Agenda item
Mayor's Announcements (including any petitions received)
Minutes:
The Mayor made the following announcements:
(i) The Mayors’ Charities
The Mayor said that Members would have been aware that he had had a busy summer working to raise money for his three charities. The Mayor thanked Members for their support.
Since the last meeting of Full Council, the Mayor had held the first of his fundraising events. He said it was a magnificent event with over 400 guests in attendance and he thanked all the Members of his Charity Committee who had made the event such a success.
The Mayor advised Council that his next two fundraising events were planned for 15 December 2016 and 16 March 2017 and he encouraged all Members to support both events in any way they could.
(ii) Civic Reception
The Mayor was delighted to announce that, on 29 September 2016, he would be holding his Civic Reception at Crest Academy in his Ward and that all Members were warmly invited to attend.
(iii) Nice, France
The Mayor said that recent events in New York reminded us how fragile the society we lived in was. He said that whilst Members were raising money in Brent on 14 July 2016, the tragic events in Nice had unfolded. The Mayor said that the Council’s thoughts and prayers were with the victims of these barbaric acts.
(iv) Zee London Mela
The Mayor was delighted, along with the Leader of the Council, to have welcomed the Zee London Mela in Wembley last month. Despite the weather, he said that Wembley had come alive with a mixture of cultures, food and music and he expressed the Council’s thanks to The Mayor of London who graced the event with his presence.
The Mayor said that, hopefully, the Council would see the Mela return to Brent next year.
(v) Kingsbury Synagogue 80th Anniversary Event
The Mayor said he had been honoured to attend the Kingsbury Synagogue 80th Anniversary Event recently.
(vi) Pakistani Independence Day
The Mayor thanked the Councillors who had organised the successful Pakistani Independence Day Celebration held recently at the Civic Centre.
(vii) Community Festivals
The Mayor announced that a number of fantastic community festivals had taken place since the Council last met:
· The Harlesden Community Festival;
· The Willesden Temple 41st Anniversary Celebrations;
· The Cricklewood Festival;
· The outreach event for Romanian communities delivered by the East European Resource Centre.
(viii) A-Level and GCSE Attainment
The Mayor was delighted to announce that Brent’s A-Level and GCSE attainment had improved again this year. He said that the young people were a credit to the Borough and he congratulated them on the hard work they had put in over the past year.
The Mayor also extended his thanks to Brent’s many dedicated teachers, staff and governors who had worked tirelessly to help the Borough’s young people reach their full potential.
(ix) Coffee Morning for MacMillan Cancer Support
The Mayor encouraged all Members to come to the Civic Centre from 9.30am to 12.30pm on Friday 30 September 2016 to join the Coffee Morning to raise money for Macmillan Cancer Support.
He said that, as well as the traditional bake sale, this year would also feature an international stall selling different treats from around the world.
(x) Councillor Denselow
The Mayor offered his congratulations to Councillor Denselow who had recently completed yet another marathon, in just three hours and 45 minutes, in support of the Mayhew Animal Home.
(xi) Rosh Hashanah, Eid and Diwali
The Mayor passed on his best wishes to colleagues, staff and residents who were celebrating Rosh Hashanah and also to those that had celebrated Eid recently.
The Mayor extended a Happy Diwali to everyone who would be celebrating Diwali soon.
(xii) Fiona Alderman, Chief Legal Officer
The Mayor invited Members to join him in saying farewell to the Council’s departing Chief Legal Officer, Fiona Alderman. He said that Fiona had joined Brent 12 years ago from Redbridge as Principal Lawyer and was soon to leave Brent and return to Redbridge as Head of Legal and Constitutional Services. On behalf of Members past and present, the Mayor thanked Fiona for her professionalism and good humour and wished her well in Redbridge.
In conclusion, the Mayor stated that, in accordance with Standing Order 68(f), a list of current petitions showing progress to date, had been circulated to all Members.