Agenda item
Mayor's Announcements (including any petitions received)
To receive any announcements from the Mayor.
Decision:
Announcements from the Mayor were noted in relation to:
· Kings Birthday Honours List 2023
· Pride Flag Raising Event
· 75th Anniversary of Windrush event
· Reopening of Harlesden Library
· Srebrenica Memorial Event
· Barham Primary School shortlist in “Community Collaboration” category Worlds Best School
· Celebrating 75 years of the NHS
· Community Cohesion
· Death of Sir Ben Helfgott – including commemoration and tributes from Councillors Maurice & Nerva
· Petitions
Minutes:
The Mayor made the following announcements:
(i) Kings News Years Honours List 2023
The Mayor began her announcements by congratulating everyone connected with Brent who had received an honour in the King's 2023 Birthday Honours list. Members were advised that this included Bob Blackman MP who had received a CBE for his outstanding contribution and dedication to public service and who had served as Deputy Leader of Brent Council between 2006 and 2010 and Leader of Brent Council between 1991 and 1996.
(ii) Pride Flag Raising
The Mayor advised that she had been pleased to attend (along with many other councillors, staff and residents) an LGBTQ+ Flag raising event on the 6th June, arranged to mark Pride month.
(iii) 75 Anniversary of Windrush
The Mayor took the opportunity to thank all those involved in arranging a recent event held at the Civic Centre to honour 75 years of HMT Empire Windrush’s arrival in the UK. Highlighting how wonderful it had been to see so many people attending and enjoying the event, the Mayor felt it important to recognise the significant opportunity this had provided to thank all those from that generation who made such sacrifices and contributed towards the rebuilding of post war Britain.
(iv) Reopening of Harlesden Library
In terms of other engagements, the Mayor advised members it had also been her pleasure to attend and celebrate the official reopening of Harlesden Library. Referring to the success of the Council in attracting grant funding from Arts Council England towards the refurbishment of the library in the hub of Harlesden, she was pleased to report that the opening event had been well attended and enjoyed by all who were there.
(v) Srebrenica Memorial Event
The Mayor advised she had also been honoured to attend the recent Srebrenica Memorial Event, which had marked 28 years since the genocide at Srebrenica in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
(vi) Barham Primary School
Congratulating the school on their achievement, the Mayor advised she had also been pleased to attend an event at Barham Primary School in order to celebrate them having achieved international recognition by being shortlisted for an award in the ‘Community Collaboration’ category, as one of the Top 10 schools in the prestigious World's Best School Prize. Referring to the special ceremony she commended all those involved including the pupils for their performances.
(vii) Celebrating 75 years of the NHS
The Mayor informed members she was delighted to be able to report that Jenny Lanyero, Team Manager of the Brent Health Inequalities Team, had recently been invited to attend a reception at No.10 Downing Street to celebrate 75 years of the NHS. The reception had been attended by more than 100 NHS staff from across the country working at various levels and across a range of diverse services. The Prime Minister Rishi Sunak had briefly attended along with Steve Barclay, as Secretary of State for Health and Social Care who when speaking had taken the time to recognise the history of the NHS and the importance of future plans to sustain it.
Feeding back, the Mayor advised of the honour expressed by Jenny Lanyero at having been invited to attend the reception in order to represent Central and North West London NHS Trust, Brent, nursing and BAME staff.
(viii) Community Cohesion
The Mayor then moved on to advise that one of the things she was most proud about in representing Brent was the level of diversity across the borough and way in which different communities lived side by side in peace and harmony.
Highlighting the peaceful relationships that existed between the boroughs diverse, multicultural communities she felt it was, however, important to remain vigilant and mindful of the need to maintain this cohesion and with that in mind to recognise the distress caused to many residents by the recent incident in Stockholm involving the burning of a copy of the Qur’an. In seeking to condemn such acts, the Mayor highlighted how keen she was to support the ongoing efforts being made across the borough to work together in faith for all communities and also thanked Councillor Moeen for her work in seeking to highlight the specific issue raised in advance of the meeting.
(ix) Passing of Sir Ben Helfgott
The Mayor advised that it was with sadness she had to inform members of the death of Sir Ben Helfgott who recently passed away aged 93. In paying tribute, members were advised that Sir Ben was a longstanding resident of Brent and member of Wembley United Synagogue. He was knighted in 2018 in recognition of his long service to Holocaust Education and was one of the last remaining holocaust survivors, having been imprisoned in both Buchanwald and Therensienstadt concentration camps.
In recognition of his legacy and longstanding connection to the borough the Mayor advised that she had agreed to allow Councillors Maurice and Nerva to pay further personal tribute in commemoration of Sir Ben.
In paying tribute, Councillor Maurice began by providing a brief outline of Sir Ben’ life, his survival of the holocaust and success he had gone on to achieve having been relocated to Britain with his sister as an orphan following the Second World War. In addition to a successful sporting and business career he advised how Sir Ben had also been involved in establishing and serving on a number of organisations set up to support fellow holocaust survivors leading to the recognition of his unequalled and unparalleled legacy as a holocaust educator.
Adding to the tributes already paid, Councillor Nerva was then invited to speak and outlined the valued and welcome contribution Sir Ben had made as a resident of Brent not only in supporting holocaust memorial events but also in seeking to challenge hatred and racial intolerance. These efforts had formed a key part of the work being undertaken to create the conditions necessary to ensure all communities could live in peace, harmony and mutual respect across the borough with his legacy therefore one of hope and understanding.
Having thanked both councillors for their kind tributes the Mayor ended by expressing the Council’s sincere condolences to Sir Ben’s family and inviting all members to join her in observing a moments silence in memory and honour of Sir Ben Helfgott.
All present at the meeting then stood to join the Mayor in observing a moments silence.
(x) Petitions
As a final announcement, 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.