cv60_8

Issue 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

cityview www.cityoflondon.gov.uk

The City abroad BUSINESS CITY PROMOTION

THE CITY BRIDGE TRUST

CITY LIVERY COMPANIES

Money isn’t everything

Linking with education

2 C I T Y V I E W

cityviewmagazine Welcome 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 T H E

3

I N T E R V I E W

Regulation is key for expansion C I T Y

4

E L E C T I O N S

Taking register S T A K E H O L D E R

6 O P I N I O N S

Your views count B U S I N E S S

C I T Y

7

P R O M O T I O N

The City abroad L I V E R Y

8

L I V E

Schools and the City T H E

cityview is the magazine of the City of London Corporation, provider of local government services for the Square Mile.

C I T Y

B R I D G E

10

T R U S T

Knowledge more valuable than money 12 A R T S

14

F O C U S

Don’t panic!

N E W S

The magazine is available to download from www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/cityview. If you would like a summary of this publication in your language or in an alternative format such as large print, Braille or audio tape, please contact us at

F O C U S

Stay up late for the Rush Hour A R T S

Unless otherwise stated in individual features, more information on both the magazine and online articles is available from the Public Relations Office address below.

I N

15

B R I E F

...and finally

16

The Public Relations Office City of London PO Box 270 Guildhall London EC2P 2EJ 020 7332 3099 pro@cityoflondon.gov.uk www.cityoflondon.gov.uk We welcome, and value, feedback but regret that correspondence cannot be individually acknowledged.

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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 For two weeks in September the City Corporation will be under the microscope as inspectors from the Audit Commission conduct their Corporate Assessment of the organisation by quizzing the City’s diverse stakeholders.

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 the City fringe.

Unlike the annual work they carry out, the inspectors will be looking in depth at how well the City Corporation works with its partners to improve services and deliver on targets.

Still on the theme of working with partners, under The City Together umbrella, the City’s services providers (including the City Corporation) have negotiated a Local Area Agreement with Government which sets out top shared priorities over the next three years.

Chairman of Policy & Resources Michael Snyder believes inspectors will get the widest possible picture of the City Corporation’s performance.“They will 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 three main strands of its work.

Supporting and promoting the business city – lobbying for and supplying improvements to infrastructure and the physical environment (such as the WiFi network and Crossrail); promotion in the UK and abroad of UK based financial services; and police service provision with a specific business focus (counter terrorism and fraud prevention) Services for communities – libraries; environmental health; social services; education; parks and gardens

The Agreement forms part of the The City Together’s action plan and strengthens partnerships, aligns resources and streamlines performance to focus on 15 outcomes closely linked to the City’s Community Strategy themes.

The more challenging targets will attract a reward grant if achieved which in turn will be reinvested in partnership 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

O N L I N E

O N L I N E

cityviewmagazine

liverylivedigest

July No smoke, no fire

On course Family Learning Room opens at

City stubs out smoking

Sir John Cass School

On the up

Sale price

Monument gets a make over

Sign off

Wholesale financial services contribution to EU

City signs climate change declaration

May Open way

June Loud speaker City Police launches new public warning system

Results of London financial markets survey revealed

On the move City scoops top transport award

April

The Stationers’ and

Air today

Newspaper Makers’ Company

New pollution alert service

held a special industry event in

launched

May to commemorate the 450th

Going green

anniversary of the granting of its

City funds research to tackle

Royal Charter. 020 7841 2957

climate change

www.stationers.org

City index

The Merchant Taylors’

Report shows London is top in

Company’s Golden Shears trophy

competitiveness index

for tailoring students and apprentices has been won by Roxanne Jones from Savile Row tailors Dege & Skinner. 020 7450 4440 www.merchanttaylors.co.uk

www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/cityview

www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/liverylive

4 C I T Y V I E W

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 London is now the seventh largest French city in the world, and Jean-Francois Theodore has become one of the most influential imports from across the Channel – even though he is only here for an average of three or four days a month.

