Agenda item

To receive notice from the Mayor regarding the appointment of a Councillor of the Borough to be Deputy Mayor, in accordance with Standing Order 27(b).

Councillor Tariq Dar MBE was appointed to serve as Deputy Mayor of the London Borough of Brent for the 2023 - 24 Municipal Year.

Councillor Hylton, as newly appointed Mayor, thanked members for her nomination and appointment as Mayor.  She then announced the appointment of Councillor Tariq Dar to serve as Deputy Mayor for the 2023 - 2024 Municipal Year.

At this stage in proceedings the Mayors Chain of Office and robes were exchanged between the outgoing and newly appointed Mayor.

Councillor Hylton then formally returned thanks for the appointment and began by welcoming all guests and commenting on her pride and honour in being nominated as Mayor and thanking all members for their trust, confidence and faith in appointing her to take on the role as first citizen of the borough.

Highlighting the privilege and personal honour she felt in being appointed as Mayor, Councillor Hylton advised this reflected the fact she had been educated, lived and worked in the borough all her life.  Starting her primary education at Pound Lane School in Willesden before moving on to attend Willesden High School (now Capital City Academy) Councillor Hylton advised she had also been employed by Brent (prior to being made redundant) from 1985 – 2007.  It was during this time that she had begun volunteering with the local Resident Association, as well as taking up the role as Chair of a Police Working Group and serving on various other committees and groups, including Fareshare.  Having been a local councillor since 2014, Councillor Hylton advised she was honoured to currently serve as a representative of Preston ward as well as to have served as Deputy Mayor during 2022-23 for which she thanked all her family and fellow councillors for their support.

Having advised how delighted she was to have been joined by so many guests, Councillor Hylton then moved on to express her gratitude to Councillor Aden for his success as Mayor and congratulated him on the hard work undertaken to support local communities across the borough and to continue promoting Brent so diligently at so many events and functions.

The Mayor then moved on to congratulate Councillor Dar on his appointment as Deputy Mayor and advised how much she was looking forward to working with him over the coming year in order to continue delivering positives outcomes for the borough.

Referring to teamwork, the Mayor outlined how she intended to continue working closely with fellow members, the new Chief Executive, Council Management Team and other officers in order to capitalise on their strengths and experience and in continuing the hard work of the outgoing and previous Mayors in seeking to achieve the best results for the borough.

Councillor Hylton then outlined her aims for her Mayoralty in terms of continuing to support the Council’s vision and objectives.  In this role she advised that she also intended to support the following two charities:

·            PLIAS Resettlement – a community-based organisation providing support, advice and guidance to people with criminal convictions, and aiming to support offenders and ex-offenders to re-reintegrate back into society. The organisation also offered support to people who were at risk of offending, as well as victims of crime, and those who had experienced domestic violence.

·            Preston Community Library – given the role (highlighted whilst chairing a Contextual Safeguarding Working Group) in libraries providing a safe space for young people and warm and welcoming place for other members of the local community in addition to the various free activities and information also provided.

Highlighting the important work undertaken by each of the charities in terms of supporting some of the most vulnerable and youngest members in society she hoped all members would support her with fund raising efforts during her year in office.

Reflecting on the level of diversity within communities across Brent, the Mayor ended by once again highlighting how proud she was to have been elected as Brent’s First Citizen and how she hoped it would be possible to use the office of Mayor to continue supporting the work being undertaken to unite communities and address the uncertain times and challenges being experienced by so many across the borough.

Taking the opportunity to specifically remember and pay tribute to her late mother (Lizette Maude Hylton) and brother (Wayne Anthony Henry Hylton) and thank her family and friends for their support over the coming year, Councillor Hylton ended by outlining her commitment during her time as Mayor to continue delivering for all communities within Brent.