Agenda item

To receive any announcements from the Mayor.

Announcements from the Mayor were noted in relation to:

·                Tributes and remembrance of HRH Her Majesty the Queen including a moments silence and contributions by the Leader of the Council and Councillor Maurice (on behalf of the Conservative Group) and Councillor Georgiou (as Leader of the Liberal Democrats Group).

·                Community Cohesion within the borough including a statement by the Multi-Faith Forum and contributions from the Leader of the Council and Leaders of both Opposition Groups.

·                Brent Care Awards for Social Care Staff.

·                Brent Summer Reading Challenge.

·                Petitions.

The Mayor made the following announcements:

(i)     Remembrance & Tributes to HRH Her Majesty the Queen

Following HRH Her Majesty the Queen’s state funeral earlier in the week, the Mayor began his announcements in remembrance and tribute following the passing of Her Majesty the Queen.

Having led the period of mourning across the borough, the Mayor advised that he had also written to the new Sovereign and Royal Family to express condolences and deepest sympathy on behalf of the borough following the sad passing of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.

In paying tribute to the late Queen, the Mayor felt it important to recognise not only her long and valued service to both the country and commonwealth but also the leadership provided throughout her reign as sovereign.  Reflecting on her commitment to public and voluntary service, the Mayor also felt it important to highlight the inspiration she had provided for so many, especially in relation to young people, the preservation of wildlife and the environment.

The Mayor then invited comments from representatives of each Group in memory and tribute to the late Queen and began by inviting Councillor Muhammed Butt (as Leader of the Council) to speak on behalf of the Labour Group.

Councillor Muhammed Butt (as Leader of the Council) opened the tributes on behalf of the Labour Group by also recognising and commending the Queen’s long commitment to public service and reflecting on the deep respect in which she had been held not only across the country and commonwealth but also across the world.  On a personal basis, he recalled his and his own family’s personal engagement and interaction with the Queen and Royal Family, including during various visits to the borough and recognised how much she would be missed, given her length of service as Monarch.

The Mayor then invited Councillor Maurice to speak on behalf of the Conservative Group, who also felt it important to recognise and respect the sense of loss expressed during the period of national mourning from around the world.  In highlighting the Queens strong commitment to public service and in representing all those who had settled in the United Kingdom from across the world, he also took the opportunity to wish the new king well in his transition as sovereign.

As a final contribution, Councillor Georgiou was then invited to speak on behalf of the Liberal Democrats Group.  In supporting the sentiments already expressed he also paid tribute to the late Queen’s long and selfless commitment to public service and felt it important to reflect on the comments made by the Archbishop of Canterbury in welcoming world leaders attending her state funeral in relation to those who serve often being loved whilst those who cling to power and privilege were often forgotten.

The Mayor thanked members for their contributions and tributes and as a mark of sympathy and condolence to both the new Sovereign and Royal Family invited all present to join him in observing a moments silence in memory of the late Queen.

All present then stood to observe a moments silence in remembrance of HRH Her Majesty the Queen.

(ii)    Community Cohesion

The Mayor then moved on to advise members that one of the things he was most proud about in holding office as Mayor of Brent was the level of diversity across the Borough and way in which different communities were able to live side by side in peace and harmony.  This was most recently demonstrated in the way different communities in Brent had come together in response to the pandemic and also during the period of national mourning for the Queen, which he was keen to reflect upon given recent community tensions elsewhere in the country.

Referring to the way Brent was able to pride itself on the peaceful relationships that existed between its diverse and multicultural communities the Mayor felt it was necessary to always remain vigilant to ensure community cohesion was maintained.  In light of recent events and community tensions elsewhere in the country he therefore invited Carolyn Down (as Chief Executive) to read a statement from the Brent Multi-Faith Forum.

The statement referred to by the Chief Executive was as follows:

“As people of faith we work for the flourishing of all people and stand against violence and aggression between any different groups.  We stand with our brothers and sisters in Leicester working for community cohesion and urge everyone to be wary of fake news items and rumours, which aim to stir up fear and anger against those who are different from us.

We acknowledge that there are differences between us due to the traumas of history and let us engage in honest dialogue where we listen to each other with kindness as good neighbours.  We ask you to pray and work for continued peace and unity here in Brent.”

Having noted and expressed support for the statement, the Mayor (recognising the importance of the issue) then invited comments from representatives of each Group on the Council.

Councillor Muhammed Butt (as Leader of the Council) speaking on behalf of the Labour Group opened by thanking Brent Multi Faith Forum for their statement and stance taken in seeking to enhance and support community cohesion across the borough.  He pointed out these were values strongly supported by the Council in seeking to stand against anyone looking to create division, hate or discrimination.  Referring to personal experience, he felt it important to recognise the destabilising impact any form of hated or aggression created between different communities.  As an alternative, he was therefore keen to discourage any activities which sought to create division or tension and ensure the Council continued to recognise the contributions made by different communities across such a diverse borough along with actively encouraging unity and collaboration in order to allow the borough to continue moving forward together.

Councillor Kansagra was then invited to speak on behalf of the Conservative Group, who also highlighted the importance in standing against anyone seeking to stir up fear or tension between different communities within the borough.  In valuing the strong and longstanding level of community cohesion across Brent he felt local councillors also had an important role to play in seeking to provide leadership within their local communities and discourage the spreading of rumours or fake news on social media in order to work for continued unity and peace in Brent.

As a final contribution, Councillor Georgiou was also invited to speak on behalf of the Liberal Democrats Group.  In endorsing the comments made by each of the other Group Leaders he was also keen to support the efforts being taken to calm and maintain community and cultural relationships across the borough.  Highlighting the focus and unity between councillors representing different communities serving on the Council, he felt this provided a strong message that could be taken back in order to ensure that tensions being experienced elsewhere were not able to affect the cohesion between communities across Brent.

The Mayor thanked each Group Leader along with the Brent Multi Faith Forum for their contributions and urged all members to support the approach outlined in what he felt remained such an important issue for the borough.

(iii)    Brent Care Awards for Social Care Staff

Moving on with the remainder of his announcements, the Mayor advised that he had been pleased, as part of a full programme of engagements, to have attended the recent Care Awards for Social Care Staff in Brent.  Commenting on the awards, he advised he had been honoured to have been able to recognise and celebrate the achievements of so many social care staff across the borough.

(iv)   Brent Summer reading challenge

Another event the Mayor advised he had been pleased to attend was the Brent Libraries Summer reading challenge awards.  He informed members that one of the particular highlights had been witnessing how much fun those children involved had experienced in completing the reading challenge and in being able to congratulate them for their achievements.

(v)    Petitions

Finally, the Mayor referred members to the list of current petitions tabled at the meeting, in accordance with Standing Orders which also detailed the action being taken to deal with them.