Agenda item
Mayor's announcements (including any petitions received)
Minutes:
The Mayor announced with sadness that Councillor Dan Filson had passed away suddenly on Friday 30 October 2015. She offered her sincerest condolences and deepest sympathies to Councillor Filson’s family and friends.
The Mayor extended her sincerest condolences to the families and friends of those killed and injured in the devastating attacks in Paris and Mali during the past week. She added that Brent stood shoulder to shoulder in solidarity with those countries who are victims of terror.
In memory of Councillor Dan Filson and those killed and injured in recent terrorist attacks the Council stood in silence for one minute.
The Mayor invited councillors to pay tribute to Dan Filson and his work as a councillor both in Brent and in Hammersmith and Fulham and welcomed his sister Deborah Filson who was present at the meeting. The Leader of the Council and a number of other councillors referred to Dan Filson as being generous, kind, a committed democrat, hard working with a good sense of humour. Particular reference was made to his work as chair of Scrutiny Committee and his efforts to increase the profile of scrutiny within the Council.
The Mayor announced that Councillor Carr had asked her to confirm that, following her speech at the meeting of Council in September, she had written to Mr Phillip Grant to apologise for her comments. Councillor Carr recognised that it was not appropriate to personalise and express her views on the correspondence from Mr Grant at a public forum in the way she had.
The Mayor announced that in September 2015, the Queen became the longest serving monarch in Britain’s history. She congratulated Her Majesty on behalf of all Brent residents.
The Mayor was pleased to announce that Councillor Oladapo had been discharged from hospital following successful surgery and was now at home recuperating. His aim was to return to council duties in the New Year and he looked forward to seeing his friends and colleagues again then.
The Mayor stated that she had been proud to lead this year’s Borough Remembrance Services at both Barham Park and the Civic Centre. It had been wonderful to see so many attending both services, and especially the Ghurkhas who marched in the procession for the first time.
The Mayor referred to the first visit to the UK of Narendra Modi as India’s Prime Minister on 20 November, and the estimated 60,000 visitors to Wembley Stadium. She was sure members would recognise the solemnity of this occasion.
The Mayor announced that Brent’s Annual ‘White Ribbon Day’ would be on 25 November from 10am until midday at the Tricycle Theatre in Kilburn. The day would focus on the particular issue of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) and feature first hand stories from survivors as well as advice on practical steps on how to combat it. The Mayor encouraged everyone to attend.
The Mayor congratulated Councillor Denselow on his recent marriage.
The Mayor announced that her charity Christmas party would take place on 10 December 2015 and anyone wishing to purchase a ticket should contact her office.
The Mayor announced that Andy Donald (Strategic Director, Regeneration & Growth) would soon be leaving Brent to take up the position as Chief Executive in Redbridge. Andy had worked for Brent for over 15 years and had contributed a great deal to the regeneration of the Borough. On behalf of the Council she wished Andy Donald well in his new role.