessary in the centre(there are also walk-in centres at Homerton and theRoyal London Hospitals).To contact a GP out of hoursanother option is Camidoc.This can be accessed bycalling your GP surgery (which may well be openanyway) which will divert to Camidoc. A GP will givetelephone advice, invite you to the out of hours centrefor a consultation or arrange a home visit for urgentcases.This is in addition to the existing NHS Direct.
All these options link in with the theme of ‘choice’asthe buzzword in healthcare these days – both choice ofthe most appropriate first contact for your problemand choice of hospital for specific treatment later on.When visiting your GP they should offer four placesfor further treatment. It’s then down to the individualto decide where they prefer to go.The Department ofHealth has a website to compare services(www.nhschoices.nhs.uk).This could be based on themost convenient location but it could also becleanliness rates, parking facilities or outcomes – mostof which can be checked by visiting hospital websites.
For minor injuries, Barts has a dedicated unit based inits Outpatients Wing on Giltspur Street.The unit isstaffed by nurse practitioners who treat cuts andgrazes, minor burns and scalds, bites and stings,strains and sprains, minor head injuries, minor eye orear problems. Patients needing more urgent treatmentare assessed and referred to the appropriate specialityservice or to A&E.
Despite the fact that the Accident & Emergencyfacility at Barts closed more than 10 years ago, somepeople still believe that they will be taken there inan emergency. In fact these days there are twonearby A&E options for City people – Homerton or
Homerton Hospital’smany specialistservices includematernity, fertility,obesity surgery,keyhole surgery, foetal scanning,children’s services,sexual health and diabetes.
C I T Y V I E W 11
the Royal London in Whitechapel. Homerton has2,200 staff and a turnover of £150m, which with itsFoundation status means it can keep any surplusand invest it back in the hospital. Its ‘operating’areais Hackney and North London and its manyspecialist services include maternity, fertility, obesitysurgery, keyhole surgery, foetal scanning,children’sservices, sexual health and diabetes.
To get there from the City, the best single bus is the242 from Cheapside but it is also only two stops onthe new London Overground from Stratford.Thehospital is working to convince people that it is moreaccessible than they think and is a genuine alternativeto the Royal London with the speed in which patientsare seen. Homerton is also the nominated hospital forthe 2012 Olympics and it is already involved inpreparation for the Games.
The Royal London is part of Barts and the LondonNHS Trust which also runs Barts and The LondonChest Hospital in Bethnal Green. It provides generalhospital services to the City and east London as wellas more specialist services for local people and thosefrom further afield.The Royal London’s A&Edepartment is part of the capital’s leading trauma andemergency care centre. It includes a helipad forLondon’s air ambulance and comprehensive carewith full consultant cover at night. Barts and theLondon’s other specialist services include flagshipcancer and cardiac services, a leading children’shospital and a fertility clinic.
Barts and the Royal London are currently undergoinga £1bn redevelopment to provide state-of-the-artfacilities for patients. Both hospitals are scheduled forcompletion by 2015 with the new cancer facility at
Barts ready by 2010. Phase 2 of the Bart’sredevelopment will include the full transfer of theservices currently provided at the London ChestHospital, including the Heart Attack Centre, meaningthat heart attack victims in the City will be taken byambulance straight to Bart’s.
While the hospitals are not in competition – there aremore than enough patients to go round – the issue ofpatient choice means that more than ever yourhealthcare choices can be in your own hands.
Artist’s impressions of
how Barts and the
Royal London will
look after their
redevelopment
More information
www.nhschoices.nhs.uk
www.bartsandthelondon.nhs.uk
www.homerton.nhs.uk
www.chpct.nhs.uk
Your own GP
Or if you don’t have one call
‘find a doc’ on 020 7683 4645
NHS Direct
0845 4647
Camidoc
020 7388 5800
6.30pm – 8am (Mon-Fri);
24 hours (Sat-Sun and bank
holidays)
Commuter Walk-in Centre
Liverpool St
0845 8801242
Exchange Arcade,
Bishopsgate EC2M 3WA
7am to 7pm (Mon-Fri)
Minor Injuries Unit at Barts
020 7601 7407
8am-8pm (Mon-Fri;
closed bank holidays)
A&E
Homerton or
Royal London Hospitals
24 hrs, seven days a week,
walk-in
Som
eth
ing
for e
very
one
C I T Y V I E W12
More than four out of five workers feel safe walking around the Square Mile after dark, according to the results of a recent survey of City workers’ views. That’s notsurprising, because the Square Mile remainsone of the safest places to live and work in the country.
