cityviewIssue no 60 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 August 2007

The CityabroadBUSINESS CITY PROMOTION

THE CITY BRIDGE TRUST

Money isn’t everythingCITY LIVERY COMPANIES

Linking with education

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

Corporate Assessment on the way 3

T H E I N T E R V I E W

Regulation is key for expansion 4C I T Y E L E C T I O N S

Taking register 6S T A K E H O L D E R O P I N I O N S

Your views count 7B U S I N E S S C I T Y P R O M O T I O N

The City abroad 8L I V E R Y L I V E

Schools and the City 10T H E C I T Y B R I D G E T R U S T

Knowledge more valuable than money 12A R T S F O C U S

Stay up late for the Rush Hour 14A R T S F O C U S

Don’t panic! 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 governmentservices 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 inyour language or in an alternative formatsuch as large print, Braille or audio tape,please contact 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

Corporate Assessment on the way

JulyNo smoke, no fire

City stubs out smoking

On the upMonument gets a make over

Sign offCity signs climate change

declaration

JuneLoud speaker

City Police launches new public

warning system

On courseFamily Learning Room opens at

Sir John Cass School

Sale priceWholesale financial services

contribution to EU

MayOpen way

Results of London financial

markets survey revealed

On the moveCity scoops top transport award

AprilAir today

New pollution alert service

launched

Going greenCity funds research to tackle

climate change

City indexReport shows London is top in

competitiveness index

The Stationers’ and

Newspaper Makers’ Company

held a special industry event in

May to commemorate the 450th

anniversary of the granting of its

Royal Charter. 020 7841 2957

www.stationers.org

The Merchant Taylors’

Company’s Golden Shears trophy

for tailoring students and

apprentices has been won by

Roxanne Jones from Savile Row

tailors Dege & Skinner. 020 7450 4440

www.merchanttaylors.co.uk

O N L I N E

cityviewmagazineO N L I N E

liverylivedigest

www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/cityview www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/liverylive

For two weeks in September the CityCorporation will be under the microscope asinspectors from the Audit Commission conducttheir Corporate Assessment of the organisationby quizzing the City’s diverse stakeholders.

Unlike the annual work they carry out, the inspectorswill be looking in depth at how well the CityCorporation works with its partners to improveservices and deliver on targets.

Chairman of Policy & Resources Michael Snyderbelieves inspectors will get the widest possiblepicture of the City Corporation’s performance.“Theywill be gauging opinions from residents, workers,partners and employees using different methods –such as focus groups and telephone interviews.”

The City Corporation will be judged on all threemain strands of its work.Supporting and promoting the business city –lobbying for and supplying improvements toinfrastructure and the physical environment (such asthe WiFi network and Crossrail); promotion in theUK and abroad of UK based financial services; andpolice service provision with a specific business focus(counter terrorism and fraud prevention)Services for communities – libraries; environmental health; social services;education; parks and gardens

Valued services for London and the nation – the Barbican Centre and Guildhall School of Music & Drama; London’s Port Health Authority;Open Spaces; and urban regeneration work in theCity fringe.

Still on the theme of working with partners, underThe City Together umbrella, the City’s servicesproviders (including the City Corporation) havenegotiated a Local Area Agreement withGovernment which sets out top shared prioritiesover the next three years.

The Agreement forms part of the The City Together’saction plan and strengthens partnerships, alignsresources and streamlines performance to focus on15 outcomes closely linked to the City’s CommunityStrategy themes.

The more challenging targets will attract a rewardgrant if achieved which in turn will be reinvested inpartnership work.

More information

on the corporate assessment at

cpa@cityoflondon.gov.uk

or www.audit-commission.gov.uk/cpa

and on the Local Area Agreement at

community.strategy@cityoflondon.gov.uk

or www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/consultation

C I T Y V I E W4

London is now the seventh largest French city inthe world, and Jean-Francois Theodore hasbecome one of the most influential imports fromacross the Channel – even though he is only herefor an average of three or four days a month.

Theodore spent the first half of his career in theFrench Treasury and the last 17 years in the world ofstock markets. He is now deputy chief executiveofficer of NYSE Euronext, the trans-continentalcompany created by the merger in April of the NewYork Stock Exchange and Euronext, the Paris andAmsterdam based grouping of several Europeanbourses which includes the Liffe (LondonInternational Financial Futures Exchange) derivativesand futures operation.

Theodore says the new company is “working fine”with a balance of European and Americans.

