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Council
Monday, 22nd May, 2017

Council Minutes

Date:
Monday 22nd May 2017
Time:
6:30 p.m.
Place:
Council Chamber, Town Hall, Katharine Street, Croydon, CR0 1NX
 

Attendance Details

Present:

Councillor H Ali, Councillor J Audsley, Councillor J Avis, Councillor J Bains, Councillor S Bashford, Councillor K Bee, Councillor S Bennett, Councillor M Bird, Councillor C Bonner, Councillor S Brew, Councillor A Butler, Councillor J Buttinger, Councillor R Canning, Councillor R Chatterjee, Councillor S Chowdhury, Councillor L Clancy, Councillor P Clouder, Councillor S Collins, Councillor M Creatura, Councillor J Cummings, Councillor M Fisher, Councillor S Fitzsimons, Councillor A Flemming, Councillor M Gatland, Councillor T Godfrey, Councillor L Hale, Councillor S Hall, Councillor P Hay-Justice, Councillor M Henson, Councillor S Hollands, Councillor Y Hopley, Councillor K Jewitt, Councillor H Kabir, Councillor B Khan, Councillor S Khan, Councillor S King, Councillor M Kyeremeh, Councillor T Letts, Councillor O Lewis, Councillor S Mann, Councillor M Mansell, Councillor D Mead, Councillor M Mead, Councillor V Mohan, Councillor M Neal, Councillor T Newman, Councillor A Pelling, Councillor J Perry, Councillor H Pollard, Councillor T Pollard, Councillor J Prince, Councillor B Quadir, Councillor A Rendle, Councillor P Ryan, Councillor P Scott, Councillor M Selva, Councillor M Shahul-Hameed, Councillor D Speakman, Councillor A Stranack, Councillor W Trakas-Lawlor, Councillor M Watson, Councillor J Wentworth, Councillor S Winborn, Councillor D Wood, Councillor L Woodley, Councillor C Wright, Councillor C Young

Apologies for absence:
Apologies for absence were received from Councillors Thompson, Thomas and O'Connell

Apologies for lateness were received from Councillor Hay-Justice.

Item Item/Resolution
MINUTES - PART A
A30/17 APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE

Apologies for absence were received from Councillors Thompson, Thomas and O'Connell.

 

Apologies for lateness were received from Councillor Hay-Justice.

A31/17 MINUTES

The Council RESOLVED to approve the minutes of the Council meeting held on Monday 24 April 2017 as a correct record.

A32/17 DISCLOSURE OF INTEREST

There were no disclosures made at the meeting.

A33/17 URGENT BUSINESS (IF ANY)

There was no urgent business to consider.

A34/17 VOTE OF THANKS

The Mayor invited the Deputy Mayor to chair the item. The Deputy Mayor then invited the Mayor to deliver his farewell address.

 

The farewell address report had been circulated to all members prior to the meeting, and had been published here: https://secure.croydon.gov.uk/akscroydon/users/public/admin/kab14.pl?operation=SUBMIT&meet=43&cmte=COU&grpid=public&arc=1


The Mayor stated he had learnt much about his home town and the incredible work being done by Croydon's residents. An example was given of an ex-offender who had spoken at an event and had turned his life around and had started his own music business. Making a real difference had been the best part of being Mayor; the worst part had been the tragic events surrounding the tram incident. The Mayor had attended funerals of some of the victims and it had been the hardest thing to undertake in his life. The support received from around the country had been heart-warming and the significant money raised for the victims had made the Mayor exceptionally proud of Croydon.


Thanks were passed to Deva Ponnoosami for his outstanding work for the Mayor's Charity, and the Deputy Mayor was also thanked. The Mayor's Consort, Michael Trakas-Lawlor, was thanked for his support throughout the Mayoral year. The Mayor's fellow Ward Councillors, Jane Avis and Kathy Bee, were thanked for their cover of Ward surgeries in his absence. All the staff in the Mayoral team were thanked for their hard work and dedication. The Chief Executive was thanked and the Mayor stated she had been the best Chief Executive he had worked with. The Director of Law and Monitoring Officer was thanked for doing a fantastic job. Finally, the Mayor thanked the people of Croydon. The Mayor then invited his Consort, Michael Trakas-Lawlor, to deliver a brief speech.

 

 

Mr Trakas-Lawlor thanked both sides of the chamber for the welcome he had received. The Council meetings had opened Mr Trakas-Lawlor's eyes to British politics. Thanks were also passed to the Chief Executive, the Deputy Mayor, and the people of Croydon. Mr Trakas-Lawlor believed that the image of Croydon many people had was outdated and the borough was one of the best places to live.

 

The Leader, moving the vote of thanks, highlighted the huge number of engagements that the Mayor had attended over the year. The Mayor was thanked for his role in supporting the borough during the tram incident and the significant fundraising undertaken. The Mayoral year had seen Croydon in both its toughest times and it's most exciting. The Mayor had left a fantastic legacy and would be a hard act to follow.

