Agenda and minutes

The Mayor will open the meeting and welcome all present.

The Mayor’s Chaplain, Canon David Rogers, will lead the Council in prayer.

The Mayor opened the meeting and welcomed all present. The Mayor’s Chaplain, Canon David Rogers, led the Council in prayer.

To receive any apologies for absence on behalf of Council members.

There were no apologies for absence.

To invite Councillors to declare any interests they may have in items on the agenda.

There were no declarations of interest.

To receive the Mayor’s opening remarks and report on the mayoral year.

To give notice of any items of “Urgent Business” accepted by the Mayor for consideration at the meeting.

(No separate report)

a)         General Remarks

            The Mayor commented that he had considered it a privilege to represent the Town during the previous year, featuring, as it had, two royal visits and the Welcome Home Parade for the Mercian Regiment.

The Mayor thanked the current Deputy Mayor, Councillor Banks, for standing in for him at various engagements over the previous year and the Redditch and Bromsgrove Sea Cadets, in particular Officer Cadets Thompson and Sanders, for attending a number of events with him.

The Mayor also thanked his Chaplain, Canon David Rogers for his support, thoughtful words and for leading the Council in Prayer and his Mayoress, Chris Olley, for her great support and help throughout the year.

b)         Award for Outstanding Service to the Community

As a legacy of his Mayoral year, the Mayor advised that he had initiated an award for outstanding service to the community to be presented to an individual who played a key role locally. Mrs Alma Bright-Clarke, founder of the Redditch Choral Society was the first recipient of the award and her name was to be engraved on a plaque that would be displayed in the Civic Suite.

c)         Mayoral Engagements

The Mayor advised that, since the last meeting of Council he had attended various functions, including: the Redditch Roadway Art Gallery, a performance of ‘Oliver’ at the Palace Theatre by Studley Operatic Society, St George’s day celebrations at Wychavon, Worcester and here in Redditch, hosting friends from Auxerre on their twinning visit to Redditch, the presenting of prizes to winners at Webheath Digital photography club, the presenting of NRA certificates to Year 11 students at Kingsley, the launch of Kingfisher Kids Club and the last charity event of his year at the Arrow Valley Countryside Centre, a coffee morning.

d)         Mayoral Charities

            The Mayor informed the Council that a sum in excess of £3,200 had been raised throughout the year for his charities, Indigo Arts and Redditch and Bromsgrove Sea Cadets, which would be despatched to them as soon as possible.

To elect the Mayor for the ensuing municipal year and to take his/her declaration of acceptance of office.

RESOLVED that

Councillor Kath Banks be, and hereby is, elected Mayor of the Borough of Redditch to serve until the next Annual Meeting of the Council.

Councillor Banks made the statutory declaration of Acceptance of Office. She was then invested with the Chain of Office by the outgoing Mayor, Councillor Hall.

(The new Mayor, Councillor Kath Banks now in the Chair)

Councillor Banks thanked the outgoing Mayor and, on behalf of the Council, expressed gratitude for his services to the Borough and Council.

RESOLVED that

the Council formally record its gratitude to the outgoing Mayor, Councillor Malcolm Hall, and his Mayoress Chris, for all their excellent service to the town over the last twelve months.

To appoint the Deputy Mayor for the ensuing municipal year and to take his/her declaration of acceptance of office.

RESOLVED that

Councillor Anita Clayton be, and hereby is, appointed Deputy Mayor of the Borough of Redditch to serve until the next Annual Meeting of the Council.

The Deputy Mayor, Councillor Anita Clayton, made the statutory Declaration of Acceptance of Office.

The Mayor, Councillor Banks, then invested Councillor Clayton with the Deputy Mayor’s Badge of Office.

To receive the new Mayor’s communications and announcements, including:

- new Mayor’s Chaplain / Mayor’s Charity (ies).

a)         Announcements

The Mayor informed the Council that she considered it a privilege to have been asked to become the Mayor of Redditch and undertook to do her best to serve the community throughout the coming year.

The Mayor advised that her Chaplain for the year ahead would be the Reverend Jo Musson.

