Sub-Treasurer's Report, June 2019

The contractor for Project Pegasus, Sir Robert McAlpine Special Projects, held a “drop-in” presentation for all interested stakeholders in the Buttery Rooms on 13 May.

Queen Anne’s portrait was finally prised off the wall of Hall in the week beginning 21 May – this was the last item to be removed from the Treasury Building and the contractor is now in full control of the site. At the time of writing agreement from the City to the plans for the discharge of conditions relating to the planning permission is still awaited, but this does not prevent certain tasks such as erection of scaffolding and hoarding from going ahead and they are now in hand.

A meeting of the Project Pegasus Interior Design Sub-Group, including Hugh Broughton Architects, took place on 22 May to discuss which outstanding aspects of interior design require the group’s attention; potential themes and ideas to incorporate into decoration of the 4th floor training rooms; and to conduct a competition to create a bespoke artwork for the 3rd floor breakout space.

The Finance Sub-Committee met the audit partner for a closing meeting on 24 May. No deficiencies were identified and all issues raised previously had been satisfactorily resolved.

External planed preventive maintenance is underway, on time and budget, at 1-3 Hare Court. This is due to be finalised in July. Internal preventive maintenance to the common parts of 2-6 KBW is due to commence in August. Roof repairs to Farrar’s Building are progressing well and are also due to end in July.

A fire alarm system upgrade has been completed at 2-3 Hare Court, 1 Mitre Court and 1-2 Temple Gardens. Upgrades will continue in 2020 at five more locations. Commercial boiler installation at 1-2 KBW will commence in early June.

A review of service level agreements for the maintenance of the Treasury Building and Library is also underway.

The Rawlinson Cup Debate Final was held in Bush House on 15 May. A very high standard of debate was achieved and Joseph Meethan was announced the winner.

Master Treasurer and the Sub-Treasurer attended a BPTC Annual Qualifying Event at Birmingham University of Law on 17 May and a Highgate House Residential weekend on Advocacy and the Vulnerable, focusing on domestic abuse, immediately afterwards on 17-19 May. Despite the best efforts of Virgin Trains, they returned to Birmingham on 21 May for a Dinner for Legal Academics, which was much appreciated by those present.

The Bar Liaison Committee met on 13 May. The agenda included contributions from the BLC to the forthcoming Established Practitioner Survey, taking particular account of the needs of the circuits.

A Social Context of the Law event was held on 13 May on the theme of “Is Anything More Needed to Ensure Freedom of Speech”. The session was chaired by Desmond Browne QC and the discussants were the Hon Robert French (Chief Justice of Australia 2008-17) and Alan Rusbridger (former Editor-in-Chief of The Guardian).

Benchers’ Night took place at Vintners’ Hall on 16 May with 45 guests attending. It was delightful to see again several of the Inn’s regular waiting staff at the event.

Negotiations are being finalised for filming of a BBC production of A Christmas Carol over the weekend of 15-16 June.

The Sub-Treasurer and a team of Inner Temple members and staff will be taking part again in the annual London Legal Walk on Monday 17 June.

Adam Bracegirdle our Events Manager will be leaving the Inn on 14 June to work at the newly renovated Fairfield Halls where he will be Conference and Events Manager. We are not currently planning on replacing this role immediately, since the catering team have the Inn’s 2019 diary under control and largely hope to make repeat bookings for the 2020 diary. It will be replaced at least six months before the building reopens to assist in the recruitment of the new catering staff. We wish Adam every success and thank him for his major contribution to the catering department.

The temporary Library opened for business at 10 Fetter Lane on 28 May.

The new temporary Library at 10 Fetter Lane is now fully networked with PCs, printers and Wi-Fi for Library staff and users.

The IT Department has removed all network infrastructure from the main Treasury Building.

A reception was held in the Temple Church on 30 May for the International Legal Assistance Consortium on the occasion of their AGM in London. The Consortium works to assess the needs of the justice sector in conflict-affected and fragile countries and helps strengthen the independence and resilience of justice sector institutions and legal professions. The event was attended by high profile guests, including international Bar and law association leaders. The Sub-Treasurer gave a short welcoming address and introduced Elizabeth Howe OBE, the President of ILAC.

The Chelsea Fringe event ‘Tree Adventures and Magical Fairytales’ which took place in the Garden on 19 May featured the Great Big Tree Climbing Company taking 72 people up into one of the mature plane trees and performances by the Hobgoblin Theatre Company. Despite some showers, just under 600 people attended the day in total – just slightly down on last year.

A tremendously well-attended Choral Evensong took place on 22 May to mark the 800th anniversary of the burial of Sir William Marshall, “the greatest Knight who ever lived” on 20 May 1219.

Media commentary on the announcement that the Inns of Court College of Advocacy has applied to the Bar Standards Board for authorisation to deliver the future, two-part Bar course has been strongly and almost universally positive.