217. Lord Mayor’s round table meeting, Mansion House, 18 June 2024

The Lord Mayor invited the Master and Clerk of those Livery Companies with which he has a special connection* to an in-person round table meeting at Mansion House.  It was an opportunity for him to personally thank the Masters and Clerks for their tremendous support to date in his mayoralty and also chat about the Livery Weekend.  Each of the Masters talked about their experiences of being a Master and the interaction of their Company with the Lord Mayor, his office and the City.

I complemented the Lord Mayor on his “Connect to Prosper” programme bringing together experts and views from across the City on current issues under the Knowledge Miles series of lectures.  We have been pleased to contribute two lectures.  We have also been pleased to contribute a Coffee Colloquy on the UN Sustainable Development Goals.  We are very pleased and encouraged that the Lord Mayor is emphasising the science and educational strengths of the City.

We talked about the contribution of the Livery to charity and the quantity of pro bono work undertaken by Livery Company members.  This is not sufficiently advertised or well known.  However, it was recognised that others may criticise the amount given and time given in the context of the wealth within the City and the number of people involved.

Masters described the events that their Companies run in the City both for their Companies and Charities.  There is an issue with the costs of hiring the Mansion House and the Guildhall. We subsequently heard that the Mansion House events team has been developing an FAQs document that includes the questions that were raised in this meeting; the intention is for this to be published shortly on the Livery Committee website, for all Livery Companies.

Some Masters are concerned at the level of support for the financial sector in the City and whether the City should be speaking out more on financial issues and the interest of the City, especially in the run up to the General Election.  The Lord Mayor drew attention to the amount of work that goes on behind the scenes and the many briefings provided and given to the political parties and officials.

The question was raised as to whether there could be more cooperation between Livery Companies, sharing of resources and even a common support/clerking service, especially for more administrative activities such as preparing for dinners.  The Lord Mayor was supportive, expressing surprise that it was not happening more than the level at the moment. A response from another Clerk was that by undertaking the more basic tasks such as place name preparation you maintain a link with and engagement with the individual company members.  It was a very interesting meeting and we were all encouraged by the discussions and the support given by the Lord Mayor to the Livery.

 

*World Traders, Furniture Makers, Water Conservators, Marketors, Tax Advisers, Watermen and Lightermen, Educators, Management Consultants, Security Professionals, Engineers, Chartered Architects, Makers of Playing Cards, International Bankers, Scientific Instrument Makers, Communicators, Entrepreneurs, City Livery Club, Guild of Freemen, Guild of Young Freemen

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