City of London Corporation

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The City of London Corporation , formerly the Corporation of London , is the local authority of the City of London in London .

The corporation has been represented in the British Parliament since Elizabeth I by its remembrancer , who sits opposite the presiding speaker . The Corporation embodies the community a free city that is not the control of the United Kingdom is subject to and is considered the largest tax haven in the world.

Formally, there is the municipality since the year 1191. Their first documented and comprehensive exemption is older and comes from Henry I . When William the Conqueror had all taxable property recorded in the Domesday Book , the City of London was excluded.

The corporation is governed by the Lord Mayor of London , the Court of Aldermen (assembly of councilors) and the Court of Common Council (council of residents). She has no control over Middle Temple and Inner Temple , two legally separate enclaves in the City.

electorate

Not only residents of the City of London but also resident citizens of the European Union and the Commonwealth of Nations have the right to vote in the corporation if they are personally liable entrepreneurs or delegates of a corporation resident there. Corporations with up to 50 employees can designate one voter per 5 employees, larger corporations one additional voter per additional 50 employees.

The City of London is divided into 25 constituencies ( wards ). Each constituency elects a councilor ( Alderman ) and a number of representatives for the Court of Common Council based on the size of the electorate. There are a hundred councilmen in total .

Livery Companies

There are currently 110 Livery Companies in London. These used to be traders' associations, but nowadays their role is mostly ceremonial as many of the professions represented no longer exist. The members of the Livery Companies, the so-called Liverymen , form a special electoral body, the Common Hall . This elects the Lord Mayor of London and other officials.

Court of Aldermen (Assembly of Councilors)

The constituencies used to elect their councilors ( Aldermen ) for life, but the term of office is now limited to six years. The Alderman can, if he so wishes, run for re-election before the end of the term of office. All Aldermen must be Citizens ( Freeman ) of the City. You also serve as justice of the peace . An Alderman may also be elected to the Court of Common Council .

Court of Common Council

Each constituency elects a number of Common Councilmen based on population. A Common Councilman must be registered as a voter in his constituency, own or rent property in the city, have lived in the city for one year and be a citizen (freeman) of the city. Elections take place every year.

Lord Mayor and the Sheriffs

The Lord Mayor of London and the two sheriffs (assistants to the Lord Mayor) are elected by the representatives of the Livery Companies . The election of the sheriffs takes place on the day of the summer solstice , that of the Lord Mayor on September 29th (or, if this falls on a weekend, on the following working day). Both the Lord Mayor and the Sheriffs are elected for one year.

criticism

In 2011, the Occupy movement called for a democratization of the medieval City of London. According to journalist George Monbiot , the City of London is the only part of Britain over which Parliament has no authority. It supposedly exists outside the usual laws and acts as a kind of tax haven .

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ The tax haven in the heart of Britain. New Statesman , February 24, 2011, accessed October 22, 2014 .
  2. The trail leads to London on zeit.de, April 11, 2013, accessed February 25, 2018
  3. ^ Maurice Glasman: The City of London's strange history. Financial Times , September 29, 2014, accessed October 22, 2014 .
  4. William Ferneley Allen: The Corporation of London: Its Rights and Privileges . 1858 ( Online , Project Gutenberg [accessed October 22, 2014]).
  5. Great Domesday. The National Archives , accessed October 22, 2014 .
  6. ^ Livery Companies of the City of London. Retrieved July 24, 2017 .
  7. ^ Occupy London protest issues demands to democratise City of London , The Guardian, October 28, 2012
  8. The medieval, unaccountable Corporation of London is ripe for protest , The Guardian, 31 October 2012