Agenda item
Mayor's Announcements (including any petitions received)
To receive announcements from the Mayor.
Minutes:
The Mayor made the following announcements:
(i) Passing of Former Members
(a) Former Mayor, Mrs Gwen Tookey MBE
The Mayor was sad to report the passing, last month, of the former Mayor of Brent, Mrs Gwen Tookey MBE.
(b) Mr Vishrup Pandya
The Mayor was also sad to report the passing, last week, of former Brent Councillor, Mr Vishrup Pandya, whose funeral had been held this afternoon.
On behalf of the Council, the Mayor thanked them both for the service they had provided to the Borough.
(ii) Croydon Tram Tragedy
The Mayor reflected on last week’s Croydon Tram tragedy, where seven people had lost their lives and many more had been injured in this terrible accident.
The Mayor had conveyed the Council’s condolences, in writing, to the Mayor and residents of Croydon on behalf of the Borough.
(iii) India Train Tragedy
The Mayor also reflected on the weekend’s terrible train incident in India, which so far had claimed over 120 lives. On behalf of the Council, the Mayor offered its thoughts and prayers to all those affected by these tragic events.
(iv) Remembrance Sunday
The Mayor announced that, on Remembrance Sunday, the Council had honoured the fallen men, women, children and animals who lost their lives in conflicts throughout the world. He said that the borough service at Barham Park had been extremely well attended and that it had been humbling to see so many turn out to pay tribute.
The Mayor extended his thanks to all those who had organised the event.
(v) Deputy Lieutenant’s Essay Competition
The Mayor announced that, as part of the Remembrance Sunday service, the Council was honoured to have the winner of the Deputy Lieutenant’s Essay Competition, Paulina Sowinska, from the Convent of Jesus and Mary Language College, read her winning entry.
The Mayor said that for those in attendance, this was found to be extremely moving and he had invited her to read the poem to all Members this evening.
Paulina Sowinska read aloud her winning entry poem, which was greeted by a round of applause from Members.
Council stood for a minute’s silence to reflect on these and other events.
(vi) Former Mayor’s Charity
The Mayor paid tribute to his predecessor, the former Mayor of Brent, Councillor Lesley Jones MBE who, this month, had presented her cheque (for the sum of £9,259.04) for the funds raised during her Mayoral year, to Brent Young Carers, being her chosen charity during her year in office.
(vii) Visitation by HRH Prince William
The Mayor said that he had been delighted to welcome HRH Prince William, to Brent where he attended the Living Memory Service at Willesden Cemetery and, despite the weather, the Leader, himself and the Mayoress were personally humbled to have had the opportunity to meet him.
He added that His Royal Highness had spoken positively of the work being carried out in the Borough and enjoyed meeting with students from local schools.
(viii) Pearson Award for Teacher of the Year in a Primary School
The Mayor recognised that Brent’s teachers worked hard throughout the Borough’s schools and that the Council was proud of each and every one of them for their hard work and dedication to the services they provided. He went on to say that one teacher, in particular, had been honoured in recognition of her outstanding achievements.
The Mayor said that when Mrs Jashu Vekaria arrived at Uxendon Manor Primary School, the combined percentage of children who had achieved Level 4+ in reading, writing and maths at the end of Key Stage 2 was 64%. After her first year, the percentage, he said, had risen to 76%, then further to 88% and that this success rate currently stood at 93%.
The Mayor went on to say that Mrs Vekaria’s contribution to the school had extended beyond great results and that, on a recent school trip, she had gone out of her way to arrange for a child with Special Educational Needs to attend and, in doing so, had meant giving up her own accommodation space so that the young person and their parent could stay in comfort.
The Mayor invited Members to stand and show their appreciation for Jashu Vekaria of Uxendon Manor Primary School in Kenton who had won the Pearson Award for Teacher of the Year in a Primary School.
(ix) “#OurDay Annual Twitterthon”
The Mayor was pleased to announce the #OurDay annual twitterthon, took place on 15 November 2016, at which, Councils across the UK gave an insight into what they did on a typical day.
This had been, he said, a fantastic reminder of the amazing work that the staff of Brent Council did on a daily basis from collecting the bins, repairing pot holes, fixing street lights to safeguarding our most vulnerable residents. He said that the Council should be extremely proud of its staff and Members and the work they carry out for the residents of Brent.
(x) Brent’s Annual “White Ribbon Day”
Brent’s Annual “White Ribbon Day” event will be held on Friday 25 November 2016 at the Brent Civic Centre and I would encourage you all to promote and support this campaign which is aimed at preventing violence against women and encourages men to take the lead in their immediate communities and networks.
(xi) Mayor’s Charity Christmas Party
Finally, the Mayor thanked those who had already purchased tickets for his Charity Christmas party, which was to take place in aid of his chosen charities, on Thursday 15 December in the Grand Hall. There were, he said, still some tickets remaining and he hoped that as many Members as possible would attend what would be an enjoyable and fun evening whilst supporting three fantastic Brent charities. He advised Members that further details and tickets could be purchased by contacting his office.