Financial markets based in London will remain under British regulators, whatever their ultimate ownership

Theodore spent the first half of his career in the French Treasury and the last 17 years in the world of stock markets. He is now deputy chief executive officer of NYSE Euronext, the trans-continental company created by the merger in April of the New York Stock Exchange and Euronext, the Paris and Amsterdam based grouping of several European bourses which includes the Liffe (London International Financial Futures Exchange) derivatives and 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 one meeting in the US, one in Europe and two by video conference.The main gains will come from cost savings in IT. Brokers using the exchanges will see advantages from using the same trading system so that Europeans will, he hopes, find it easier to work in US markets, and Americans will find it easier to work in European markets. The new company has getting on for 600 members, of whom 400 are from the NYSE and just 227 from Euronext, with 38 already operating on both sides of the Atlantic. The plan is that the creation of a common platform in a couple of years’time will lead to a 20 per cent increase in the cash equity business.

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

C I T Y V I E W 5

London is "the best place without a doubt". There is no question of moving Liffe anywhere else.

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

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

Theodore stresses the efforts being taken to ensure separate regulation of the NYSE and Euronext, pointing to the meetings between the SEC and the college of the five main European regulators. He is insistent that barriers have been built in to protect against “regulatory over-spill”. A complicated trust structure has been set up in Amsterdam, where the company is registered, to provide for the de-coupling of Euronext as a last resort to protect against any incursion of US regulators. Legislation was approved in Britain earlier this year to ensure that financial markets based in London will remain under British regulators, whatever their ultimate ownership.

He is diplomatically silent about the continued speculation over the future ownership of the London Stock Exchange, and its tangled relationship with Nasdaq. He notes, however, that the pace of restructuring and competition is increasing between financial markets and exchanges across the world, for instance, the merger of the two Chicago futures markets. He clearly feels that NYSE-Euronext is wellplaced to handle such competition.

Regulation remains the key to the expansion of NYSE Euronext.Theodore says relations are good with European regulators, whom he believes are doing a good job.The immediate priority is the new arrangements for clearing and settlements now being discussed by the European Commission.

The company is looking to expand further in Asia, where markets are developing very fast.The aim is to develop a sizeable presence in America, Europe and Asia.The pace of development in Asia is affected by the regulators.There are restrictions in a number of countries on selling products and, particularly, on the scale of foreign ownership. In India regulators restrict the percentage of a stock exchange which can be owned by foreign investors.

extended its opening hours to 1am London time to permit the participation of more Asian countries.

There are arcades allowing internet access in six different cities in India.

Since the business of Liffe is now entirely done via computer, why, I asked, does it have to be based in a very expensive property in the City? His reply is reassuring. London is “the best place without a doubt”.There is no question of moving Liffe anywhere else. Many of its main customers, corporate treasurers of international companies, are based in London; so are the experts in devising new derivative and futures’ contracts and in evolving new business.Theodore talks of a hub and spokes approach, the hub being the Liffe offices in the London, and the spokes reaching out to points throughout the world where customers can connect with Liffe.

He believes that, despite the development of offexchange dealing, there will still be a need for markets like Liffe which are now IT based and constantly working to improve the speed of dealing.

Euronext is also based in Paris and Amsterdam, but Theodore praises the virtues of London as “a very lively city”,“a very good city to meet the people I need to meet”. He acknowledges the security threat but says that it is the same everywhere, Wall Street obviously after 9/11, but also the rest of Europe.

His main criticism of London is the increasingly common one over Heathrow and the time it takes to get through the airport. He hopes that the fifth terminal will reduce some of the problems. As a traveller from Paris, he more frequently uses London City airport or Eurostar.

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

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

Peter Riddell is Chief Political Commentator

Liffe already operates in 32 countries and has

of The Times

6 C I T Y V I E W

C I T Y

E L E C T I O N S

Taking register

As well as ensuring you have, or if you are a business voter your organisation has, a say in how the City Corporation provides its services, a package of incentives is available to encourage people to register and register early.

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

As a result the City put together ‘rewards’ for those responding 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 City Corporation’s prestigious venues free of charge (Morley Fund Management and the Benfield Group won use of Tower Bridge last year).