The management committee works on a cycle of onemeeting in the US, one in Europe and two by videoconference.The main gains will come from costsavings in IT.

Brokers using the exchanges will see advantages fromusing the same trading system so that Europeans will,he hopes, find it easier to work in US markets, andAmericans will find it easier to work in Europeanmarkets.The new company has getting on for 600members, of whom 400 are from the NYSE and just227 from Euronext, with 38 already operating on bothsides of the Atlantic.The plan is that the creation of acommon platform in a couple of years’time will leadto a 20 per cent increase in the cash equity business.

There is potential for cross-selling with the sale ofLiffe products in the US since the NYSE ispredominantly a cash equities exchange with an

T H E I N T E R V I E W

Peter Riddell of The Times talks to Jean-Francois Theodore – Chairman/CEO Euronext LIFFE

Regulation is key for expansion

Financial marketsbased in London willremain under Britishregulators, whatevertheir ultimate ownership

C I T Y V I E W 5

options business. Similarly, the cash equities side inEurope should gain from the US link.

The key, however, is regulation. Many companies donot want to get tied up in the onerous, post-Enron,Sarbanes-Oxley legislation by coming within thescope of the US Securities and Exchange Commission(SEC).This does not apply to derivates and futurestrading which is separately regulated by theCommodity Futures Trading Commission.

Theodore stresses the efforts being taken to ensureseparate regulation of the NYSE and Euronext,pointing to the meetings between the SEC and thecollege of the five main European regulators. He isinsistent that barriers have been built in to protectagainst “regulatory over-spill”. A complicated truststructure has been set up in Amsterdam, where thecompany is registered, to provide for the de-couplingof Euronext as a last resort to protect against anyincursion of US regulators. Legislation was approvedin Britain earlier this year to ensure that financialmarkets based in London will remain under Britishregulators, whatever their ultimate ownership.

He is diplomatically silent about the continuedspeculation over the future ownership of the LondonStock Exchange, and its tangled relationship withNasdaq. He notes, however, that the pace ofrestructuring and competition is increasing betweenfinancial markets and exchanges across the world, forinstance, the merger of the two Chicago futuresmarkets. He clearly feels that NYSE-Euronext is well-placed to handle such competition.

Regulation remains the key to the expansion of NYSEEuronext.Theodore says relations are good withEuropean regulators, whom he believes are doing agood job.The immediate priority is the newarrangements for clearing and settlements now beingdiscussed by the European Commission.

The company is looking to expand further in Asia,where markets are developing very fast.The aim is todevelop a sizeable presence in America, Europe andAsia.The pace of development in Asia is affected bythe regulators.There are restrictions in a number ofcountries on selling products and, particularly, on thescale of foreign ownership. In India regulators restrictthe percentage of a stock exchange which can beowned by foreign investors.

Liffe already operates in 32 countries and has

extended its opening hours to 1am London time topermit the participation of more Asian countries.There are arcades allowing internet access in sixdifferent cities in India.

Since the business of Liffe is now entirely done viacomputer, why, I asked, does it have to be based in avery expensive property in the City? His reply isreassuring. London is “the best place without adoubt”.There is no question of moving Liffe anywhereelse. Many of its main customers, corporate treasurersof international companies, are based in London; soare the experts in devising new derivative and futures’contracts and in evolving new business.Theodoretalks of a hub and spokes approach, the hub being theLiffe offices in the London, and the spokes reachingout to points throughout the world where customerscan connect with Liffe.

He believes that, despite the development of off-exchange dealing, there will still be a need for marketslike Liffe which are now IT based and constantlyworking to improve the speed of dealing.

Euronext is also based in Paris and Amsterdam, butTheodore praises the virtues of London as “a verylively city”,“a very good city to meet the people I needto meet”. He acknowledges the security threat butsays that it is the same everywhere, Wall Streetobviously after 9/11, but also the rest of Europe.

His main criticism of London is the increasinglycommon one over Heathrow and the time it takes toget through the airport. He hopes that the fifthterminal will reduce some of the problems. As atraveller from Paris, he more frequently uses LondonCity airport or Eurostar.

Theodore believes that the City Corporation plays “a useful role in developing the exchange of ideas”through its committees looking at Europeanregulations; and in promoting the City abroad.

