Agenda and minutes

The Mayor will open the meeting and welcome all present.

The Mayor’s Chaplain, the Reverend Jo Musson, will lead the Council in prayer.

The Mayor opened the meeting and welcomed all present. The Mayor’s Chaplain, the Reverend Jo Musson, led the Council in prayer.

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

Apologies for absence were received on behalf of Councillors Andrew Brazier, Robin King and Wanda King.

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 she had reached the end of her Mayoral year with mixed feelings, happy to have completed the year but tinged with sadness that the year had come to an end.

The Mayor thanked her Chaplain, the Reverend Jo Musson, for her support, prayers and presiding at her Civic Service and the Mayor’s Cadets, Sergeants Sword and Smith for their assistance and Lieutenant Sutherland Lane for his support.

The Mayor also thanked her husband and daughter for their support during the course of the year, Councillor Juliet Brunner for acting as Consort on a number of occasions, the current Deputy Mayor, Councillor Anita Clayton, for representing the Borough at various engagements over the past year and Mrs Jean Chalk for preparing a collar for the Mayoral Chain.

b)         Award for Outstanding Service to the Community

The Mayor’s Annual Award for outstanding contribution to the community which had been instituted by Councillor Hall the previous year was awarded to the following individuals:

i)          Mrs Lorna White, for work over a number of years within the community, including with Redditch Council for Voluntary Services, Age Concern and the Women’s Institute;

ii)         Warrant Officer Paul Muckle, for service to his country and for his achievements within his regiment, the 2nd Mercians, Freemen of the Borough, with whom he was awarded a Mention in Dispatches whilst a Company Sergeant Major with B Company;

iii)        Mr Peter Styler, for his many years work for the Royal British Legion, particularly the organising and administering of the annual Remembrance Day collections and the ordering and dispatching of poppy wreaths; and

iv)        Ms Elaine Daykin, for her work with the Redditch Special Olympics charity, demonstrating much dedication and commitment over many years.

c)         Mayoral Engagements

The Mayor advised that, since the last meeting of the Council she had attended various functions, including the launch of the Woodrow Library new website, a production of Fiddler on the Roof at the Palace Theatre, the Council’s Civic Dinner, the Welsh Society Concert & Choral Society charity events at Worcester, the Civic Dinner at Bromsgrove District Council, the Civic Services at Worcestershire County Council, the Proms at the Palace & St George’s Day events, events associated with the Royal Wedding and a Young Fire-fighters’ Association event in Droitwich.

d)         Mayoral Charities

The Mayor informed the Council that a sum in excess of £3,000 had been raised throughout the year for her charities, the two local Army Cadet Troops from Church Hill and Headless Cross, which would be dispatched 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 Anita Clayton be, and hereby is, elected Mayor of the Borough of Redditch to serve until the next Annual Meeting of the Council.

Councillor Anita Clayton made the statutory declaration of Acceptance of Office. She was then invested with the Chain of Office by the outgoing Mayor, ex-Councillor Kath Banks.

(The new Mayor, Councillor Anita Clayton now in the Chair)

Councillor Anita Clayton thanked the outgoing Mayor and, on behalf of the Council, expressed gratitude for her services to the Borough and Council.

RESOLVED that

the Council formally record its gratitude to the outgoing Mayor, ex-Councillor Kath Banks for her excellent service to the town as Mayor over the last 12 months.

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

RESOLVED that

Councillor Gay Hopkins 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 Gay Hopkins, made the statutory Declaration of Acceptance of Office.

The Mayor, Councillor Anita Clayton, then invested Councillor Hopkins 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 was privileged to be taking on the role of Mayor of the Borough of Redditch, stating that it was one of the proudest days of her life, and undertook to do her best to serve the community throughout the coming year

The Mayor advised that her Celebrant for the year ahead would be Ms June Saville and that her charity for the year would be the Primrose Hospice.

b)         Forthcoming engagements

The Leader advised that forthcoming events included the Primrose Hospice Choir Summer Concert at the Town Hall, the twinning visit to Auxerre this coming weekend, the Montville Hotel & Indian Fusion restaurant celebration of their 8^th anniversary, the visit of our friends from Gruchet le Vallasse to Redditch, Civic Services at Wychavon, Kidderminster and Worcester, the Veterans’ Day Parade on 25th June and the Sea Cadets Royal Navy Parade on 27th June. The Mayor also advised that her Civic Service would take place on 11th September 2011 and her Civic Dinner on Saturday, 29th October 2011.

c)         Mr Andy Teepe

It was with great regret that the Mayor advised the Council of the death the previous Friday of Mr Andy Teepe, the Council’s Senior Solicitor, following a period of illness.  A letter of condolence was to be sent on behalf of the Council to Mr Teepe’s family. Members noted that he had always been a perfect gentleman and a reliable Officer who had provided good, clear advice whilst at the same time bringing humour to his job.

To confirm as a correct record the minutes of the meeting of the Council held on 28th March 2011.

(Minutes attached)

RESOLVED that

the minutes of the meeting of the Council held on 28th March 2011 be confirmed as a correct record and signed by the Chair.

To appoint a member of the Council to hold the office of Leader

(No separate report)

RESOLVED that

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

The Council was asked to confirm that the Leader of the Minority Party Group would, by virtue of their office, be designated Leader of the Opposition and that the Shadow Opposition positions listed in the Order of Business be noted.

RESOLVED that

the designation of the Leader of the Minority Group on the Council as the Leader of the Opposition and the Shadow Opposition positions be noted.

To resolve, in accordance with the Council’s Constitution and Standing Orders 1.1h, 1.2 and 25.1, that the Council appoint Committees, Sub-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).

(Detailed Order of Business to follow)

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 to formally represent the Council.

(Detailed Order of Business to follow)

The Council considered the nomination, and/or appointment, of Members to various positions on outside bodies. The Leader of the Council noted that a number of the regional and national bodies to which the Council appointed representatives involved considerable time and expense and were of little benefit to the Council or Borough. Officers were asked to prepare a report prior to the next Annual Meeting of the Council advising which bodies of this sort might no longer be appointed to by the Council without detriment to the authority.

In respect of the nomination to the Where Next? Association, Officers were asked to contact the body and determine whether they would accept a second Council appointee.

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.

The attached documents are those that were submitted in draft to the Executive Committee on 12th April 2011. The remainder of the Constitutional documents have not been amended since the Constitution was last confirmed and these will be provided to Members as part of a full, agreed Constitutional pack following the Annual Meeting.

(Constitutional documents attached)

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

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.

To receive a report on expenses and allowances paid to Members during the financial year 2010/11 under the Local Authorities (Members’ Allowances) (England) Regulations 2003.

(It was noted, subsequent to the dispatch of the original agenda, that the report did not include the amounts received by each Member in expenses over and above any allowances they may have received. In view of this an updated report was circulated prior to the meeting (attached)

(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 2010/11 financial year.

RESOLVED that

the report be noted.