Crime in the City of London has, in fact, fallen fiveyears in a row. Less than 8,000 crimes wererecorded last year - a reduction of around 20% ofcrimes over the period.
Yet, despite the reassuring statistics, it is clear that,in keeping with people living in many other parts ofthe UK, some City residents and workers think thatcrime in the area is going up, not down.
Assistant Commissioner Frank Armstrong managesthe City Police’s response to crime across the City.“I believe that fear of crime is perpetuated byextensive coverage in the media. We live in a worldof 24-hour news so anything that does happen iscomprehensively repeated, which can make thesituation appear worse than it actually is.
“The City is certainly busier than ever – particularly inthe evenings – but we’d say that it’s because it’s safe,that it’s so popular.
“However, the City is changing and we are well awarethat residents in certain parts of the City are not happyabout the growing night-time economy. We arecommitted to doing all we can to make sure thatresidents feel safe and anti-social behaviour isminimised.“
In January, Shadans became the first bar in the City’shistory to have its licence permanently revoked forgross mismanagement – and the Force has pledgedthat other bars will face the same penalty if they don’tfollow the rules.
City Police Inspector Matt Burgess states that as aForce “We work in partnership with licensees acrossthe City to ensure that they are encouraging safedrinking in a safe environment.
“The closure of Shadans clearly shows the robustapproach which we will take with any licensees whodo not manage their premises responsibly and
C I T Y P O L I C E
Tackling concerns on safety
threaten the safety of their patrons as a result.”
The Safety Thirst awards scheme, introduced in2005, gives pubs and clubs across the City theopportunity to demonstrate that they encourage safedrinking in a safe environment, so customers canfeel confident of enjoying a relaxed evening out.Thisincludes initiatives such as having a strict doorpolicy; ensuring staff are well trained; providinglicensed taxi numbers for customers and cuttingback on cheap alcohol promotions that encouragebinge drinking.
Well over 100 pubs and clubs in the Square Mile are currently members of the scheme, organizedjointly by the City Police and the City of LondonCorporation. A list of venues that belong to thescheme can be found on the police website (details below).
Although it may not be physically threatening,low-level crime such as anti-social behaviour canseriously affect quality of life and people’sperception of how safe their area is. Communitypolicing has always been a cornerstone of the City Force’s policing style, but it has recentlygone one step further by introducing the Safer CityWards initiative.
Each of the City’s 25 wards now belongs to one ofsix clusters, which have their own dedicated policeofficers, Police Community Support Officers(PCSOs) and cycle officers operating across the area.
The initiative aims to make it easier for the Force to
understand the community’s needs and issues and,therefore, work in partnership with otherorganisations to solve problems such as graffiti,skateboarding and general nuisance.
Ward policing officer, Acting Sgt Mark Dilliwayexplained: “We’ve always had a good system ofneighbourhood policing in the City, but we nowhave the ability to more readily identify problems -through community meetings, for example - anddeal with them.
“The problems residents complain most aboutinclude anti-social behaviour, shoplifting, graffitiand rough sleepers. If it’s important to thecommunity it’s important to us and we will try towork in partnership with other organisations to deal with it.
“When people see us doing something about theseissues it makes them feel safer and reduces their fearof what’s going on in the community.”
With hundreds of thousands of people passingthrough the City each day and an average of lessthan 22 crimes committed each day, the chances ofbecoming a victim are very slight.
It is, however, well documented that criminals select their targets carefully.Therefore, personalawareness can go a long way towards ensuring thatyou remain safe.
More information
www.cityoflondon.police.uk
Tips to ensure you stay safe,
wherever you are.
� You will be safest in bright, well
lit and busy areas.
� Try to look and act confident -
look like you know where you
are going and walk tall.
� Spread your valuables around
your body (eg keep your
phone in your bag and your
money in your jacket).
� If someone tries to take
something from you, it may be
better to let them take it rather
than risk injury.
� You can use reasonable force
in self-defence.
� Shout 'fire' rather than 'help' - it
can get more results.