What impact, I wondered, would the election ofNicolas Sarkozy as French President have? Theodorebelieves the new administration will be pro-markets,noting Nicolas Sarkozy’s visit to London during the election campaign – another example of asuccessful Frenchman making an impact in theEnglish speaking world.

Peter Riddell is Chief Political Commentator

of The Times

London is "the bestplace without adoubt". There is noquestion of movingLiffe anywhere else.

C I T Y V I E W6

As well as ensuring you have, or if you are abusiness voter your organisation has, a say inhow the City Corporation provides its services, apackage of incentives is available to encouragepeople to register and register early.

Launched last year, the incentives were designed as a‘thank you’ for those returning their registration formsas quickly as possible.The forms are sent out toresidents and businesses in August and Septemberand chasing non-responders can take a lot of time.

As a result the City put together ‘rewards’ for thoseresponding early and is repeating the offers this year.For resident and business voters – voters tickets are available for events at the Barbican.For organisations – there is the chance to use one of the CityCorporation’s prestigious venues free of charge(Morley Fund Management and the Benfield Groupwon use of Tower Bridge last year).For points of contact within businesses – there is the offer of attending a reception at MansionHouse (more than 200 people were entertained therefollowing last year’s offer).

Getting eligible voters to return their registrationforms (and for residents, their Register of Electors

form) is vital for the City to compile an accurateelectoral register. Having as accurate a register aspossible means that City elections will be trulyrepresentative of the Square Mile’s population andwill help ensure that the City Corporation is providingthe services you want in the way you want them.

These days compiling an accurate register is moredifficult than ever given the amount of property beingredeveloped into state-of-the-art business premisesor shopping facilities. Existing tenants moving out tomake way for these developments and new occupierscoming into the Square Mile make assembling the electoral register a labour intensive task for theCity Occupiers Database team.The incentivespackage is one way to get voters responding but also saves the Team continually chasing thosecontacts for a response.

But apart from preserving the right to vote, beingregistered also means keeping in touch with what ishappening in the Square Mile and how the CityCorporation is working on your behalf. cityview andward newsletters are automatically sent to voters whoare also offered the chance to get involved inconsultation on key issues. In the past these haveranged from transport to shopping, green spaces topolicing and recycling to the street scene.

So keep your right to vote, have your say on Cityissues and claim your ‘reward’ for responding early!

C I T Y E L E C T I O N S

Taking register

More information

0800 587 5537

electoralservices@cityoflondon.gov.uk

www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/voting

S T A K E H O L D E R O P I N I O N S

Your views count

C I T Y V I E W 7

More information

on the survey and about joining the

City Workers Consultation Panel

consultation@cityoflondon.gov.uk or

www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/consultation

on volunteering in the City

www.citycomm.org.uk

How the City Corporation and

City Police plan and prioritise

their services depends to a large

extent on the views of their

stakeholders. Whether it is

residents, City businesses or

partners – they all have a view on

how and where resources should

be used.

In February and March it was the

turn of City workers to give their

views on a range of issues

affecting the Square Mile.

Almost 600 workers were

surveyed by independent

researchers Ipsos MORI. This

included members of the City

Workers Consultation Panel.

Key points from the survey

were that

■ workers continue to feel that

improving counter terrorism

measures should be the top

priority of the City of London

Police

■ despite actual crime figures

decreasing in the Square Mile,

workers are slightly more likely to

feel that crime has increased

(16%) than decreased (9%) over

the last two years

■ 83% of workers feel safe when

walking on their own in the City

after dark – up on last year

■ around four in five workers are

satisfied with street cleaning.

However, more than two in five

are dissatisfied with the control of

pollution from construction sites

and street works, such as noise

and dust. This reflects the high

level of demolition and

construction work taking place in

the City at present.

■ about one in five workers has

taken part in voluntary work in

the last 12 months. Lack of time is

the biggest barrier to

volunteering, while having more

information about organisations

and opportunities would be the

best form of encouragement

■ of the one in five City workers

with children under the age of

16, the biggest barriers to

accessing childcare are

considered to be cost (24%) and

flexibility of childcare services

(16%). Flexible working hours and

the ability to work from home are

the forms of childcare support

which would best suit their needs

■ well over half of City workers

undertake moderate exercise at

least three times a week – the

Government’s recommended

amount for a healthy lifestyle.

These results, along with those

from the City Corporation’s many

other consultation channels, will

be fed into future policy making.

