Agenda and minutes

Before the meeting formally commenced the Lord Mayor invited his chaplain Father Lally to say a short prayer.  Following the prayer the Lord Mayor presented Father Lally with a Certificate of Thanks for his support over the past municipal year.

The Lord Mayor welcomed the assembled guests to the Annual Meeting of the Council.

ELECTION OF COUNCILLORS

The Monitoring Officer informed Council that elections had been held on 7 May 2015. A full list of the election results and the Members so elected had been published. The Monitoring Officer also reported that each Councillor had made the necessary Declaration of Acceptance of Office.

The City Mayor noted the appointed of the Deputy City Mayor, Councillor Rory Palmer and new Executive:

Assistant City Mayors             –          Councillor Piara Singh Clair

                                                            Councillor Adam Clarke

                                                            Councillor Andy Connelly

                                                            Councillor Abdul Osman

                                                            Councillor Sarah Russell

                                                            Councillor Lynn Senior

                                                            Councillor Manjula Sood

                                                            Councillor Susan Waddington

The City Mayor further introduced the following new Councillors to the Lord Mayor and Council:

Moved by the City Mayor, seconded by Councillor Waddington and carried:

1.            That Councillor Ted Cassidy be elected to the Office of Lord Mayor of the City for the ensuing year.

Councillor Ted Cassidy, Lord Mayor of Leicester took the Chair

Moved by the City Mayor, seconded by Councillor Palmer and carried:

2.            That Councillor Manjula Sood be elected to the Office of High Bailiff of the City for the ensuing year.

Moved by the Councillor Alfonso, seconded by Councillor Westley and carried:

3.            That Councillor Stephen Corrall be elected to the Office of Deputy Lord Mayor of the City for the ensuing year.

The Lord Mayor informed Council that he had appointed the Rev’d Canon Alison Adams as his Chaplain.

Moved by Councillor Patel, seconded by Councillor Joshi and carried:

4.         Councillor Rita Patel

“My Lord Mayor, City Mayor, distinguished guests and honoured guests, may I also take this opportunity Lord Mayor to congratulate you on being elected to this high office.

On behalf of the whole council I wish to move a motion of thanks to the outgoing Lord Mayor Councillor John Thomas, who has done such a brilliant job for Leicester for the last twelve months.

I know that I also speak for the many that have met and worked with Councillor Thomas over the past year when I express our sincere thanks to him for his service as Lord Mayor and the work he has done as the first citizen of our great city.

I am sure you will all know that John has served the city faithfully for over 17 years as a ward councillor and you will be aware that his vast experience and knowledge together with his love of our city have served him well during his year as the Lord Mayor. During the last 12 months he has worked tirelessly to represent and promote our wonderful city starting with his civic service at Leicester Cathedral which was attended by over 100 guests.

This year has been a momentous year for Leicester, in particular when the Lord Mayor joined dignitaries from across the county to receive the remains of King Richard III at Leicester Cathedral in March for the service of compline, reinterment and reveal. The service of compline was attended by the Duke of Gloucester whilst the Countess of Wessex and the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester attended the service of reinterment. Guests from all over the world visited the city of Leicester on this unique occasion and it has indeed been a tremendous year for the city and our Lord Mayor.

There have also been many other highlights during the year including the Royal visit from Princess Anne who visited Satchels, the hand-made leather satchel manufacturer in Charter Street.

During the year John has hosted two homecoming parades for the return of troops from the 9^th and 12^th Royal Lancers and the Royal Anglian Regiment. There have also been several anniversaries such as the armed forces day service and parade and the World War I commemoration and the 74^th anniversary of the Battle of Britain.

Various charity events including a 5 a side football match, sponsored rowing event, quiz evenings and the Lord Mayor’s Black Tie charity dinner have been held to raise funds for the Lord Mayor’s Appeal. This year the appeal supported 3 charities: the Leicester Sea Cadets, Prostrate Cancer UK and Silver Star Diabetes. Currently we have raised approximately £21,000 but in addition we are hoping to receive a significant donation from the Foxes Foundation.

Other significant events which John has attended as Lord Mayor include the Holocaust Memorial day in January this year and the Workers Memorial day ceremony which took place in the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 6.

Moved by Councillor Westley, seconded by the City Mayor and carried:

5.         I move that the technical resolution regarding the formation of Committees as printed on the Council Script in italics, be approved.

Technical Resolution

(i)         That the Employees Committee be established with the Terms of Reference and size as specified within the Council’s Constitution, with the process for the appointment of Chair and membership being in accordance with the provisions of the Constitution.

(ii)        That the establishment of the Licensing Committee and Sub Committees be deferred but that Council agrees to permit the Licensing Committee and Enforcement and Hearings Sub Committees to meet if required, as presently constituted, in the intervening period with the change that Councillor Thomas be appointed as Chair for that period.

(ii)        That the establishment of Scrutiny Committees,Council Committees and further Regulatory Committees together with the confirmation of the cycle of meetings be deferred to the next scheduled meeting of the Council.

Moved by Councillor Westley, seconded by the City Mayor and carried:

6.         That the Annual Meeting in 2016, be held on 19 May 2016, that Council meet on Wednesday 24 February 2016 to consider the estimates for 2016/17, and that ordinary meetings of Council be held on the dates indicated on the Council Script:

18 June 2015                                                  8 October 2015

26 November 2015                                         21 January 2016

17 March 2016

Close of Meeting

The meeting closed at 6.09pm