For points of contact within businesses – there is the offer of attending a reception at Mansion House (more than 200 people were entertained there following last year’s offer).

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

form) is vital for the City to compile an accurate electoral register. Having as accurate a register as possible means that City elections will be truly representative of the Square Mile’s population and will help ensure that the City Corporation is providing the services you want in the way you want them.

These days compiling an accurate register is more difficult than ever given the amount of property being redeveloped into state-of-the-art business premises or shopping facilities. Existing tenants moving out to make way for these developments and new occupiers coming into the Square Mile make assembling the electoral register a labour intensive task for the City Occupiers Database team. The incentives package is one way to get voters responding but also saves the Team continually chasing those contacts for a response.

But apart from preserving the right to vote, being registered also means keeping in touch with what is happening in the Square Mile and how the City Corporation is working on your behalf. cityview and ward newsletters are automatically sent to voters who are also offered the chance to get involved in consultation on key issues. In the past these have ranged from transport to shopping, green spaces to policing and recycling to the street scene.

More information 0800 587 5537 electoralservices@cityoflondon.gov.uk www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/voting

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

C I T Y V I E W 7

S T A K E H O L D E R

O P I N I O N S

Your views count How the City Corporation and

■ 83% of workers feel safe when

City Police plan and prioritise

walking on their own in the City

their services depends to a large

after dark – up on last year

extent on the views of their

■ around four in five workers are

stakeholders. Whether it is

satisfied with street cleaning.

residents, City businesses or

However, more than two in five

partners – they all have a view on

are dissatisfied with the control of

how and where resources should

pollution from construction sites

be used.

and street works, such as noise and dust. This reflects the high

In February and March it was the

level of demolition and

turn of City workers to give their

construction work taking place in

views on a range of issues

the City at present.

affecting the Square Mile.

■ about one in five workers has

Almost 600 workers were

taken part in voluntary work in

surveyed by independent

the last 12 months. Lack of time is

researchers Ipsos MORI. This

the biggest barrier to

included members of the City

volunteering, while having more

Workers Consultation Panel.

information about organisations and opportunities would be the

Key points from the survey

best form of encouragement

were that

■ of the one in five City workers with children under the age of

■ workers continue to feel that

16, the biggest barriers to

improving counter terrorism

accessing childcare are

measures should be the top

considered to be cost (24%) and

priority of the City of London

flexibility of childcare services

Police

(16%). Flexible working hours and

■ despite actual crime figures

the ability to work from home are

decreasing in the Square Mile,

the forms of childcare support

workers are slightly more likely to

which would best suit their needs

feel that crime has increased

■ well over half of City workers

(16%) than decreased (9%) over

undertake moderate exercise at

the last two years

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.

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

8 C I T Y V I E W

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 goes the saying and the City of London Corporation has certainly taken that maxim to heart by establishing further representation overseas following the success of the City Office in Brussels.

A major focus of the Office’s work is organising seminars in Brussels on research undertaken by the City of London Corporation.

As many as six major pieces of research on EU financial services are published each year, often in collaboration with other City-based trade associations.

The Office will celebrate its third birthday when it hosts its annual reception in the European Parliament in Brussels in October. The wide range of guests attending these events has been a mark of the Office’s success believes Michael Snyder, Chairman of the City Corporation’s Policy & Resources Committee.

“One of its main roles has been to help build bridges, not only with the Commission, Parliament and other Member States but with the growing range of trade associations and other financial centres represented in Brussels. It’s just one element of the City Corporation’s role in supporting and promoting the business city.”

The Office facilitates contact between the wider City and key parties from public and private sectors in Brussels and elsewhere in the EU. It has recently appointed its new Head, Mike Vercnocke, who has considerable experience in financial services and enjoyed 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 City figures, and chaired by Andre Villeneuve, Chairman of LIFFE. Its aim is to achieve an integrated single market for wholesale financial services – more effective capital markets being central to the growth of the EU economy.

More information www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/business_city/promoting

A major focus of the Office’s work is organising seminars in Brussels on research undertaken by the City Corporation. As many as six major pieces of research on EU financial services are published each year, often in collaboration with other City-based trade associations. So far this year the Office has coordinated seminars on financial services and energy policy, and the broader contribution wholesale financial services makes to the EU economy.