C I T Y V I E W8

B U S I N E S S C I T Y P R O M O T I O N

The City abroad

There’s nothing like a little local knowledge goesthe saying and the City of London Corporationhas certainly taken that maxim to heart byestablishing further representation overseasfollowing the success of the City Office inBrussels.

The Office will celebrate its third birthday when ithosts its annual reception in the European Parliamentin Brussels in October. The wide range of guestsattending these events has been a mark of the Office’ssuccess believes Michael Snyder, Chairman of theCity Corporation’s Policy & Resources Committee.“One of its main roles has been to help build bridges,not only with the Commission, Parliament and otherMember States but with the growing range of tradeassociations and other financial centres representedin Brussels. It’s just one element of the CityCorporation’s role in supporting and promoting thebusiness city.”

The Office facilitates contact between the wider Cityand key parties from public and private sectors inBrussels and elsewhere in the EU. It has recentlyappointed its new Head, Mike Vercnocke, who hasconsiderable experience in financial services andenjoyed stints with the European Banking Federation,European Commission and the Bank of England.The Office’s work is steered by the City’s EU Advisory Group, made up of senior international Cityfigures, and chaired by Andre Villeneuve, Chairman ofLIFFE. Its aim is to achieve an integrated singlemarket for wholesale financial services – moreeffective capital markets being central to the growthof the EU economy.

A major focus of the Office’s work isorganising seminars in Brussels onresearch undertaken by the CityCorporation. As many as six majorpieces of research on EU financialservices are published each year,often in collaboration with otherCity-based tradeassociations. So farthis year the Officehas coordinatedseminars onfinancial servicesand energy policy,and the broadercontribution wholesalefinancial services makes to the EU economy.

It also works in conjunction with colleagues inLondon to organise inward visits to the Square Mile.These have been arranged for MEPs and officials fromcountries including Germany, Hungary, Poland,Slovakia and the Baltic States to increase theliberalisation of the EU marketplace.

Further afield, the City of London has nowestablished representation in China and hasopened a City Office in India – two of the biggestdeveloping markets for international financialservices. The City representatives promote theinterests of UK-based financial services, regardlessof the parentage of individual institutions,collectively branded as “the City”.

In China, the City has representatives in Beijing,Shanghai and Shenzhen – a sign of the importancethe City attaches to relations with this emergingmarket. Established in co-operation with the China-Britain Business Council (CBBC), the aim is tostrengthen trading and investment links in bothdirections between China and the UK by providingworld class financial services and products. Thisbuilds on the City’s longstanding engagement withthe country, in particular the visits by Michael Snyder

A major focus of theOffice’s work isorganising seminars inBrussels on researchundertaken by the Cityof London Corporation.As many as six majorpieces of research onEU financial services arepublished each year,often in collaborationwith other City-basedtrade associations.

More information

www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/business_city/promoting

9C I T Y V I E W

and successive Lord Mayors including the currentincumbent Alderman John Stuttard, who

visited South China in April.

The representativespromote the City’sservices, includingthe raising ofcapital, insurance,

asset management,infrastructure finance

and consultancy, London’sexchanges and legal and advisory

services.They assist thedevelopment of City firms into

China, support visits by Chinesedecision-makers to the UK,

promote inwardinvestment into the City

and identify newmarket opportunitiesas well as barriers tomarket access.Priorities for thecoming year are

pensions and lifeinsurance, the corporate

bond market, access to capital(predominantly London listings) and promoting UK-based financial education, training and qualifications.

The City’s China team comprises■ Andie Wang (Beijing) – has worked in public and

private sectors in Beijing, Shanghai andGuangzhou and at the British Chamber ofCommerce in Shanghai

■ Ingrid Liu (Shanghai) – has worked in theCorporate Banking Centre of HSBC Shanghaibranch and for the British Consulate GeneralShanghai

■ Eric Pan (Shenzhen) – has advised on a range ofresearch topics and has direct experience inhelping companies set up offices in Guangdongfrom his time with the CBBC.

The City also receives guidance from its two Senior Advisors in China, Lance Browne (Chairman of Standard Chartered Bank, China) and Peter Batey (Chairman of Vermilion PartnersLtd), both China specialists.

In India, the City Corporation has established theCity Office in Mumbai, staffed by Anita Nandi, anMBA Graduate. Anita has worked for American

Express in the UK and the Netherlands and theTimes of India Newspaper Group.The Office wasformally opened by the Lord Mayor during his visitto India in May.

