Inter Livery Initiatives

Overview

It is often said that “the City works best when it works together”. There is, however, a natural and healthy rivalry between Livery Companies and always has been, a gentle but serious wish to promote one’s own Company above others, perhaps best illustrated by the famous story of the Skinners and Merchant Taylors ending up “at sixes and sevens” in the order of precedence.

Co-operation between Companies can be seen in the number of Groups that exist, whether they be industry groups, or project based. The Livery Committee is the hub for co-operation and represents all facets of the City but mainly exists to liaise between Companies and other parts of the City establishment.

The Pan Livery Initiative (PLI), overseen by the Pan Livery Steering Group (PLSG),established in 2017, has been an active and successful body in promoting inter-livery working in the areas of communications, shared philanthropic endeavour, collaboration and knowledge sharing, matters of governance, and (at a particular point in time) the coordination of support and mutual aid during the Covid- 19 pandemic.

The primary purpose of the PLI was to provide the facts in support of the communication of a clear consistent and authentic message of deliveries value and contribution to society.

Having largely achieved its ambitions, the PLI was embedded at Common Hall in September 2023 within the Livery Committee.

Examples

We have many great examples of the type of inter-Livery initiatives underway in which the PLI has had an interest, and on which the Livery Committee, with the 3 co-opted members from PLSG, shall continue to seek to support and report on, for example, the Livery Climate Action Group and the Livery Charity Chairs Group.

The Livery Climate Action Group has created a series of Guidance Notes, sample Climate Action Plans and other associated resources drawing from the wide expertise within London’s Livery, as part of its ambition to be an invaluable support for Livery Companies and Guilds in their journeys toward net-zero emissions.

The Livery Charity Chairs Group is a prime example of a group arising out of an identified need, firstly to ensure proper governance of our charities, and then to focus our philanthropy to solve specific needs that arose through the Covid pandemic.