162. Election Court Lunch Butchers’ Hall 17 April 2024
Master. Wardens. Sheriff.
Ladies and Gentlemen.
It is my great pleasure to be
an Honorary Liveryman of the Worshipful Company of Water Conservators and to
join you for this election lunch today.
Thank you for your kind
hospitality and thank you also to the Butchers for the use of their hall.
Like many of you, I have a
passion for all things water based. (Paint, markers...)
In addition to being a member
of this company, I’m on the committee of the Thames Sailing Barge Match...I’m a
Craft-Owning Freeman of the Watermen & Lightermen...and for over two
decades the Lady Mayoress and I undertook the restoration of the cargo vessel
SB Lady Daphne.
Another thing you probably
already know about me is that I love a good dad joke...
What did the sea say to the
river? You can run, but you can't tide.
Speaking of current affairs...
The state of our waterways
has been a national news story in recent weeks after the Environment Agency
revealed that sewage spills into England’s rivers and seas by water companies
more than doubled last
year...
...and the traditional Boat
Race between Oxford and Cambridge was marred by reports of high levels of E.
coli in the water.
The government’s pledge to
reinvest up to £11 million in water company fines into affected areas has been
described as “a drop in the
sewage-filled rivers and ocean” by campaigners.
As the row continues, the
continued thought-leadership and engagement of the Water Conservators with
business and government on this and other issues - from future funding to the
introduction of nature-based solutions - will be essential.
From that advocacy work...
To your pan-livery work on
sustainability, including the role you play as a founding and leading member of
the Livery Climate Action Group...
And your participation in the
Lord Mayor’s Show, with the magnificently mindboggling magical tap...
...the Water Conservators do so much to support the
City. Thank you.
My mayoral theme is “Connect
To Prosper”, which many of you will already be familiar with, as I’m privileged
to have had the support of the Water Conservators on many key initiatives.
I have just returned from a
mayoral visit to the nation that gave us the aqueduct and the sewer system,
among other things (including my
first few years of education): Italy.
The Romans built the Cloaca
Maxima, one of the world’s earliest sewer systems.
The Latin cloaca means “sewer”, from
cluere, “to
cleanse”.
So, Cloaca Maxima is
“Greatest Sewer”…
…and the City’s own Cloak
Lane has nothing to do with secrets and mystery, but rather the open sewer that
would have run along the street into the (now subterranean) Walbrook River.
And, incidentally, Shoreditch
derives from the Saxon word Soresditch
- sewer ditch.
In Italy and on all my
international trips I am constantly asked what the secret is to the City’s
success...and I always give the same response.
Londoners are no smarter - or
dumber - than anyone else, but we are
better connected.
My mayoral theme, “Connect To
Prosper”, celebrates the “Knowledge Miles” of our Square Mile, the “world’s
coffee house”…
…and it’s about leveraging
those connections to address global challenges like tackling climate change,
preserving biodiversity and achieving clean water and sanitation for all.
I highlight these missions
because the City recognises that they need to be at the top of our list if we
want to create a successful, sustainable Square Mile
To quote a fellow Italian,
Leonardo da Vinci, “water is
the driving force of all nature”, and the importance of clean water
to healthy communities, the environment and the global economy cannot be overstated
So, “Connect To Prosper”
builds on the City of London Corporation’s Climate Action Strategy, which -
among other things - aims to reduce the risk of flooding through developing
sustainable rain and surface water management policies...
...resulting in a connected
system of water recycling, sustainable urban draining and rainwater management
measures.
As part of “Connect To
Prosper”, we’re reviving the coffee house tradition on which London was built
through in-person networking sessions - “Coffee Colloquies” - where
thought-leaders can come
together to discuss these big issues.
Thank you so much for your
support in convening the hugely successful “Clean Water and Sanitation”
colloquy on January 16th.
We’re also shining a
spotlight on the Square Mile’s different areas of expertise - or “Knowledge
Miles” - this year, with an online lecture series on a diverse range of topics.
And the Water Conservators have delivered two fantastic lectures...
One from Allan Barton on
sustainability, circular ecology and the circular economy.
And one from Professor
Carolyn Roberts on the Thames Barrier.
Again, thank you for this
invaluable contribution.
We’ve also launched an
exciting “Connect To Prosper” experiment series to demonstrate the City’s
inventiveness, which includes a seagrass carbon sequestration study...a
microplastics coastal survey with the Wetwheels Foundation and Suzuki in
May...and an autonomous foiling EV boat trial between Dagenham and Queenhithe.
And, finally - the cherry on
the cake - we’ve also appointed an Honorary Water Bailiff and will be holding a
“Thames Day” on September 22nd. So, there is lots more to get
involved with.
Another focus during my year
is helping the livery to reach its full potential.
While most of you will be
already liverymen, I want to encourage any guests to consider joining the
livery:
...a 50,000 strong movement powered by the idea of
commerce, community, and charity.
Needless to say, this fine
company wouldn’t be a bad place to start!
In recognition of our
appreciation for the Water Conservators, we have some small tokens for you.
Master...the measure of a great leader is what they do with their power. So, for you, these callipers.
Speaking of challenges...