The City also receives advice from Alan Rosling,Executive Director of Tata Sons, one of India's largestand most respected business conglomerates. Alanchairs the City of London Advisory Council for India,which steers the Office’s work.The Council held itsfirst meeting in March in Mumbai and met again inLondon in July to discuss progress on three priorityareas – public private partnerships for infrastructurefinancing, access to capital and development ofcorporate debt/bond market. These were majorthemes for the Lord Mayor’s visit to India, and theCity is now funding independent research intoIndia’s corporate bond market.

Michael Snyder believes India’s growth “is changingthe landscape of the world economy and the CityOffice in Mumbai keeps the Square Mile as close aspossible to this fast-growing world-class partner.We also see the Office highlighting the Square Mile as a centre for business education, training and professional development. India’s importancein underlined by the fact that it is now the second largest investor in the UK in terms ofnumber of projects.”

The City Corporation’s Economic

Development Office has produced

a research report, Scenarios for

India and China 2015: Implications

for the City of London, available

to download at

www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/business_city/

research_statistics/research_publications

or from 020 7332 3321

Michael Snyderbelieves India’s growth“is changing thelandscape of the worldeconomy and the CityOffice in Mumbai keepsthe Square Mile as closeas possible to this fast-growing world-classpartner. We also see theOffice highlighting theSquare Mile as a centrefor business education,training andprofessionaldevelopment.”

C I T Y V I E W10

L I V E R Y L I V E

Many livery companies have long and proudlinks with schools: some schools indeed beartheir names. So at first sight the idea of anetwork of livery companies to promote suchlinks may seem superfluous. But these closeone-to-one connections do not tell the wholestory of how the Livery engages with schools.

Education has always, for very good reasons, beenan integral part of the charitable impulse of thelivery companies. There is even a Guild ofEducators, which administers the work of LiverySchools Link (LSL) and brings together a widerange of those working in or with educationalestablishments. Many companies focus their mainefforts on further and higher education andtraining. But all companies can do much to support schools, and not always in ways whichdraw heavily on financial resources. For it is atschool that attitudes are formed, expectationsraised and educational disadvantage anddisempowerment can start.

It can be immensely worthwhile to work alongsideyoung people in inner city schools and share these schools’aim to raise their sights and achieve their potential. And the schools themselvesbenefit hugely from regular or occasional contacts with the City and its institutions. Thesemay be by school/industry links, through the work of governors from livery companies or byparticipation in the many events in whichindividuals can support schools in such areas as supporting literacy, developing enterprise,financial awareness, presentation skills orpromoting careers opportunities.

Volunteers return from such events with a greatsense of personal satisfaction, while realising thatthere is always more to be done. A number havetaken part in one-day courses in Money Mattersrun by Inspire, the Education/Business Partnership

in Hackney. For some, this was probably their first time back in a school classroom since they had left school (up to some 45 years previously!)and for most it was certainly the first time in ateaching capacity.

LSL therefore aims to play its part in raising theaspirations of students in urbanschools. Its work derives from abelief that schools must seek tolift hopes, open access andcreate opportunity for all youngpeople, especially thosesuffering from impoverishedaspiration and unacceptablylow educational standards. As aletter written to The DailyTelegraph by the formerChairman of LSL, Lyn Williams(Pewterer), put it,“We agreestrongly that the City requires awell-educated population on itsdoorstep: it needs a deepcatchment of high quality tosupply a workforce ofoutstanding calibre.”

”The LSL aims to instil intothese young people that theCity is available to anyone whohas the drive, enthusiasm andthe academic standardnecessary to help to keep it asthe leading financial centre inthe world – and to inspire themto want to work there on its own rigorous terms.”

In a nutshell LSL exists to bring together those withthe need for skills and those with the skills – andthe enthusiasm to pass them on. It cooperatesclosely with a range of organisations, especiallythose with a responsibility for Education/Business

Schools and the City– making the link

Partnerships and services, such as the SchoolGovernors’ One-Stop Shop (SGOSS), that also seek to match supply and demand for voluntarysupport. Its work has been strongly supported bythe current Lord Mayor, not least because it isdriven by many of the same impulses as his chosencharity,Voluntary Services Overseas (VSO). LSL,

by contrast, offers the opportunity for voluntaryservice at home.

LSL has established a register of around 100potential volunteers, of whom several are schoolgovernors and more offer their voluntary services towork with schools through local authorities or otherbodies. This network is supported by the LSLwebsite (www.liveryschoolslink.co.uk). It also holdsa comprehensive database of livery companies’current educational links. The website includes casestudies of how schools have been helped bycompanies and volunteers.

