Candidature of Alderman Robert Hughes-Penney for the Sheriff of the City of London 2025 - 2026

As your Alderman I am in a position to use my experience to lead the Ward civic team and represent you, your interests and your business. After many meetings with voters I have learned that the following are the most important priorities for our Ward:

• Ensuring Cheap remains an attractive and pleasant area in which to come and work;
• Building community and networks amongst workers and businesses for their mutual benefit;
• Whatever the Brexit outcome, protecting the best interests of the City;
• Championing responsible investment and the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals;
• Harnessing the City’s traditional expertise with its growing technology skills to create the world’s leading fintech hub;
• Continuing my ongoing commitment to charity and caring for those in need;
  
  

Please click here to see my official profile including my committee appointments at The City Of London Corporation.

Leading the world

The Corporation of London plays a vital role in supporting and promoting London as the world’s leading financial and business centre, partnering with local communities to increase opportunities for all Londoners, and enhancing the capital as a culture hub. It is headed by the Lord Mayor, who with the other elected members, comprising Aldermen and Common Councillors make up the Court of Common Council that is the Corporation’s primary decision-making assembly. My belief is that the City and all its constituent parts play an essential role in setting the standard, leading the way and influencing ethical and effective global business practices to the benefit of all. Click here to see how the Corporation makes decisions.

Meeting Challenges

The City of London plays a pivotal role in supporting society and the global effort to address challenges, from the cost-of-living to climate change. Alongside these, the City must continue to learn to adapt to a future outside of the European Union, cope with a growing regulatory burden and address the increasingly unsustainable levels of public, private and personal debts that are widening divisions within society. As your elected representative, I am prioritising these issues and mobilising the City to find creative solutions, championing the need for a plan for economic growth for the nation, as well as growth in productivity in the City. For example, I have been heartened by initiatives such as the launch of the Mansion House Compact, which aims to have 5% of pension assets invested in future growth companies to deliver stronger growth for pension funds and thus more comfortable retirements for pensioners.

A Thriving City

For the City to thrive in the future, we must make some important adjustments. As we embrace the merits of remote and flexible working, we must also ensure that our urban centre does not become less relevant and is instead utilised more intelligently to add value to professional life. Crucially, there is an imperative to restore the City’s reputation as a bastion of society’s interests by improving standards of conduct in financial services and expanding its charitable contributions. Since the pandemic, we have seen several measures come into play that work towards these goals, but there is more to be done. By serving on the Finance Committee overseeing the management of the City’s multi-million finances, sitting on the Board of the Impact Investing Institute and welcoming a host of other conferences and events that bring together those with the capacity to drive change, I am confident in our collective ability to make a positive difference.