Agenda and minutes

ELECTION OF COUNCILLORS

The Town Clerk informed Council that elections were held on 1 May 2003, on new Ward boundaries determined as the result of a Periodic Electoral Review, conducted by the Boundary Committee of the Electoral Commission.  As a result of this Review, as well as new Ward boundaries, with a total of 22 Ward instead of the previous 28 Wards, the full Council now comprised 54 Members – a reduction of two overall – and was made up of ten three Member Wards and twelve two Member Wards.  A full list of the election results and the Members so elected had been published.  The Town Clerk also reported that each Councillor has made the necessary Declaration of Acceptance of Office.

Councillor Blackmore, the Leader of the Liberal Democrat Group, and Councillor Hunt, Chair  of the Liberal Democrat Group, jointly introduced the following new Members to the Lord Mayor:-

            Councillor Almey              Councillor Pachbhaya

            Councillor Beck                Councillor Ramsdale

Councillor Fitch                Councillor Renold

Councillor Gill                        Councillor Sandringham

Councillor Green              Councillor Saleh

Councillor James            Councillor Smith

Councillor Karim              Councillor Suleman

Councillor Keeling

Councillor Willmott, the Leader of the Labour Group,  introduced the following new Members to the Lord Mayor:-

            Councillor Blackmore                Councillor Lloyd-Harris

            Councillor Corrall            Councillor Waddington

            Councillor Hall                                    Councillor Wann

            Councillor Kitterick

PRAYERS

The Lord Mayor’s Chaplain, Captain Norman Ord, opened the meeting in prayer.

Moved by Councillor Draycott, seconded by Councillor Willmott, and carried:-

1.         “That Councillor Ramnik Kavia  be elected to the Office as Lord Mayor of the City for the ensuing year.”

Councillor Ramnik Kavia, Lord Mayor in the Chair

Moved by Councillor Mugglestone, seconded by Councillor Scuplak, and carried:-

2.         “That Councillor John Grant Allen be appointed High Bailiff of this City for the ensuing year.”

Moved by Councillor Scuplak, seconded by Councillor Hunt, and carried:-

3.         “That Councillor Mrs. Jean Mary Middleton be appointed Deputy Lord Mayor for the ensuing year.”

The Lord Mayor informed the Council that he had appointed, as his Spiritual Adviser,  Mr. Kameshwar Vyas.

Moved by Councillor Westley, seconded by Councillor Roger Blackmore, supported by Councillor Scuplak, and carried:-

4.         “My Lord Mayor, it gives me great pleasure tonight to move this motion of thanks to Maggie Bodell-Stagg.  It does not seem a year ago that you were elected Lord Mayor.  Only those who have held this office know the hard work that is needed.  Many older Members in this chamber and your friends know your character and that you thrive on hard work.

But I have to mention someone else who has also worked hard and that is Paul Bodell, your Consort. 

Over the year, you have both campaigned, exhaustively, for your charities, raising an amount approaching £100,000 for the Salvation Army Social Programme in Leicester, the Emery Hospital, Anand in Gujarat India and the Kwetu (Our People) Women and AIDS  Project in Tanzania, which is reflected in the many engagements that you have fulfilled throughout the year. 

You carried out 709 official functions – 111 of those which you hosted here in Leicester.  The list is too extensive for me to mention them all, but I feel I have to mention just a few of them.  Some of the visitors you hosted were from Strasbourg, Japanese Councillors, Spanish students, the Mayor of Kampala, Rajkot and Kilkenny, the Ambassadors of Bulgaria and Cuba, but you felt one of the most important set of functions  was the many hundred-year birthday celebrations of people across the City which were greatly appreciated, especially from the many elderly people's homes that you attended. 

You also attended many award ceremonies the City ought to be proud of, especially the reception you hosted for the Leicester Football Club, the Tigers, the many visits you made to the Leicestershire County Cricket Ground but not least the reception you held in the Town Hall for the Leicester City Football Club on their promotion to the Premiership. 

But above all, one of the proudest moments for you in your year of office was when you greeted Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II to the city on her Golden Jubilee celebration.  During that visit the Lord Lieutenant of Leicestershire got waylaid from the railway station and I believe the Queen arrived at the city centre first.  But like your character you were there to put things right and keep the Queen company throughout her visit.

Maggie, one of the most important tasks of being Lord Mayor, as you found out, was meeting so many people, young and old alike, from different backgrounds and different walks of life and making them feel part of their community.

As I have previously mentioned, one of your charities was the Emery  Project in Anand where you saw at first hand not only the abject poverty but the new hospital being built with the money you have raised here in the United Kingdom. 

After all your years on the Council you will be sadly missed  by colleagues and friends that you have made over the years.  One thing stands  ...  view the full minutes text for item 6.