One example is the link established between thePewterers and a primary school in Dalston.Volunteers have been able to provide regular helpwith classroom reading. In addition, they havetaken groups of a dozen or so nine year olds out ofLondon for a long weekend to the main centre ofthe pewter trade, Sheffield, supporting a day andresidential farm for inner city children. Set betweenthe outskirts of the City and the National Park, itprovides hands-on experience for the childrenwho, as the Head reported, have "quite frankly thetime of their lives". For this school there is now apositive understanding of the Pewterers' Companyand the City.

C I T Y V I E W 11

The new LSL Chairman is Philip

Miles (Basketmaker). David Taylor,

Administrator (Educator),

handles the everyday work.

They would both be delighted

to hear from readers, through

the email address

info@liveryschoolslink.co.uk,

who would like to take part in

volunteering activities or have

questions or suggestions about

LSL activities.

C I T Y V I E W12

T H E C I T Y B R I D G E T R U S T

The City Bridge Trust is the grant

giving arm of Bridge House

Estates (of which the City

Corporation is sole trustee).

The fund exists to maintain five

Thames bridges throughout the

City – Tower, London, Southwark,

Blackfriars and the Millennium

Bridge. Although this remains the

main purpose of the fund, the

monies were so well managed

over the centuries that the City

Corporation sought an Act of

Parliament to use surplus funds to

help worthwhile and charitable

Knowledge more valuable than moneyIt’s a frequent refrain that throwing money at aproblem is not always the solution. Since 1995The City Bridge Trust has given more than £194mto around 5,000 good causes across London. Butearly on it became clear to the Trust that sharingknowledge between these organisations could dojust as much good as funding.

Sharing a body of knowledge, best practice andinnovative work that can be copied by otherorganisations is now a major part of the Trust’s work.This is as useful for prospective applicants as it is forThe City Bridge Trust. Monitoring and evaluation ofgrant impact is partly about ensuring value for moneyfrom grants but also sharing good practice.Thismeans that funding can go further and have greaterimpact if recipients either follow others’ successes oravoid their failures.

Examples of such knowledge sharing have alreadybeen seen in the hosting of a conference at Guildhallfor hundreds of charitable organisations to share their

experiences on older people’s issues. A hustingsconference for mayoral candidates, questioned ontheir policies for charities by organisations in thatsector, was invaluable in ensuring that grass-rootscharities could get their message across and influencepolicy.

Over the years,The City Bridge Trust has become oneof the leaders in knowledge management andspreading information, including the production of anew and regular publication The Knowledge –Learning from London which will give regularfeedback on new developments and success stories.

Because it has had dealings over the years withhundreds of charitable organisations throughout thecapital, the Trust team can spot gaps in the market,which can be filled by the work of a charity. It can also identify duplications in work, in which caseproviders are encouraged to collaborate to ensurebetter use of resources.

Following the 7 July bombings, promotingcommunity cohesion and integration became apriority for the Trust. As a result, a leadership andreconciliation initiative was launched at

More information

020 7332 3710

www.citybridgetrust.org.uk

The City B

C I T Y V I E W 13

organisations across London.

The grants are given across

several areas –

■ transport and access for older

and disabled people

■ London’s environment

■ children and young people

■ strengthening the voluntary

and community sector

■ older people in the community

■ leadership and reconciliation

■ capacity building in smaller

charities and

■ exceptional grants

Mansion House bringing together 21 projectsdeveloping youth leadership, promoting interfaithworking and encouraging conflict resolution amongyoung people.These specialist organisations aresharing their ups and downs, breaking downstereotypes, and identifying problem areas. All areoffered free training by the Trust to help evaluate theirwork so that more organisations can learn without re-inventing the wheel.

Often, building an evidence base upon which to focusfuture work can be the most valuable tool forcharities. In 2004 The City Bridge Trust commissioneda report to examine the perceived increase in thenumbers of young people carrying knives and thereasons they did so. Fear and Fashion: the use ofknives and other weapons by young people usedMORI interviews and Youth Justice Panel reports toshow that there had been an alarming increase in theinstance of knives being carried.Two thirds of 16 yearolds questioned said they had carried them onoccasion while 29% of 11 year olds also admitted todoing so at one time or other.The report also showedthat the two main causes for doing so were fear ofbeing harmed themselves and peer group pressure.Other findings showed that while schools, the policeand youth clubs were all trying to tackle the issuethere was no single, coordinated approach.

