Corporate/Business Services

Town Clerk’s Department

The chances are, you won’t be aware of what our Town Clerk’s department does, as it’s unique to us. This team is responsible for a wide variety of areas, including servicing meetings of the Court of Common Council and Court of Aldermen, their committees, sub-committees and working parties. These talented and committed professionals uphold standards; act as the Electoral Registration Office; and ensure the resilience and governance of the organisation.

And in this area, we go further still, looking after:

• The City Corporation’s Communications team, coordinating and overseeing all print, broadcast and digital communications, and publishing a wide range of material; implementing and overseeing our Corporate Affairs programme; and acting as a point of contact for filming in the Square Mile.
• The Innovation and Growth Directorate who are here to enhance the international competitiveness of the City as a world-class environment for business, while supporting the economic potential of London and the financial services sector more widely.
• Corporate HR and Business Services who operate across the entire organisation, working with departments to build a skilled and committed workforce that comes together, delivers high quality, accessible and responsive services.

Remembrancers

The City Remembrancer is one of the City’s Law Officers as well as being its Head of Protocol and a Parliamentary Agent. In 1685 an order was made for the Remembrancer “to continue to attend Parliament and the offices of the Secretaries of State daily and acquaint the Lord Mayor with the public affairs and other business transacted there, relating to the City”.

The Remembrancer maintains day-to-day contact with those officials in Government departments who develop policy and have responsibility for relations with Parliament and its Committees. The Office also follows the work of the London Assembly, and the Greater London Authority (GLA) associated bodies.

The Office is also responsible for organising events and hospitality on behalf of the City Corporation. These range from small receptions to major State occasions.

Chamberlains

The Chamberlain is the Chief Finance Officer of the City of London Corporation – providing commercial and strategic financial advice; managing the substantial investment portfolio; and providing the transactional finance function for the City Corporation’s local and private trust funds. The Chamberlain also provides IT services to the City Corporation.

The department is arranged into four areas: Financial Services, IT, City Procurement and Internal Audit. Here’s what we do:

• Financial Services – sustain and enhance the City’s Financial Resources to ensure that they meet our strategic objectives and future service requirements
• IT – work to implement appropriate and innovative technology and business processes to support the organisation to deliver more efficient and more effective services
• Procurement / Commercial – provide a comprehensive procurement and commercial service to the City Corporation
• Internal audit – provide independent assurance, maintaining the City Corporation’s risk management framework and delivering counter-fraud services.

We are pleased to have continued to maintain our Platinum Accreditation from CIPFA covering training and Continuing Professional Development.  CIPFA Members working for us will benefit from our commitment to ensure their personal and technical development is supported from us as an employer and to support CIPFA training as the recognised public sector accounting body.

The Mansion House & The Central Criminal Court

This diverse team supports the strategic alignment of the civic leadership strategy which enhances the effectiveness of the City brand, both in the UK and overseas, promoting trade and investment, the rule of law and social justice.

We promote the City as the world leader in international financial and professional services by making the most of international partnerships and planning, implementing and delivering the Lord Mayor’s programme and theme.

We also help strengthen communication around the City’s priorities and links with wider industry and the rest of the UK through visits, events, speeches and relations with national business representative organisations. We deliver a range of events and functions that support the diverse interests of the City, UK trade and investment, Government, and other key stakeholders (for, example, by running the International Trade Dinner and the Bankers’ Dinner).

We provide safe, secure and maintained premises, including Mansion House as the residence of the Lord Mayor and venue for events, as well as the Central Criminal Court which supports Her Majesty’s Courts and Tribunal Service.

We have a range of teams within our department from operations, programme support, to speech, events and diary.

The Central Criminal Court of England and Wales is more commonly known as the Old Bailey and is one of a number of buildings housing the Crown Court.

Behind its dignified façade the Old Bailey is a centre of intense activity with thousands of people entering the building on a daily basis. As well as judges, counsel, jurors, witnesses and defendants, these include the many staff needed to run the courts and the building.

Comptroller & City Solicitor’s

This is an area of the organisation that can trace its history back centuries! The first City Solicitor was appointed in 1544 and the first Comptroller in 1311. The two posts were amalgamated in 1945.

The Comptroller & City Solicitor is responsible for providing all legal services required by the City of London. This includes providing legal advice to committees, departments, to the Commissioner of the City of London Police, and other organisations such as the Museum of London.

The main areas of law covered by the C&CS include commercial property and land law, housing, litigation, employment law, contract law, planning, trusts and company law.

The department deals with over 2,000 new legal matters every year and this covers anything from heavyweight property acquisition and disposals to horse riding byelaws in Epping Forest.

For professionals involved in legal services, this is an environment few can match for diversity of work.