The Corporate Services Committee is scheduled to meet on Wednesday 3 December 2025 to discuss a range of issues, including the Programme Sapphire update, Ambition 25, the 2026 pay award, and staffing structure at New Spitalfields Market. The meeting will also include consideration of minutes from previous meetings and any urgent business. Some items may be discussed in non-public sessions due to the disclosure of exempt information.

Programme Sapphire Update

The committee will receive an update on Programme Sapphire, the City of London Corporation's project to replace its legacy HR and finance systems with a modern Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) solution[^2]. The report highlights that the go-live date has been moved from December 2025 to January 2026 to address data issues. According to the Programme Sapphire Update Report - Final, the new ERP solution is intended to modernise the technology used to deliver back-office services and support the City of London Corporation's culture change.

A vital component of the new ERP Solution is that it will support the City of London Corporation's culture change. It will promote and enable self-service for all employees to access their information, provide access to real-time information and enable informed business decisions.

The report also notes that the change workstream will be key to driving the success of the programme, driven by the 'adopt not adapt' principle. The Programme is delivering in 3 waves: Learning Management System, Core HR & Payroll, and Finance & Budget Management / Forecasting. The report notes that hierarchy/establishment data was updated in City People in October 2025 in support of the Ambition 2025 programme, which caused issues in the planned trial load of data in preparation for the planned December go-live. The Programme Board has been updated on the planned go-live date of 19 January, with 26 January held in reserve. The report states that the solution is functionally ready, and the delayed go-live allows the team to focus on the AI (Joule), MS Teams integration and launch of the new Employee Central Service Centre (ECSC) solution as a single go-live. The launch of the new expenses solution was also delayed to be in sync with the launch of the main employee central (HR) go-live. The go-live is limited to City of London Corporation employees, and traded services customers and those accessing payroll only will be included in the payroll go-live at a later date. The team are looking to accelerate the deployment of automation/AI as part of the transformation, and plans will be brought to the committee in Quarter 4 2025/26. A demonstration of the SuccessFactors solution to the committee will be scheduled for January 2026. The team delivered roadshows across the Corporation in November, with nearly 500 people attending and high satisfaction ratings.

Ambition 25

The committee will receive a report from the Executive Director of Human Resources and Chief People Officer regarding Ambition 25. The report itself is not included in the meeting pack, but will be circulated separately.

2026 Pay Award

The committee will also receive a report from the Executive Director of Human Resources and Chief People Officer regarding the 2026 pay award. The report itself is not included in the meeting pack, but will be circulated separately.

New Spitalfields Market Staffing Structure

The committee will receive a report from the City Surveyor regarding the staffing structure at New Spitalfields Market. The report itself is not included in the meeting pack.

Job Evaluation Maintenance

The committee will receive a report from the Chief Strategy Officer regarding job evaluation maintenance for an existing post. The report itself is not included in the meeting pack.

Removal of Redundant Post

The committee will receive a report from the Interim Chief Executive Officer Barbican Centre regarding the removal of a redundant post. The report itself is not included in the meeting pack.

Minutes

The committee will consider the minutes from the Corporate Services Committee meeting held on 22 October 2025, and the Senior Remuneration Sub-Committee meeting held on 24 September 2025. The minutes from the Corporate Services Committee meeting include a report from Ian Clements, Executive Chairman of Quadriga Health and Safety Ltd, summarising the findings of a follow up review and highlighting the significant progress that had been made since the 2023 strategic review. The minutes also include a discussion of the City of London Corporation's (draft) Equity, Equality, Diversity & Inclusion (EEDI) Strategic Framework, which was shaped by the Corporate Plan 2025-2029, the People Strategy 2024-2029, the 2025 EEDI Review and political priorities. The minutes from the Senior Remuneration Sub-Committee meeting include a question on what, if anything, is in place to support succession planning for those in the Senior Management Group.