The report sparked much debate about how best tocombat these causes.The City Bridge Trust pooledresources with the City Parochial, Wates and EsméeFairbairn Foundations and John Lyons’ Charity toprovide funding of £1.4m towards four projects inknife ‘hot spots’– Brent, Westminster, Lambeth and

Southwark. One project, Leap, is working with youngpeople on anger management and conflict resolutionwithout violence. Another, Working with Men, usesnatural leaders in schools and youth clubs to providepeer pressure not to carry weapons – always moreeffective than adult censure.

This is one of many long term initiatives funded byThe City Bridge Trust. More often than not, the trueimpact of a grant can only be judged after severalyears. One such instance is a scheme funded by theTrust to prevent suicides among women in prison.The first 72 hours in prison are usually the mostharrowing so, using Holloway Prison as a pilot, theTrust gave money for the provision of emotionalsupport and deep counselling for those most in needon their arrival.The marked decrease in suicides sincethen has led to the scheme being copied in Exeter andWormwood Scrubs prisons. Leading on from thisinitial phase, the Trust is now helping thegrandparents of prisoners who are looking after theirgrandchildren – often with no additional moneyavailable to them.

And all this is in addition to the ongoing, bread and butter work of the Trust such as its one-offsupport of lunch clubs, hospices, communitytransport and groups working with older anddisabled people.

ridge Trust

C I T Y V I E W14

A R T S F O C U S

The Museum in Docklands’s

complex connections with trade

and slavery are explored with a

dramatic video installation that

captures a snapshot of city life in

Freetown, Sierra Leone.

Rush Hour has been created by

London based artists David

Matthews and Paul Howard who

traveled to Sierra Leone, West

Africa in the hope that the

people of Freetown would

participate in their project.

They closed down a section of

Freetown’s busiest street,

gathered a cast made up of

members of the public, and then

filmed them as motionless figures.

However, all is not as it seems.

Their apparent stillness is

betrayed by their slight

movements; blinking, swallowing

and twitching. The seemingly still,

calm images projected across

three giant screens are

accompanied with a uniquely

composed soundtrack; the

hustle and bustle of the street

plays out alongside the chat and

jingles of local talk radio shows.

The work explores the notions of

trade and slavery, so it is fitting

that Rush Hour will go on display

at Museum in Docklands which is

housed in a warehouse built with

profits from the slave trade. Sierra

Leone was founded in 1787 as a

safe haven for emancipated

African slaves, and the first ship

to set sail for Freetown left from

Blackwall stairs, docklands.

On another theme both the

Museum in Docklands and the

Museum of London are staying

up late, every first Thursday of the

month. They have become the

places to go for a great night

out, to meet friends and enjoy a

cocktail, alongside tours, live

music and events.

The Museum of London shared a

joke with visitors when a group of

comedians placed themselves

amongst the exhibits. The comedy

group, laughterinoddplaces, are

tipped for big things and before

heading off to the Edinburgh

Festival they created a fantastic

comedy adventure inside

the Museum.

The Museum in Docklands also

had its share of fun when the

Glamorous Showgirls stilt walkers

strutted their stuff. There was also

dancing on the docks with music

from Viramundo, a Brazilian

samba band who had previously

played for Madonna and Mick

Jagger.

Make sure you don’t miss out on

the fun in August!

Stay up late for the Rush Hour

Rush Hour is on at Museum of Docklands until 1 November. Admission

is included in the Museum entry fee.

Both Museums open late on the first Thursday of every month, from

6pm – 9pm, in partnership with Time Out First Thursdays

(www.firstthursdays.co.uk). Admission to First Thursdays events at both

Museums is free.

More information

www.museumoflondon.org.uk

and www.museumindocklands.org.uk

C I T Y V I E W 15

A R T S F O C U S

Don’t panic!

Mention the word ‘punk’ and most

people would associate it with the

wave of music, fashion and

graphics that hit the UK in the late

1970s provoking shock and

outrage among many.

But the impact of the movement

went beyond just those areas and

can be seen by a new exhibition

at the Barbican – Panic Attack!

Art in the Punk Years – that throws

new light on the art scene that

developed in London, New York

and Los Angeles from the mid-

1970s to mid-80s.