The Mayor stated that her charities for the year would be the two local Army Cadet Troops from Church Hill and Headless Cross. Major Neil Walker from HQ, the two local Commanding Officers, together with the two young Cadets who were to serve as the Mayor’s Cadets, Corporal Smith and Corporal Sword, from Headless Cross and Church Hill respectively were present at the meeting.

b)         Forthcoming engagements

The Mayor advised that forthcoming events included the twinning visit to Gruchet le Valasse, a function with the Worcestershire Army Cadet Force League on 6th June, a Summer Garden Party at the University of Worcester, the Civic Services at Bromsgrove and at Wychavon and a Carers’ Careline event at the Palace Theatre on 16th June. The Mayor also advised that Armed Forces day was on 21st June and the Civic Dinner on 2nd April 2011.

b)         Urgent Business

The Mayor advised that she had accepted no additional items of urgent business.

To confirm as a correct record the minutes of the meeting of the Council held on 19th April 2010.

(Minutes attached)

RESOLVED that

the minutes of the meeting of the Council held on 19th April 2010 be confirmed as a correct record and signed by the Chair.

To appoint members of the Council to hold the offices of Leader and Deputy Leader.

(No separate report)

RESOLVED that

Councillor Carole Gandy be, and hereby is, appointed Leader of the Council for the ensuing municipal year.

RESOLVED that

Councillor Michael Braley be, and hereby is, appointed Deputy Leader of the Council for the ensuing municipal year.

RESOLVED that

Councillor Hartnett, as Leader of the largest Minority Group on the Council, be designated Leader of the Opposition.

To resolve, in accordance with the Council’s Constitution and Standing Orders 30, 32 and 36(2), that the Council appoint Committees, Panels, Task and Finish Groups, Working Parties, etc; and their memberships, Chairs and Vice-Chairs (as indicated in the Appendix to the separate Order of Business report).

(Attached)

RESOLVED that

1)         in accordance with the Council’s Constitution and relevant Standing Orders, the Council’s Committees, Panels, etc. be appointed as indicated in Appendix A attached to the minutes; and

2)         in relation to this and the following minute, the Chief Executive be authorised, in consultation with the relevant Group Leader(s), to fill vacancies, in accordance with agreed memberships / proportionality.

A.        To appoint Council representatives to serve on outside bodies on behalf of the Council.

B.        To nominate Council Members for appointment to outside bodies, but not formally represent the Council.

(Attached)

The Council considered the nomination, and/or appointment, of Members to various positions on outside bodies.

RESOLVED that

1)         appointments / nominations to outside bodies be made as detailed in Appendix B to the minutes, and notified to the outside bodies as soon as possible after the meeting; and

2)         Members’ candidature for the subject positions, as agreed by Party Groups and as now detailed in Appendix B to the minutes, be taken as Members’ agreement and full acceptance that the bodies in question are to be formally notified of the appointments / nominations.

To confirm the Council’s Constitutional arrangements

(Constitution, Standing Orders, Financial Regulations and Scheme of Delegation to Officers attached)

The Council was asked to confirm the Council’s Constitutional arrangements.

There was some discussion of the interpretation of the Constitution in respect of the position of the Chair of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee at Article 6.1(d). Members were advised that any such queries over the interpretation of the spirit or letter of the Constitution should be referred to the Monitoring Officer.

RESOLVED that

the Council’s current Constitution and associated documents (Standing Orders, Financial Regulations, Scheme of Delegation to Officers, Scheme of Members’ Allowances, etc.) as now issued be approved and adopted.

To approve the Scheme of Members’ allowances for 2010/11.

(Report attached)

The Council was requested to consider a Scheme of Members’ Allowances for the new municipal year.

RESOLVED that

the Scheme of Members’ Allowances for 2010/11 be approved and formally adopted as detailed in the report.

To receive a report on expenses and allowances paid to Members during the financial year 2009/10 under the Local Authorities (Members’ Allowances) (England) Regulations 2003.

(Report attached)

The Council considered a report on expenses and allowances paid to Members under the Local authorities (Members’ Allowances) Regulations 1995 (as amended) for the 2009/10 financial year.

The Liberal Democrat Members of the Council requested that the figure quoted as the basic allowance paid to them the for the year be adjusted upwards to allow the difference to be passed on to the Mayor’s charities as they had indicated they wished to do at the start of the previous municipal year. Officers undertook to check the accuracy of the report in this respect and advise further.

RESOLVED that

the report be noted.

To order the Common Seal of the Council to be affixed to any documents necessary to carry into effect any resolutions passed by the Council during the municipal year.

RESOLVED that

the Common Seal of the Council be affixed to any document or documents necessary to carry into effect any resolutions passed by, or confirmed at this meeting, and subsequent meetings during the ensuing municipal year.