 

Councillor Tim Pollard, seconding the motion, stated that the Mayor had chaired the Council meetings with firmness, fairness and good humour. The Mayor had undertaken events across the borough in a wide variety of events. An example was the Rotary Club photography competition in which the prize included pictures with the Mayor. Councillor Pollard stated it was a pleasure to second the motion.

 

Deputy Madam Mayor put the motion to the vote, and the vote of thanks was carried unanimously.
 

A35/17 ELECTION OF THE MAYOR

Councillor Newman proposed, and Councillor Tim Pollard seconded, that Councillor Toni Letts be nominated as the Mayor of Croydon for the year 2017-18.

 

The motion was put to the vote and was carried unanimously.

 

 

The Mayoral procession left the Chamber at 6.58pm and returned at 7.07pm, with the new Mayor of Croydon, Councillor Toni Letts, in the Chair. The Mayor read out the declaration of office and duly signed it. The Mayor then announced that she had requested Councillor Mike Selva to serve as Deputy Mayor. The Deputy Mayor signed the declaration of the office.

 

 

The Leader stated that 1966 was the year that both the Mayor and Deputy Mayor had made their homes in Croydon. The new Mayor had undertaken decades of public service; from chief executive of the South London YMCA, to serving as a Cabinet Member on the Council. Outside of the spotlight, the Leader stated that the Mayor was one of the most caring and compassionate persons he had known, and she was always looking out for others. With all the changes and growth coming to Croydon, the Mayoralty was in safe hands for this challenge.

 

Councillor Tim Pollard: congratulated the new Mayor for what would be her second spell in the role. Undertaking the role of Mayor twice was almost unheard of but richly deserved. The Mayor's involvement with local businesses and charities was recognised and Councillor Pollard stated that the new Mayor had always been a strong promoter of Croydon.


The Mayor, giving her acceptance speech, stated that she stood before the Chamber proud to be the first woman to take the role of Mayor of Croydon twice. The Mayor stated she considered herself an adopted daughter of Croydon, having lived there for over 50 years. She quoted from an Observer news article referring to Croydon from March 1961, in which it described Croydon as being full of new developments and office blocks.
 

 

The Mayor stated, during her term of office, she wished to promote culture and showcase the best of Croydon's talents. For this reason the Croydon Operatic and Dramatic Association (CODA) would be one of the Mayor's charities for the year. CODA were a local organisation created in 1943 to lift the spirits of residents during the war by providing variety shows and cultural performances.
 

The second charity would be the Samaritans; on average 16 people took their life every day and the Mayor had witnessed this first hand through work with homeless people and the effect their situation had on their mental health. The two charities were linked because culture and art could bring people together and promote a sense of identity. Croydon should be a global hub of cultural excellence; working with the private, public and voluntary sectors would make this possible.
 

The Mayor's family were thanked for their support and understanding. The previous Mayor and his Consort were thanked for the time shared with them as Deputy Mayor and stated that he would be a hard act to follow.
 

A36/17 APPOINTMENT OF THE LEADER OF THE COUNCIL

Council NOTED that Councillor Tony Newman had been elected Leader of the Council for a four year term on 3 June 2014, and that Councillor Alison Butler had been appointed as the Statutory Deputy Leader.

 

 

A37/17 POLITICAL BALANCE OF THE COUNCIL AND COMPOSITION OF COMMITTEES

Council, having reviewed the representation of the political groups on the Council, RESOLVED to:

 

1.1  Confirm that there were 39 Labour Group Members and 30 Conservative Group Members and one ungrouped Member (as set out in Para 3.1.1 of the associated report); and
1.2  Approve the appointment and composition of Committees as set out in paragraph 3.2.7 of the associated report.

A38/17 APPOINTMENTS

Council RESOLVED to:

 

(a) Agree (or receive for information as applicable) the following appointments where the number of nominations was equal to the number of available positions:


1.The appointments to Committees of the Council (Blue Schedule); and


2.The appointments to all other Panels, Working Groups and Outside Bodies (Pink Schedule);


(b) To receive for information the appointments of Cabinet Members, Cabinet Committees and Deputy Cabinet Members (Blue Schedule);


1.The appointments of Leader of the Opposition and Shadow Cabinet (Blue Schedule);


2.The appointments of political party group officers (Blue Schedule);


3.The appointments to Joint Committees (Blue Schedule);


4.The appointments to London Councils Committees and Panels and Local Government Association bodies (Blue Schedule);


5.The appointment of Councillors to the Health & Wellbeing Board by the Leader of the Council.

A39/17 CAMERA RESOLUTION

Not required.

MINUTES - PART B
  None
The meeting finished at 7.34pm