Agenda item

An intimation will be received from the Mayor regarding the appointment of a Councillor of the Borough to be Deputy Mayor, in accordance with Standing Order 27(b).

Councillor Lia Colacicco appointed to continue as Deputy Mayor of the London Borough of Brent for the 2020/21 Municipal Year.

Councillor Ezeajughi, as Mayor, thanked Members for his nomination and re-appointment as Mayor.  He then announced that he had re-appointed Councillor Lia Colacicco as Deputy Mayor for the remainder of the 2020/2021 municipal year.

Councillor Ezeajughi, as Mayor, then formally returned thanks for his re-appointment and in so doing, began by highlighting how fast his initial year in office had passed by.

Commenting on the huge honour and privilege in being nominated and re-appointed to continue serving as Mayor he recognised how difficult a year it had been for everyone as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic along with the impact this had also had on his civic year and fundraising activities.  In terms of his ongoing fundraising, the Mayor confirmed that he would be continuing to support his two chosen charities the Sickle Cell Society and Jason Roberts Foundation as well as continuing to raise awareness and support families and communities affected by the pandemic.

The Mayor also took the opportunity to thank everyone for their support and kindness over the previous year and to advise that he looked forward to continue working with everyone again over the course of the remainder of the current Municipal Year.

Reflecting briefly on his time as Mayor, to date, Councillor Ezeajughi outlined a number of highlights from his work engaging with residents as well as representing the borough both nationally and internationally.  Prior to the lockdown restrictions coming into effect he informed members that he had been proud to attended 350 engagements with some notable events including:

·             Being a part of the Rise event, as the spectacular opening to Brent’s year as the London Borough of Culture;

·             Winning first prize at the London New Year’s Day parade and receiving £10,000 for his Mayoral charities;

·             The visit of Her Royal Highness, The Duchess of Cornwall to the Granville Centre in Kilburn;

·             The Pride of Brent Awards;

·             The Wembley Stadium Football tournament with the FA;

·             Cutting the ribbon for the first rainbow crossing outside the Civic Centre;

·             The opening of a new Brent Hub in Kilburn;

·             Hosting the first Windrush celebration in Brent;

·             The grand opening of the West London Vascular and Interventional Centre at Northwick Park Hospital;

·             An awards ceremony hosted for NHS staff at Wembley Park Stadium;

·             Visiting Yibin in China as a guest of the Mayor of Yibin;

·             Visiting his home state as a guest of Governor His Excellency, Chief Willie Obiano and Her Excellency Ebelechukwu Obiano of Anambra state at the Caring Family Enhancement Initiative (CAFÉ) charity in Nigeria with whom he was collaborating on Sickle Cell Disease awareness.

In addition, the Mayor advised that within the rules during lockdown he had visited some of the mutual aid organisations that had been working hard to distribute food to many people in the borough, including the main Brent food hub.  He had also been delighted to open London’s first local Covid-19 test centre in Harlesden as well as being able (as the restrictions were changed) to once again start hosting citizenship ceremonies welcoming residents to the UK and to Brent.

During the lockdown Councillor Ezeajughi advised members that he had also been delighted, as Mayor of Brent, to join in the weekly clapping in recognition of the work being undertaken by carers and key workers.  These included many Council staff working in key front line roles who he also took the opportunity to pay tribute to for their efforts.

Highlighting the uncertain times in which everyone was now living and how much had changed since March 2020, the Mayor also took the time to express his condolences to all those who had lost friends and family as a result of the pandemic and to pass on his thoughts and prayers to all those affected.

Reflecting on the way the Borough had managed the pandemic, the Mayor felt this was something the Council’s officers and councillors could be proud of along with local communities across the borough, many of whom had been amongst the hardest hit by the disease and its economic impact.  Referring to the support shown across different communities he felt it was times like these which highlighted what an amazing borough Brent remained, especially in times of adversity.

Whilst noting the challenges still to be faced over the coming weeks and months he highlighted the importance in everyone continuing to stand together in order to support each other during such uncertain times. He ended by urging everyone to ensure they continued to follow the current restrictions in relation to social gatherings and to stay safe.