It also works in conjunction with colleagues in London to organise inward visits to the Square Mile.

These have been arranged for MEPs and officials from countries including Germany, Hungary, Poland, Slovakia and the Baltic States to increase the liberalisation of the EU marketplace.

Further afield, the City of London has now established representation in China and has opened a City Office in India – two of the biggest developing markets for international financial services. The City representatives promote the interests of UK-based financial services, regardless of 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 importance the City attaches to relations with this emerging market. Established in co-operation with the ChinaBritain Business Council (CBBC), the aim is to strengthen trading and investment links in both directions between China and the UK by providing world class financial services and products. This builds on the City’s longstanding engagement with the country, in particular the visits by Michael Snyder

C I T Y V I E W 9

and successive Lord Mayors including the current incumbent Alderman John Stuttard, who visited South China in April.

Michael Snyder believes India’s growth “is changing the landscape of the world economy and the City Office in Mumbai keeps the Square Mile as close as possible to this fastgrowing world-class partner. We also see the Office highlighting the Square Mile as a centre for business education, training and professional development.”

The representatives promote the City’s services, including the raising of capital, insurance, asset management, infrastructure finance and consultancy, London’s exchanges and legal and advisory services. They assist the development of City firms into China, support visits by Chinese decision-makers to the UK, promote inward investment into the City and identify new market opportunities as well as barriers to market access.

Priorities for the coming year are pensions and life insurance, the corporate bond market, access to capital (predominantly London listings) and promoting UKbased financial education, training and qualifications.

The City’s China team comprises ■ Andie Wang (Beijing) – has worked in public and private sectors in Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou and at the British Chamber of Commerce in Shanghai ■ Ingrid Liu (Shanghai) – has worked in the Corporate Banking Centre of HSBC Shanghai branch and for the British Consulate General Shanghai ■ Eric Pan (Shenzhen) – has advised on a range of research topics and has direct experience in helping companies set up offices in Guangdong from 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 Partners Ltd), both China specialists.

Express in the UK and the Netherlands and the Times of India Newspaper Group. The Office was formally opened by the Lord Mayor during his visit to India in May. The City also receives advice from Alan Rosling, Executive Director of Tata Sons, one of India's largest and most respected business conglomerates. Alan chairs the City of London Advisory Council for India, which steers the Office’s work. The Council held its first meeting in March in Mumbai and met again in London in July to discuss progress on three priority areas – public private partnerships for infrastructure financing, access to capital and development of corporate debt/bond market. These were major themes for the Lord Mayor’s visit to India, and the City is now funding independent research into India’s corporate bond market.

Michael Snyder believes India’s growth “is changing the landscape of the world economy and the City Office in Mumbai keeps the Square Mile as close as possible 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 importance in underlined by the fact that it is now the second largest investor in the UK in terms of number 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

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

www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/business_city/ research_statistics/research_publications or from 020 7332 3321

10 C I T Y V I E W

L I V E R Y

L I V E

Schools and the City – making the link Many livery companies have long and proud links with schools: some schools indeed bear their names. So at first sight the idea of a network of livery companies to promote such links may seem superfluous. But these close one-to-one connections do not tell the whole story of how the Livery engages with schools.

Education has always, for very good reasons, been an integral part of the charitable impulse of the livery companies. There is even a Guild of Educators, which administers the work of Livery Schools Link (LSL) and brings together a wide range of those working in or with educational establishments. Many companies focus their main efforts on further and higher education and training. But all companies can do much to support schools, and not always in ways which draw heavily on financial resources. For it is at school that attitudes are formed, expectations raised and educational disadvantage and disempowerment can start.

It can be immensely worthwhile to work alongside young people in inner city schools and share these schools’ aim to raise their sights and achieve their potential. And the schools themselves benefit hugely from regular or occasional contacts with the City and its institutions. These may be by school/industry links, through the work of governors from livery companies or by participation in the many events in which individuals can support schools in such areas as supporting literacy, developing enterprise, financial awareness, presentation skills or promoting careers opportunities.

