Business boost for city status
East End Life, October 24
Residents will by now be well aware of our
bid to be awarded city status as part of the Queen’s Diamond
Jubilee celebrations next year.
I truly believe we have an excellent
case and I am delighted that some of the biggest companies in the
world agree and have decided to back our bid.
Barclays, HSBC, Thomson Reuters,
Citigroup, Morgan Stanley, Clifford Chance, Credit Suisse and JP
Morgan – who I have worked with to ensure their move to the borough
provides employment opportunities for our residents – all announced
their support for the bid last week. It was a huge boost and shows
how seriously people are taking us in this competition.
Being awarded city status will not
only bring in further investment, but will be long overdue
recognition for our rich diversity and important role we have
played in the nation’s history; from the spirit we showed at the
Battle of Cable Street and throughout the Blitz, right up to the
development of a world class financial district at Canary
Wharf.
I’m grateful for all the support so
far and it was great to be able to thank many of our supporters in
person at a reception at Toynbee Hall last week.
I was also honoured to present the
award for Apprentice of the Year at the Barts and the London NHS
Trust Community Awards last week. Making sure our young people have
access to top quality career opportunities is more important than
ever in the current financial climate, and apprenticeship schemes
such as those run by the trust are a great example of how we can do
that.
Like ourselves, our partners in the
health service face a challenging time due to Government reforms.
However, my commitment to working in partnership with them to
ensure our residents get the best possible care remains absolutely
clear, and I look forward to facing these tough times together.
Finally I would like to send greetings
to all our Hindu and Sikh residents who will be celebrating Diwali,
the festival of lights, this Wednesday.
Mayor Lutfur Rahman