The Court of Aldermen forms part of the senior governance of the
City of London Corporation
The City of London Corporation, officially and legally the Mayor and Commonalty and Citizens of the City of London, is the local authority of the City of London, the historic centre of London and the location of much of the United Kingdom's f ...
. It comprises twenty-five
Aldermen of the
City of London
The City of London, also known as ''the City'', is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county and Districts of England, local government district with City status in the United Kingdom, city status in England. It is the Old town, his ...
, presided over by the
Lord Mayor
Lord mayor is a title of a mayor of what is usually a major city in a Commonwealth realm, with special recognition bestowed by the sovereign. However, the title or an equivalent is present in other countries, including forms such as "high mayor". A ...
(becoming senior Alderman during his or her year of office). The Court was originally responsible for the entire administration of the City, but most of its responsibilities were subsumed by the
Court of Common Council
The Court of Common Council is the primary decision-making body of the City of London Corporation. It meets nine times per year. Most of its work is carried out by committees. City of London Corporation elections , Elections are held at least eve ...
in the fourteenth century. The Court of Aldermen meets seven times a year in the Aldermen's Court Room at
Guildhall
A guildhall, also known as a guild hall or guild house, is a historical building originally used for tax collecting by municipalities or merchants in Europe, with many surviving today in Great Britain and the Low Countries. These buildings commo ...
. The few remaining duties of the Court include approving people for
Freedom of the City, approving the formation of new
livery companies
A livery company is a type of guild or professional association that originated in medieval times in London, England. Livery companies comprise London's ancient and modern trade associations and guilds, almost all of which are Style (form of a ...
, and appointing the
Recorder of London.
History
It is probable that no definite account of the origin of the office of Alderman, or of the body known as the Court of Aldermen can ever be written for, and is likely that the office of the Aldermen of the City of London came into existence by a process of natural growth and development created by the necessities of the times. The first possible mention of the court comes from 1200, 'fiveand-twenty of the more discreet men of the City' were 'sworn to take counsel on behalf of the City together with the Mayor', although this could possibly be an early form of the
London Common Council, as in 1200 there were only 24 wards.
Term of office
Although there is no compulsion by law to do so, Aldermen usually submit themselves for re-election every six years and by custom retire at the age of 70.
In 2020, David Graves declined to stand for re-election after six years as Alderman for Cripplegate, stating "given the current CV-19 concerns and limitations, I decided that to trigger a 42 ... day electoral process now would be inappropriate and unsuitable for the good conduct of a fair election". He again deferred standing for re-election in 2021 for the same reason, triggering calls for the reform of the law relating to this election.
List of current aldermen
See also
*
Wards of the City of London
The City of London (also known simply as "the City") is divided into 25 wards. The city is the historic core of the much wider metropolis of Greater London, with an ancient and ''sui generis'' form of local government, which avoided the many l ...
*
Sheriff of the City of London
References
Politics of the City of London
City of London Corporation
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