Volunteers return from such events with a great sense of personal satisfaction, while realising that there is always more to be done. A number have taken part in one-day courses in Money Matters run 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 a teaching capacity.

LSL therefore aims to play its part in raising the aspirations of students in urban schools. Its work derives from a belief that schools must seek to lift hopes, open access and create opportunity for all young people, especially those suffering from impoverished aspiration and unacceptably low educational standards. As a letter written to The Daily Telegraph by the former Chairman of LSL, Lyn Williams (Pewterer), put it,“We agree strongly that the City requires a well-educated population on its doorstep: it needs a deep catchment of high quality to supply a workforce of outstanding calibre.” ”The LSL aims to instil into these young people that the City is available to anyone who has the drive, enthusiasm and the academic standard necessary to help to keep it as the leading financial centre in the world – and to inspire them to want to work there on its own rigorous terms.”

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

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.

by contrast, offers the opportunity for voluntary service at home.

LSL has established a register of around 100 potential volunteers, of whom several are school governors and more offer their voluntary services to work with schools through local authorities or other bodies. This network is supported by the LSL website (www.liveryschoolslink.co.uk). It also holds a comprehensive database of livery companies’ current educational links. The website includes case studies of how schools have been helped by companies and volunteers.

Partnerships and services, such as the School Governors’ One-Stop Shop (SGOSS), that also seek to match supply and demand for voluntary support. Its work has been strongly supported by the current Lord Mayor, not least because it is driven by many of the same impulses as his chosen charity,Voluntary Services Overseas (VSO). LSL,

One example is the link established between the Pewterers and a primary school in Dalston.

Volunteers have been able to provide regular help with classroom reading. In addition, they have taken groups of a dozen or so nine year olds out of London for a long weekend to the main centre of the pewter trade, Sheffield, supporting a day and residential farm for inner city children. Set between the outskirts of the City and the National Park, it provides hands-on experience for the children who, as the Head reported, have "quite frankly the time of their lives". For this school there is now a positive understanding of the Pewterers' Company and the City.

12 C I T Y V I E W

T H E

C I T Y

B R I D G E

T R U S T

Knowledge more valuable than money It’s a frequent refrain that throwing money at a problem is not always the solution. Since 1995 The City Bridge Trust has given more than £194m to around 5,000 good causes across London. But early on it became clear to the Trust that sharing knowledge between these organisations could do just as much good as funding.

Sharing a body of knowledge, best practice and innovative work that can be copied by other organisations is now a major part of the Trust’s work.

This is as useful for prospective applicants as it is for The City Bridge Trust. Monitoring and evaluation of grant impact is partly about ensuring value for money from grants but also sharing good practice. This means that funding can go further and have greater impact if recipients either follow others’ successes or avoid their failures.

Examples of such knowledge sharing have already been seen in the hosting of a conference at Guildhall for hundreds of charitable organisations to share their

experiences on older people’s issues. A hustings conference for mayoral candidates, questioned on their policies for charities by organisations in that sector, was invaluable in ensuring that grass-roots charities could get their message across and influence policy.

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,

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

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

Because it has had dealings over the years with hundreds of charitable organisations throughout the capital, 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 case providers are encouraged to collaborate to ensure better use of resources.

help worthwhile and charitable

The City B

Following the 7 July bombings, promoting community cohesion and integration became a priority for the Trust. As a result, a leadership and reconciliation initiative was launched at

More information 020 7332 3710 www.citybridgetrust.org.uk

C I T Y V I E W 13

organisations across London.

The grants are given across

Mansion House bringing together 21 projects developing youth leadership, promoting interfaith working and encouraging conflict resolution among young people. These specialist organisations are sharing their ups and downs, breaking down stereotypes, and identifying problem areas. All are offered free training by the Trust to help evaluate their work so that more organisations can learn without re-inventing the wheel.