My daughters think my hobbies
are too strenuous and have challenged me to spend an evening watching Netflix
instead.
You’ll catch me from November
each night at the “Town of Ramsgate.”
Who needs Netflix when you’ve
got the Thames: the original
- and best - streaming service.
Thank you, once more, for
your hospitality and for all you do for the City.
Now, I’d like to propose a
toast:
The Worshipful Company of
Water Conservators, root and branch, may it flourish forever.
Lord Mayor, Lady Mayoress,
ladies and gentlemen, I must start by thanking the Lord Mayor for his
encouraging words. It is a pleasure and honour for me and the Company of Water
Conservators to work with you and your team. The leadership and adaptability -
from engaging with coffee colloquys, cities and countries to hosting a
children's party - is inspiring.
As a Company we are pleased
to continue our support for the Lord Mayor's Appeal. I have volunteered to
undertake a sponsored walk of about 215 metres on 7 June. Abseiling down the
outside of the Cheese Grater, following in the steps of the Lord Mayor and Lady
Mayoress. There will be a collection for this appeal after our lunch and there
are details of how to donate on the menu cards.
Our Charitable Trust
continues to make a real difference to lives. It has allocated a further
£1,000 to a special school in Llandudno and £3,700 to the London Museum of
Water and Steam.
It has expanded the schools
programme this year, and our enhanced bursary and dissertation prize programme
reaches students at 15 universities.
We are working hard to
improve understanding of the very relevant issues of water and the environment.
We continue to work with professional
bodies, regulators and government departments. My grateful thanks to Past Master Rob Lacey
for arranging our super series of popular webinars. Our next one on e-waste on 15 May is by
Liveryman Nigel Maltravers. Our recent
discussion dinner with Sir John Armitt and the City Water Debate, both
organised by a team led by our Deputy Master Colin Drummond, were very popular.
Our Lord Mayor’s Knowledge Mile lecture
given by Fleet Warden Carolyn Roberts on the future of the Thames Barrier
attracted a record number of participants.
And a record number of
Company members visited the Thames Barrier just last week. We heard that a new
barrier is needed by 2060 at the latest. It took 33 years to get round to opening one
last time. At the current rate of
decision making we may need a plan B.
Our next water-based activity
will be held in Bristol, visiting Boats, Bridges, and works by Brunel and
Banksy during the Master’s Weekend from 26 April.
And we are going Codebreaking
in Bletchley on 16 May.
We are an active, successful
and growing Company.
At our Court meeting today we
agreed to limit Quarterage, Lunch and Banquet Costs to a rise of no more than
5%, despite costs rising faster. The larger our numbers, the lower our costs.
Our Growth plan includes new
groups on Membership, Communications, Social, and New Business Initiatives to
take on some of the work currently done by the Clerk.
We have agreed new
Sustainability and Social media policies. Details will shortly be on our
new website.
Watch out for the Tudor Pull
on Sunday 19 May from Hampton Court to the Tower of London, our June day out on
the river with our cutter, and our visit to the Thames Tideway on 19 September.
Our next City Environmental
Debate will be on “Accelerating the transition to a circular economy” on 1
October.
Welcome to our super new
website. My thanks to all those involved in its design and operation,
especially our clerk, Christine. My special thanks to Sue Patterson, our
outgoing webmaster who maintained the previous website for 12 years. Welcome to
our new webmaster Dharmesh Joshi.
Simon Ayley, Peter Bunton,
Nick Higham, John Hirst, Lee Morton, Joanna Skowronek, Kala Vairavamoorthy and
Rainer Zimman. Please stand to be recognised.
I am also pleased to welcome two
new Liverymen:
Annie Shepperd and Grzegorz
Skowronek. Please stand to be recognised.
I would like to welcome our
Wardens elect and Master elect:
·
Walbrook
Warden – Alex Money
·
Fleet
Warden – Tom Flood
·
Thames
Warden – Carolyn Roberts
·
Master
– Dylan Barker
In conclusion (I learnt to
say this a lot, it gives people hope) …
As these are my last formal
words to the Company I should like to say thank you. It is a privilege and honour to serve you as
Master.
So many experiences together:
the float in the Lord Mayor’s Show, lunches and the banquet, visits, walks and
talks.
I have shared with the wider
Livery, training and skills, climate action, valuing water – we have much in
common, working and learning together. Highlights
have included the banquet for the King and Queen, the visit to Treloar’s School
for young people with disabilities, the Children’s party at the Lord Mayor’s
house.
My special thanks to Eileen
for all her support, including correcting my grammar and spelling.
My special thanks to
Christine for everything you do for me and the Company. Arranging events, managing all the Livery and
Lord Mayor’s communications, organising my diary and me – an almost impossible
challenge.
And finally in conclusion
Water and the environment are
facing serious threats, we are facing a shortage of clean water and adequate
sanitation globally. We are slowly
learning to value water and our environment.
Saying and doing nothing are
not a solution nor is just talking about it.
We as the Water Conservators
have a professional and personal responsibility to contribute our skills and
experience. It is great that we are contributing and leading.
My thanks to you the Company
for being a great team. We are growing. We are making a difference.
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