Moved by Councillor Henry, seconded by Councillor Mugglestone, and carried:-

5.         “That:-

                        (i)         the Cabinet be established with the Terms of Reference as specified within the Council’s Constitution;

                        (ii)        the Leader of the Council and Chair of the Cabinet be Councillor Roger Blackmore;

                        (iii)       the Deputy Leader of the Council and Cabinet Member be Councillor Roman Scuplak;

            (iv)            the other Membership of the Cabinet be:-

                        (1)            Councillor Coles

                        (2)            Councillor Coley

                        (3)            Councillor Hunt

                        (4)            Councillor Johnson

                        (5)            Councillor Metcalfe

                        (6)            Councillor Mugglestone

                        (7)            Councillor Suleman

            and,

                        (v)        that no portfolios be allocated by the Council to specific Cabinet Members, the functions and responsibilities of Cabinet being exercised by the Cabinet collectively or in accordance with its Scheme of Delegation.

AN AMENDMENT

Proposed by Councillor Willmott, seconded by Councillor Draycott:-

“Add to the end of the Resolution on the Cabinet:-

‘(vi)      that, given the Liberal Democrats and Conservative Groups have formed an alliance, leaving only the Labour Group in opposition and that Council has not seen fit to appoint Cabinet Members to a portfolio, in order to ensure the proper accountability of the executive, the Council resolves to consult on the following proposal, with the results of the consultation being brought back to the July 2003 Council Meeting:

            To consider the formation and recognition of a Shadow Cabinet which will comprise the Labour opposition Scrutiny Chairs and the Leader and Deputy Leader of the Labour opposition, and other opposition members.

            The Shadow Cabinet will:-

            (a)            meet in public before Cabinet meets so as to give advice to Cabinet;

            (b)            be supported by the Chief Executive and other officers of the Council, to             take minutes and ensure the production of reports;

                        (c)        act as an advisory body to Council in  a system where Council has a significantly increased role;

                        (d)        exercise the right of call-in if Shadow Cabinet disagree with Cabinet;

                        (e)        each member will hold one of the following portfolios:-

                                    Education

                                    Finance, Property and Customer Care

                                    Equal Opportunities and Human Resources

                                    Social Services and Health

                                    Housing and Neighbourhood Renewal

                                    Culture and Leisure

                                    Regeneration of Leicester

                                    Transport, Roads, Footpaths

                                    Parks, Open Spaces, City Clean Up

                                    Service Quality , Performance and Best Value.’ ”

The Lord Mayor put the Amendment to the vote and declared it lost.

Moved by Councillor Henry, seconded by Councillor Mugglestone, and carried:-

6.         “That:-

A.                     “(i)        That the Scrutiny Committees be established with the Terms of Reference as specified within the Council’s Constitution and with the sizes of each Scrutiny Committee in accordance with the  lists circulated to Members.”

B.                     (i)         That the Chairs and Triumvirate Spokespersons of the Scrutiny Committees be in accordance with the  lists circulated to all Members, with the filling of the remaining places delegated to the Town Clerk in consultation with the respective Group Whips.

                                                (ii)        That the membership of the Scrutiny Committees be in accordance with the lists circulated to Members, with the filling of the remaining places delegated to the Town Clerk in consultation with the respective Group Whips.”

AN  ...  view the full minutes text for item 7.

Moved by  Councillor Henry, seconded by Councillor Mugglestone, and carried:-

8.         "That the first  meetings of the Cabinet and the various Standing Committees be agreed in accordance with the schedule below:

Cabinet  - Monday ,16 June at 5pm

Licensing - Tuesday, 3 June at 9.30 am

Development Control - Wednesday, 4 June at 5.30 pm

Standards Committee – Wednesday 25 June at 5.30 pm

Scrutiny Committees (all at 5.30 pm)

Arts, Leisure & Environment  - Wednesday, 11 June

Strategic Planning & Regeneration - Thursday, 12 June

Highways & Transportation - Wednesday, 18 June

Housing - Thursday, 19 June

Education & Lifelong Learning - Tuesday, 24 June

Social Services & Personal Health - Wednesday, 25 June

Finance, Resources & Equal Opps - Thursday, 26 June.”

Moved by Councillor Henry, seconded by Councillor Mugglestone, and carried:-

9.         "That the Annual Meeting in 2004 be held on 20 May 2004,  that the Council meet on Wednesday, 25 February 2004 to consider the estimates for 2004/2005 and the ordinary meetings of Council be held on the dates indicated below:-

            5 June 2003                            27 November 2003

            3 July 2003                            29 January 2004

            25 September 2003                25 March 2004.”

AN AMENDMENT

Moved by Councillor Willmott, seconded by Councillor Nurse:-

“That the list of Council Meeting dates be extended by the addition of further Council Meetings on:

            30 October 2003

            18 December 2003, and

            26 February 2004”

The Lord Mayor put the amendment to the vote and declared it lost.

CLOSE OF MEETING

The Lord Mayor declared the meeting closed at 7.18 p.m.