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

ridge Trust

Often, building an evidence base upon which to focus future work can be the most valuable tool for charities. In 2004 The City Bridge Trust commissioned a report to examine the perceived increase in the numbers of young people carrying knives and the reasons they did so. Fear and Fashion: the use of knives and other weapons by young people used MORI interviews and Youth Justice Panel reports to show that there had been an alarming increase in the instance of knives being carried. Two thirds of 16 year olds questioned said they had carried them on occasion while 29% of 11 year olds also admitted to doing so at one time or other. The report also showed that the two main causes for doing so were fear of being harmed themselves and peer group pressure.

Other findings showed that while schools, the police and youth clubs were all trying to tackle the issue there was no single, coordinated approach.

The report sparked much debate about how best to combat these causes. The City Bridge Trust pooled resources with the City Parochial, Wates and Esmée Fairbairn Foundations and John Lyons’ Charity to provide funding of £1.4m towards four projects in knife ‘hot spots’– Brent, Westminster, Lambeth and

Southwark. One project, Leap, is working with young people on anger management and conflict resolution without violence. Another, Working with Men, uses natural leaders in schools and youth clubs to provide peer pressure not to carry weapons – always more effective than adult censure.

This is one of many long term initiatives funded by The City Bridge Trust. More often than not, the true impact of a grant can only be judged after several years. One such instance is a scheme funded by the Trust to prevent suicides among women in prison.

The first 72 hours in prison are usually the most harrowing so, using Holloway Prison as a pilot, the Trust gave money for the provision of emotional support and deep counselling for those most in need on their arrival. The marked decrease in suicides since then has led to the scheme being copied in Exeter and Wormwood Scrubs prisons. Leading on from this initial phase, the Trust is now helping the grandparents of prisoners who are looking after their grandchildren – often with no additional money available to them.

And all this is in addition to the ongoing, bread and butter work of the Trust such as its one-off support of lunch clubs, hospices, community transport and groups working with older and disabled people.

14 C I T Y V I E W

A R T S

F O C U S

Stay up late for the Rush Hour The Museum in Docklands’s

calm images projected across

On another theme both the

complex connections with trade

three giant screens are

Museum in Docklands and the

and slavery are explored with a

accompanied with a uniquely

Museum of London are staying

dramatic video installation that

composed soundtrack; the

up late, every first Thursday of the

captures a snapshot of city life in

hustle and bustle of the street

month. They have become the

Freetown, Sierra Leone.

plays out alongside the chat and

places to go for a great night

jingles of local talk radio shows.

out, to meet friends and enjoy a

Rush Hour has been created by

cocktail, alongside tours, live

London based artists David

The work explores the notions of

Matthews and Paul Howard who

trade and slavery, so it is fitting

music and events.

traveled to Sierra Leone, West

that Rush Hour will go on display

The Museum of London shared a

Africa in the hope that the

at Museum in Docklands which is

joke with visitors when a group of

people of Freetown would

housed in a warehouse built with

comedians placed themselves

participate in their project.

profits from the slave trade. Sierra Leone was founded in 1787 as a

They closed down a section of

safe haven for emancipated

Freetown’s busiest street,

African slaves, and the first ship

gathered a cast made up of

to set sail for Freetown left from

members of the public, and then

Blackwall stairs, docklands.

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, amongst the exhibits. The comedy

Glamorous Showgirls stilt walkers

group, laughterinoddplaces, are

strutted their stuff. There was also

tipped for big things and before

dancing on the docks with music

heading off to the Edinburgh

from Viramundo, a Brazilian

Festival they created a fantastic

samba band who had previously

comedy adventure inside

played for Madonna and Mick

the Museum.

Jagger.

The Museum in Docklands also

Make sure you don’t miss out on

had its share of fun when the

the fun in August!

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!

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.

Mention the word ‘punk’ and most

creators COUM Transmissions to

More information 0845 120 7550

people would associate it with the

use the headlines within the

www.barbican.org.uk/gallery

wave of music, fashion and

exhibition itself!

graphics that hit the UK in the late 1970s provoking shock and

An example of art being ahead

outrage among many.

of its time, the exhibition includes examples of artists using waste

But the impact of the movement

material for other uses, such as

went beyond just those areas and

Tony Cragg’s Policeman, crafted

can be seen by a new exhibition

from found plastic objects.

at the Barbican – Panic Attack!

