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 Diana Collymore was appointed to serve as Deputy Mayor of the London Borough of Brent for the 2024 - 25 Municipal Year.

Councillor Dar, as newly appointed Mayor, thanked members for his nomination and appointment as Mayor.  He then announced the appointment of Councillor Diana Collymore to serve as Deputy Mayor for the 2024 - 2025 Municipal Year.

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

Councillor Dar then formally returned thanks for his appointment.  Starting by welcoming all guests, he highlighted his pride and personal honour in being nominated as Mayor and thanked all members for their trust, confidence and faith in appointing him to take on the role as first citizen of the borough.

Highlighting the privilege he felt in being appointed as Mayor, Councillor Dar regarded this as the culmination of the work he had undertaken since arriving in the UK in 1965 in seeking to champion residents, for which he was also proud to have been recognised with the award of an MBE in 2019.  Having been a local councillor since 2018, Councillor Dar advised he was honoured to currently serve as a representative of Mapesbury ward as well as to have served as Deputy Mayor during 2023-24 and paid specific tribute to his family and fellow councillors for their support during this time.  He also took the opportunity to express gratitude to all the elders across the borough, with specific reference to his and other families proud legacy in their service to the UK (including its Armed forces) and in providing a platform for the establishment of various Welfare Associations, Mosques and Community Centres given the support being provided to communities across the borough, which he blessed and hoped would continue for many generations to come.

Having advised how delighted he was to have been joined by so many guests, Councillor Dar then moved on to express his thanks to Councillor Hylton and congratulated her for the success achieved as Mayor, recognising the hard work she had undertaken to support local community groups and events across the borough and to continue promoting Brent so diligently.

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

Referring to teamwork, the Mayor outlined that he intended to continue working closely with fellow members, the Chief Executive, Council Management Team and other officers in order to capitalise on the strengths and experience available in continuing the hard work of the outgoing and previous Mayors in seeking to achieve the best results for the borough focussed around cohesion and trust.

Councillor Dar then outlined the aims for his Mayoralty in terms of continuing to support the Council’s overall vision and objectives.  In this role he advised that he also intended to support the Pakistan Community Centre as his chosen charitable organisation during his year in office.  Referring to their role as a voluntary and charity organisation, the Mayor highlighted the valuable work undertaken by the Community Centre since its establishment in 1965.  This had originally involved supporting newly arrived migrants from the subcontinent in addressing employment, housing and other social needs before evolving to their current status as a community based organisation providing support on a wide range of local issues, including participation in projects to assist the homeless and working with churches and other local organisations to provide shelter and food to those most disadvantaged in society.  Highlighting the important work undertaken through the Pakistan Community Centre he hoped all members would support him with the fund raising efforts during his year in office.

Reflecting on the level of diversity within communities across Brent, the Mayor ended by taking the opportunity to thank his family, friends and wider community for their support over the coming year and by once again highlighting how proud he was to have been elected as Brent’s First Citizen along with his intention to continue using the role to support the work being undertaken to unite communities and address the uncertain times and challenges being experienced by so many across the borough.