� If you use a wheelchair, keep
your things beside you rather
than at the back of the chair.
� Talking on your mobile
phone or carrying a laptop
show thieves that you are
worth robbing.
� When out walking or jogging,
do not listen to a personal
stereo through headphones,
so you can stay more alert to
your surroundings.
C I T Y V I E W 13
C I T Y V I E W14
A R T S F O C U S
Bitter aftertaste
The Museum of London
meanwhile continues to stay up
late on the first Thursday of every
month and shows no sign of
getting tired. When darkness
descends, after-hours art and
culture begins.
It is the perfect chance to relax
at the end of a long day, meet
friends and family and enjoy the
museum’s cultural offerings. The
Museum has played host to a
range of nights; from an evening
of medieval merriment complete
with gallery tours and a hog
roast, to having a laugh in odd
places as comedians stood
amongst the exhibits to make
people giggle. Jonty Stern, star
Big Brother 8, also made a return
trip to his former employer to give
his own Big Tour of the Museum.
Log on to the Museum website to
watch a Big Tour he recorded.
Put the next late date in your
diary and head to the Museum
of London after work – avoid the
commuter crush and have a
great night out!
More information
www.museumindocklands.org.uk/slavery
More information on late nights
www.museumoflondon.org.uk,
and www.firstthursdays.co.uk and www.lates.org
The new permanent gallery at
the Museum in Docklands,
co-funded by the City of London
Corporation, may leave a sweet
and sour taste in the mouth as it
reveals the City’s untold history
and involvement in the
transatlantic slave trade.
London, Sugar & Slavery shows
how London merchants were
at the heart of the British
colonisation of the West Indies,
where they introduced the
cultivation of sugar for export.
By the 1790s a quarter of
Britain’s income came from
imports from the West Indies and
most of it landed in London.
An incalculable amount of
London’s wealth, business and
buildings was founded on the
profits from slavery. From
Jamaica Road to the Bank of
England, from the merchant
houses of Blackheath to
the National Gallery, profits
from this lucrative trade shaped
the metropolis.
Not all Londoners profited from,
or supported, the transatlantic
slave trade. Alongside the work
of the Quakers, Thomas Clarkson
and William Wilberforce, was the
work of ‘The Clapham Sect’, so
called because most of them
lived around Clapham Common.
By the 1790s this group became
the leading abolition activists.
James Stephen was a skilled
lawyer and active member who
went on to draft the 1807
Abolition of the Slave Trade Act.
The campaign was the first in
which women played a leading
role, and they radicalised the
movement. When they
advocated the boycott of
West India-grown sugar, sales
dropped by a third. Everyday
objects were used to
encourage alternatives to
West Indian sugar and some
sympathisers gave up
completely. Both are early
examples of consumer power.
London’s involvement in slavery
and the slave trade had
important consequences for the
capital and the nation. The
gallery challenges what people
think they know about slavery
and dispels the myth that
London was a minor player.Sugar bowl, circa 1825
An example ofan abolition
purse
December means that it’s time for
the Barbican’s pantomime once
again.
“Oh no it isn’t!”
That, and other long established
routines, may well be recycled but
as all regular panto goers know,
it’s not the story, it’s how it’s told.
In this case, the Barbican, owned
and run by the City of London
Corporation, is presenting the
tale of Jack and the Beanstalk
featuring a cast of favourite
characters including the hero
himself, his mother Dame Dolly
Deluxe, Fairy Liquid, King
Norman, his beautiful daughter
Princess Melody and of course
the dreaded giant!
Find out what happens
when Jack swaps his
family’s last possession, Daisy
the cow, for a handful of
magic beans. Whatever
happens there will be songs,
laughs, groans,
romance, danger,
excitement and, of
course, everything will
end happily ever after.
A R T S F O C U S
Nicholas Kenyon has now
taken up his post as the new
Managing Director of the City
of London’s Barbican Centre.
He was formerly Controller,
BBC Proms, Live Events and TV
Classical Music at the BBC,
and succeeds Sir John Tusa
who retired in August after 12
years at the helm.
Produced by
barbicanbite07,
this is the
Barbican’s
second
pantomime
following the
success of last
year’s Dick
Whittington & his
Cat. The cast
features Helen Baker,
Ashley Campbell,
Jack Chissick, Steve
Furst, Mel Giedroyc,
Andy Gray, Tony
Jawawardena,
Suzanne Shaw
and Shelley
Williams.