Highly political, challenging the

establishment and explicitly

sexual at times, the art was often

inspired by the severe economic

recession in Britain and America

caused by the oil crisis of 1973. This

gave rise to stark imagery, often in

black and white, that mirrored the

urban decay of the time.

The exhibition starts with the

famous ‘defaced’ pictured of

Her Majesty taken from the Sex

Pistols single God Save The

Queen which appeared in the

same year as The Queen’s Silver

Jubilee. It goes on to feature

more than 150 works including

photography, painting,

performance, film, video and

other media by such

recognisable names as Cindy

Sherman, Nan Goldin, Jean-

Michel Basquiat and Keith Haring.

Among these are controversial

works such as that from Robert

Mapplethorpe and the

Prostitution retrospective from

1976 that inspired tabloid

newspaper fury – leading

creators COUM Transmissions to

use the headlines within the

exhibition itself!

An example of art being ahead

of its time, the exhibition includes

examples of artists using waste

material for other uses, such as

Tony Cragg’s Policeman, crafted

from found plastic objects.

Perhaps summing up the era itself

is Andrew Logan’s giant safety

pin – sculpted from metal,

resin, glass and stone.

The idea for the

exhibition was

generated by the

Barbican team.

Co-curator Ariella

Yedgar feels that “The

convergence of the

Queen’s Silver Jubilee and

the release of the Sex

Pistols’ single was a very

important moment for

the UK’s cultural life, and

the 30th anniversary of both was

a great opportunity to explore

this. But we are surveying this

period from an art-historical

perspective; an area we think has

been largely overlooked.”

Is the work as shocking today as it

was in the 1970s? “They haven’t

lost their power and energy.

A lot are as thought provoking –

particularly those covering

social inclusion and minority

groups – today as then. And

people have been enjoying how

their expectations have been

challenged by works that

cover the whole spectrum of

scales and media – photographs,

video, paintings, performances

and sculptures.”

Panic Attack! Art in the

Punk Years is at the Barbican Art

Gallery until 9 September.

Please note: this exhibition

contains work of an adult nature.

More information 0845 120 7550

www.barbican.org.uk/gallery

C I T Y V I E W16

N E W S I N B R I E F

...and finally

The City Corporation, as the

police authority for the Square

Mile, is looking for volunteers to

act as Independent Custody

Visitors (ICV) as part of a Scheme

to safeguard the welfare of those

arrested.

Independent visitors would carry

out regular checks on the

conditions under which

detainees are kept. It is an

important and valuable role in

the local community, particularly

for maintaining public

confidence. The main duties

are to attend local police

stations on a monthly basis and

carry out inspections of the cells.

Each visit should last no longer

than two hours.

Although ICVs are unpaid, any

incurred expenses would be

reimbursed and you will be

provided with all relevant

training. Volunteers require no

formal qualifications but must be

either residents or City workers

over 18. They cannot be justices

of the peace, serving police

officers or civilian employees,

members or staff from the City

of London Corporation or

special constables.

More information

020 7332 1406

Wanted: Independent Custody Visitors

Given the decidedly mixed

summer weather, you couldn’t

have asked for a better day for

the first stage of the Tour de

France to travel through

Westminster and the City in July.

More than two million people

turned up to see the event in

person, with millions more

watching on television, and a

particularly good turnout at

St Paul’s and Tower Bridge.

The day was rated as a huge

success by organisers and the

shops open in the City on the day

saw a very brisk trade. The two

City Corporation-organised

events – the stunt bike show and

bike tryout sessions – also

attracted substantial crowds.

The day marked the first

appearance of the SquareMilers.

These were a group of volunteers

stationed at 10 positions along

the Tour de France route through

the City who were on hand

to give the public advice on what

to do and where to visit while in

the Square Mile. With expert help

from the City of London Guides,

these volunteers gave out

20,000 copies of a City map

specially produced for the day

showing the route and other

attractions available.

Look out for the next appearance

of the SquareMilers at the Lord

Mayor’s Show on 10 November.

A wheely great day

Come on in!

September once again sees

many of the capital’s most

exciting buildings throwing their

doors open to the public as part

of Open House weekend.

Taking place on 15-16

September, visitors can

experience the widest range of

architecture and design – from

livery halls, historical houses and

ambassadors’ residences to

modernist classics, contemporary

workspaces and architectural

award winners.

All entry is free of charge and

includes City Corporation owned

buildings such as Guildhall.

More information

www.openhouse.org.uk