Annual Meeting of the Council, Council - Tuesday, 26th May, 2020 7.00 pm - Agenda and minutes

Cllr  J.H. Marsh will move and Cllr T.D. Bridgeman will second:

“That Councillor MOHAMMAD SALIM CHOUDHARY be elected Mayor of the Borough to hold office until the Annual Meeting of the Council in 2021.”

On his election, the Mayor will make his Declaration of Acceptance of Office in accordance with Section 83 of the Local Government Act, 1972.

Nominations were invited for the election of the Mayor of the Borough for the Municipal Year 2020/21.  It was MOVED by Cllr J.H. Marsh; SECONDED by Cllr T.D. Bridgeman - That Cllr Mohammad Salim Choudhary be elected Mayor of the Borough to hold office until the Annual Meeting of the Council in 2021.

RESOLVED: That Councillor MOHAMMAD SALIM CHOUDHARY be elected Mayor of the Borough to hold office until the Annual Meeting of the Council in 2021.

The Mayor then made his Declaration of Acceptance of Office in accordance with Section 83 of the Local Government Act, 1972 and took the Chair.

THE MAYOR (CLLR M.S. CHOUDHARY) IN THE CHAIR

The Mayor expressed his pleasure at the privilege and honour of being elected Mayor of Rushmoor.  He thanked his proposer and seconder and the Council for supporting his nomination.  He then proceeded to signify the appointment of his wife, Mrs Gul Choudhary, as the Mayoress.  He thanked his wife and four daughters for the solid support they had given to him over the years and for their understanding in him taking on the role as Mayor.  The Mayor also signified the appointment of the Reverend George Newton, as the Mayor’s Chaplain.  Reverend Newton was from the Holy Trinity Church in Aldershot.  The Mayor would also be inviting representatives of other faiths to lead prayers at future Council meetings.

The Mayor paid tribute to the late Frank Rust, who had been a truly outstanding councillor and a great man who cared passionately about the community he had clearly been proud to serve.  Frank Rust had had the rare quality of absolute integrity and had been one of the most honest people he had known.  The Mayor felt that he would have been an outstanding and popular Mayor, as he had been when he first carried out the role.

The Mayor paid tribute to the local community who had responded so well to the coronavirus pandemic.  He was proud of the way people had come together to support the elderly and vulnerable across the Borough throughout such difficult and unprecedented times.  The Mayor paid tribute to the NHS and spoke of his gratitude for the work they did.  

The Mayor expressed his thanks to the outgoing Mayor, Cllr Sue Carter, for the service she had given to the Borough.

The Mayor stated that he would be focusing on a number of key priorities during his Mayoral Year.  Firstly, he intended to do all he could to promote positive mental health and to stamp out the stigma often associated with mental health issues.  Mental health affected everyone in society and was a particular issue in the north of Hampshire; anxiety, depression and suicide could affect anyone and feelings of stigma and isolation often stopped people from reaching out for the treatment they needed.  The Mayor said that, with suicide, self-harm and substance abuse numbers steadily rising, prevention and early intervention was the key.  He felt that the mental health of the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 7.

To record the Council’s appreciation of the excellent service rendered by Cllr Sue Carter as Mayor and Mr Ian White as Mayor’s Consort during the Municipal Year 2019/20. 

It was MOVED by Cllr K. Dibble; SECONDED by Cllr D.E. Clifford and

RESOLVED: That the Council place on record its appreciation of the excellent service rendered by Councillor Sue Carter as Mayor of the Borough and Mr Ian White as Mayor’s Consort during the Municipal Year 2019/20.

The Mayor congratulated Cllr Sue Carter and stated that a framed, illuminated scroll, together with a Past Mayor's Badge and a Past Consort’s Badge would be presented at a later occasion.

In response, Cllr Sue Carter thanked Cllrs Dibble and Clifford for their kind words and the Council for having elected her as Mayor of the Borough.  Cllr Carter spoke of her enjoyable Mayoral Year and the pride and honour she had felt in representing The Queen in the Borough.  She paid tribute to her Consort for being her rock and for his support.  Cllr Carter thanked her Chaplain, the Reverend Steve Stewart, for all his support, kindness and friendship.

Cllr Carter expressed her gratitude to her Charity Fundraising Committee for all their hard work in raising approximately £12,000 for the charities she had supported during the year. 

Cllr Carter referred to some particular highlights during her year of office, including the formalisation of international associations with Rzeszow in Poland and Gorkha in Nepal: Armed Forces Day; the unveiling of the Airborne Soldier statue; working with the Aldershot Garrison Commander, Lt Col Paddy Baines MBE, and his team and visiting schools in the Borough.   Cllr Carter also paid tribute to all the keyworkers in the Borough and all who were helping in these times of the coronavirus pandemic.

Cllr Carter wished the new Mayor and Deputy Mayor well in the year ahead of them.

Cllr D.E. Clifford will move and Cllr P.I.C. Crerar will second:

“That Councillor BRUCE ALFRED THOMAS be elected Deputy Mayor of the Borough to hold office until the Annual Meeting of the Council in 2021.”

On his election, Councillor Thomas will make his Declaration of Acceptance of Office in accordance with Section 83 of the Local Government Act, 1972.

The Mayor invited nominations for the election of the Deputy Mayor of the Borough. It was MOVED by Cllr D.E. Clifford; SECONDED by Cllr P.I.C. Crerar – That Cllr B.A. Thomas be elected Deputy Mayor of the Borough to hold office until the Annual Meeting of the Council in 2021.

RESOLVED: That Councillor BRUCE ALFRED THOMAS be elected Deputy Mayor of the Borough to hold office until the Annual Meeting of the Council in 2021.

The Mayor congratulated Cllr B.A. Thomas and stated that the Deputy Mayor’s Badge would be presented to him at a future event.  Cllr Thomas then made his Declaration of Acceptance of Office.    

The Deputy Mayor thanked the Council for the confidence placed in him and then proceeded to signify the appointment of his wife, Mrs Tracey Thomas, as his Deputy Mayoress.   He pledged his support to the Mayor in the coming year.  

The Mayor announced that it was his intention to hold a Banquet and Ball and another major fundraising event, together with a couple of Mayoress’s Afternoon Tea events during his Mayoral Year.  The dates for these events would be announced when it was possible to do so.