The production is written by
Jonathan Harvey, an award-
winning writer for theatre,
television and film currently
working on a film, produced by
Simon Cowell, about contestants
in a TV singing competition. Giles
Havergal is an accomplished,
Olivier award-winning theatre
and opera director. George Stiles
and Anthony Drew have co-
written five musicals, most
recently the new songs,
additional music and lyrics, vocal
and dance arrangements for
Mary Poppins.
To complement Jack and the
Beanstalk, Barbican Education
has created an extensive
programme which includes
online classroom resources,
hands-on family workshops and a
tour of 16 schools with a specially
commissioned improvisation
project.
Jack and the Beanstalk plays
until Saturday 12 January 2008
and London’s family pantomime
promises to be the stalk of the
town [groan]!
Christmas cracker
More information
0845 120 7550, 9am – 8pm daily
www.barbican.org
C I T Y V I E W16
N E W S I N B R I E F
As promised this time last year,
development is well underway
on new retail outlets along or
close to Cheapside. Between
now and 2012 this retail area will
increase to around 1.5m square
feet (44% of which will be new
space). Millions of pounds are
being invested in Cheapside
and surrounding streets on 12
new building schemes creating
167 new retail units.
This is as a result of the City
Corporation's planning policies
and its City Property Advisory
Team (CPAT) has been working
to attract new retailers to the
City while liaising with
developers to minimise
disruption to the public.
One Wood Street scheme is due
for completion at the end of
2007. Jaeger is already open
and Ted Baker has signed up for
a 4000 sq ft scheme in addition
to River Island, with its first City
store, taking 5000 sq ft. The
20,000 sq ft of retail at Bow Bells
house is also scheduled for
completion this month.
Spring 2007 will see the
completion of further retail
development schemes in
Cheapside including 1 Old
Jewry (11,000 sq ft), 150
Cheapside (26, 000 sq ft) and
107 Cheapside (30,000 sq ft).
One New Change scheme
(above), adjacent to St Paul’s
Cathedral, will house 220,000 sq
ft of retail on three levels and
is scheduled for delivery in
autumn 2010.
Retail rejuvenation
throughout the Square Mile, will
reduce the amount of water
mains bursts across the City’s
network and allow quicker
recovery, reducing interruptions
to supplies. It will also improve
Thames Water’s ability to move
water to where there is the most
demand and reduce leakage
levels by around 20%.
Occupiers of buildings likely to be
affected have been contacted
to ensure that necessary booster
pumps are in place. Thames
Water will contribute half the cost
of design and installation to
building owners who need to
install pumps. It can also offer an
interest free loan for the
remaining 50% for a period of five
years or will undertake and fund
the design, purchase and
installation of pumps on the
owner's behalf (on the basis that
the owner pay 50% of the costs,
free of interest, after five years).
More information
0845 9200 800 or
network-improvement@
thameswater.co.uk
Under pressure
Thames Water is undertaking a
Network Improvement
Programme which will gradually
stabilise water pressure
throughout the City from
December 2007 to March 2008.
The programme, one of several
projects to improve and sustain
the water supply infrastructure
Fair enough
...and finally
The City of London has
become a Fairtrade Zone,
campaigning for a better
deal for producers in the
developing world by
promoting and supporting
Fairtrade products.
The City of London’s bid for
Fairtrade status focused on its
position as a business hub, with
many of the major workplaces
in the Square Mile including
The Gherkin, Barbican Centre,
Linklaters, Lloyd’s of London,
Aviva, KPMG and the Bank of
England, becoming a part of
the Fairtrade Zone and using
Fairtrade products. Working
with Matrix Knowledge Group,
the Fairtrade steering group is
setting up a web portal and
questionnaire through which
businesses in the area can
pledge their commitment
to Fairtrade.
The City’s application was
approved by the Fairtrade
Foundation, after businesses,
community organisations,
schools and faith groups were
brought together to meet the
criteria for Fairtrade status.
To be recognized the City had
to make a substantial
commitment to the promotion
and use of Fairtrade products,
both at local service provider
level and in shops, businesses
and community centres.
More information
fairtrade@cityoflondon.gov.uk
www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/
fairtrade
Recommended