Perhaps summing up the era itself

Art in the Punk Years – that throws

is Andrew Logan’s giant safety

new light on the art scene that

pin – sculpted from metal,

developed in London, New York

resin, glass and stone.

and Los Angeles from the mid1970s to mid-80s.

The idea for the exhibition was

Highly political, challenging the

generated by the

establishment and explicitly

Barbican team.

sexual at times, the art was often

Co-curator Ariella

inspired by the severe economic

Yedgar feels that “The

recession in Britain and America

convergence of the

caused by the oil crisis of 1973. This

Queen’s Silver Jubilee and

gave rise to stark imagery, often in

the release of the Sex

black and white, that mirrored the

Pistols’ single was a very

urban decay of the time.

important moment for the UK’s cultural life, and

The exhibition starts with the

the 30th anniversary of both was

famous ‘defaced’ pictured of

a great opportunity to explore

Her Majesty taken from the Sex

this. But we are surveying this

Pistols single God Save The

period from an art-historical

Queen which appeared in the

perspective; an area we think has

same year as The Queen’s Silver

been largely overlooked.”

Jubilee. It goes on to feature more than 150 works including

Is the work as shocking today as it

photography, painting,

was in the 1970s? “They haven’t

performance, film, video and

lost their power and energy.

other media by such

A lot are as thought provoking –

recognisable names as Cindy

particularly those covering

Sherman, Nan Goldin, Jean-

social inclusion and minority

Michel Basquiat and Keith Haring.

groups – today as then. And people have been enjoying how

Among these are controversial

their expectations have been

works such as that from Robert

challenged by works that

Mapplethorpe and the

cover the whole spectrum of

Prostitution retrospective from

scales and media – photographs,

1976 that inspired tabloid

video, paintings, performances

newspaper fury – leading

and sculptures.”

16 C I T Y V I E W

N E W S

I N

B R I E F

...and finally A wheely great day 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

These were a group of volunteers

person, with millions more

stationed at 10 positions along

watching on television, and a

the Tour de France route through

particularly good turnout at

the City who were on hand

St Paul’s and Tower Bridge.

to give the public advice on what to do and where to visit while in

The day was rated as a huge

the Square Mile. With expert help

success by organisers and the

from the City of London Guides,

shops open in the City on the day

these volunteers gave out

saw a very brisk trade. The two

20,000 copies of a City map

City Corporation-organised

specially produced for the day

events – the stunt bike show and

showing the route and other

bike tryout sessions – also

attractions available.

attracted substantial crowds.

Look out for the next appearance The day marked the first

of the SquareMilers at the Lord

appearance of the SquareMilers.

Mayor’s Show on 10 November.

Wanted: Independent Custody Visitors Come on in!

The City Corporation, as the

Each visit should last no longer

police authority for the Square

than two hours.

Mile, is looking for volunteers to act as Independent Custody

Although ICVs are unpaid, any

Visitors (ICV) as part of a Scheme

incurred expenses would be

to safeguard the welfare of those

reimbursed and you will be

arrested.

provided with all relevant training. Volunteers require no

September once again sees

ambassadors’ residences to

Independent visitors would carry

formal qualifications but must be

many of the capital’s most

modernist classics, contemporary

out regular checks on the

either residents or City workers

exciting buildings throwing their

workspaces and architectural

conditions under which

over 18. They cannot be justices

doors open to the public as part

award winners.

detainees are kept. It is an

of the peace, serving police

important and valuable role in

officers or civilian employees,

of Open House weekend.

All entry is free of charge and

the local community, particularly

members or staff from the City

Taking place on 15-16

includes City Corporation owned

for maintaining public

of London Corporation or

September, visitors can

buildings such as Guildhall.

confidence. The main duties

special constables.

experience the widest range of

are to attend local police

architecture and design – from

More information

stations on a monthly basis and

More information

livery halls, historical houses and

www.openhouse.org.uk

carry out inspections of the cells.

020 7332 1406