Published: 17 November, 2011

• NATALIE Bennett (It’s high time to democratise ‘the City’, November 10) shows a complete lack of understanding about the role of the City of London Corporation and how it functions.

Calls for reform are taken very seriously and the modernisation agenda agreed with the Labour government, passed by Parliament in 2002 has been fully implemented.

The new franchise sought to achieve a proper balance between the interests of the 9,000 city residents and the 350,000 workers who come into the City every day.

It is wrong to allege that there is such a thing as a corporate vote in the City.

The electorate is composed of individual voters just like every London borough, with elections every four years, and workers holding city votes are not debarred from also voting in their home area.

The corporation goes to great lengths to provide high levels of service to its residents, and, by achieving one of the highest resident satisfaction rates in the whole country, it shows these efforts have been largely successful.

Internationally, we have an important remit in promoting the UK financial and professional services industry.

Both at home and overseas this role is undertaken at the behest of the government for the benefit of the national economy and at no cost to the taxpayer.

At home, the funds inherited over its history of 800 years are used by the corporation for public benefit and how this is used can be seen from its published spending budgets, there is no secrecy.

These private funds provide the support for activities at no cost to the taxpayer which include funding open spaces such as Hampstead Heath, and many other services.

The corporation’s involvement in the wider London area includes sponsoring three city academy schools in Islington, Hackney and Southwark; supporting the arts – including £30million every year on the Barbican Centre alone – and running the City Bridge Trust, London’s largest independent grant-giving body.

I am, of course, gratified by Ms Bennett’s remarks about Hampstead Heath and I would like to remind her that Camden turned down the opportunity to take on the Heath when it was offered.

The corporation is responsible for holding 15 Green Flag awards, has one of the highest recycling rates in London and has been in the forefront of the UK’s efforts to tackle climate change.

Indeed I would have hoped that the Green Party would be one our biggest supporters.

MICHAEL WELBANK
Chairman Hampstead Heath Management Committee
City of London Corporation