Author: Tijs Broeke

Welcome news this week with the announcement from Transport for London (TfL) that the Waterloo & City line will re-open in June, following 15 months of closure. As member of the City Corporation’s Policy and Resources Committee I’ve lobbied continuously for the reopening of the line at the earliest opportunity to help commuters get into work safely and support recovery of the Square Mile.

On Tuesday 11 May at 5.00pm we are holding our 2021 annual Ward meeting – virtually for now, but hopefully later this year we can organise an in person event again. Everyone who works or lives in the Ward of Cheap is welcome.

The City’s Court of Common Council has agreed to create a grant fund for City SME Businesses that have been impacted by the COVID-19 Pandemic. The scheme is designed to support businesses which contribute to the City’s vibrancy at street level and directly provide services to returning City workers, visitors, and residents.

Flags are being flown half mast at Guildhall and Mansion House as the City of London joins HM The Queen, her family, and the nation in mourning the loss of HRH Prince Philip. Both the Lord Mayor and the Policy Chair paid tribute on behalf of the City of London.

As the City will soon be re-emerging again from lockdown our 2020 annual report from the Ward of Cheap team gives an update on my work together with my ward colleagues as elected representatives over the last 12 months, and how we are helping to accelerate the City’s recovery and develop a blueprint for the Square Mile to remain internationally competitive and locally vibrant. 

When the schools in England reopened earlier this month, many children and young people had faced almost a year of learning disruption. The Education Endowment Foundation (EEF) has warned that these school closures are likely to reverse progress made in the last decade since 2011 to close the education attainment gap.

The Court of Common Council, the City of London Corporation’s main decision-making body, has agreed to create a new Covid Business Recovery Fund of up to £50 million. This followed the introduction of an amendment I supported together with other Councillors.

The City of London Corporation has reinforced its commitment to embedding culture at the centre of the Square Mile’s post-Covid recovery with a series of commitments to the sector. I was pleased to be able to support a phased approach to a major renewal of the City’s leading cultural destination, the Barbican Centre, at our Policy and Resources Committee.

The City of London Corporation has launched a Recovery Task Force which will provide a blueprint for how the Square Mile can remain internationally competitive and locally vibrant. As part of this work the City Corporation has opened a survey for residents, businesses and visitors.

London continues to hold the top spot for financial and professional services when compared with other major cities, a report by the City of London Corporation has found. The research, which took 91 different metrics for success into account, found that, while other major centres may lead on some measures, London and the UK have the strongest overall competitive offering.