Agenda item - Election of the Mayor of Brighton and Hove for the Municipal Year 2012/13

The current Mayor will seek nominations for the Mayor for 2012/13.

3.1             The Mayor invited nominations for the position of Mayor of Brighton & Hove for the municipal year 2012/13.

3.2             Councillor Bill Randall was proposed by Councillor J. Kitcat and seconded by Councillor Powell.

3.3             Councillors Theobald and Mitchell supported the nomination of Councillor Randall as Mayor for 2012/13.

3.4             The Mayor declared that, there being no other nominations, Councillor Bill Randall be duly elected Mayor of Brighton & Hove for the forthcoming municipal year of 2012/13. 

3.5             The motion was agreed.

3.6             The Mayor then adjourned the meeting at 4.40pm in order for Councillor Randall as the incoming Mayor to be robed and to take the Chair for the remainder of the meeting.

Councillor Randall in the Chair

3.7             Councillor Randall reconvened the meeting at 4.55pm and then made and signed the Declaration of Acceptance of Office.

3.8             The Mayor then thanked the Council for his appointment,

“Councillors – ladies – gentlemen – honoured guests and particularly my wife Heather, and my family & friends.  Thank you all for joining me today on this memorable occasion.

Firstly, I would like to thank Councillor Anne Meadows for the excellent manner in which she has carried out her role as Mayor over the past year, not least in the very even-handed way in which she has chaired council meetings, which have sometimes been extremely robust.  She has been a wonderful first citizen of our City – very ably supported by Tony as her Consort, and assisted by Councillor Geoff Wells, as her Deputy. 

It is a huge honour for me to be appointed as Mayor of this extraordinary city.  I moved here 15 years ago, my whole family moved here at the same time and three of my grandchildren were born here.  My wife, rebukes me for boring for Brighton at every opportunity, and I must confess I am fond of cataloguing the city’s virtues to anybody who will listen.  But that is because I am passionate about it.  Like others, I identify with the city’s strong sense of place and like all the councillors in this chamber I am committed to doing the very best I can for Brighton and Hove, which faces many challenges and the people who live here.

We work with an extraordinary group of people from the business community, the creative community, the community and voluntary sector, tenants and residents’ groups, the other public services and the trade unions.  Many of them are here today and I thank them all for their help and support during my year as Leader of the Council and I look forward to working with them during my year as Mayor.

And I must mention the council’s own staff whose tremendous work for our community often goes unsung.  They are doing a terrific job in taxing times and need our support.  Indeed, I had the opportunity to join the staff from Democratic Services in presenting their case to the judges of the MJ Awards to be awarded Democratic Services Team of the Year.  I will keep an eye out for the results in June.

 I would also like to thank the residents of Hanover & Elm Grove Ward for all their support and good wishes.  I will, of course, remain a committed ward councillor, alongside Liz Wakefield and Matt Follett.  I might say I can be guilty of going on too much about the wonders of Muesli Mountain, but it is a privilege to represent such a vibrant and strong-minded community.

It is, of course, only one of many strong communities in our city, and Heather and I look forward to meeting many more of them during my year as Mayor.  My charities for this year will be Allsorts, who support and empower young and vulnerable LGBT people in the city, many of whom face prejudice and insecurity.  The Martlets, whose work has touched almost every family in the city, not least mine.  Heather’s mother Peggy spent the last weeks of her life in their hospice, where she was beautifully looked after and so were the rest of the family.  The Women’s Centre, which works with and empowers vulnerable and disadvantaged women in the community.  Their work is particularly important at a time when women, in particular, are feeling the effects of the difficult times we live in. 

The charity committee, which includes councillors from all three parties, has met twice and I am greatly enthused by the way in which the three charities are already working so well together.  We will be organising fundraising events throughout the year and I look forward to support from all parties and our partners in the city for these three organisations which do so much for so many people in Brighton and Hove.

My year as Mayor will be a multi-faith year, and I am asking representatives from the city’s principle faiths t take prayers at the council meetings through the year.  The Mayor’s civic service on 27 May at the Unitarian Church in New Road, will be a multi-faith service with contributions from several faith communities.

When I put on the Mayor’s robes for the official photographs last week, I have to confess that I had goose bumps.  We have enjoyed local democracy in our city for a long time.  The first Mayor of Brighton was elected in 1885 and in Hove in 1898.  These robes, which have been worn by a succession of Mayors, are first and foremost a symbol of that democracy.  As Winston Churchill told the House of Commons in 1947 Democracy is the worst form of government, except for all those other forms that have been tried from time to time.  So, while it may not be perfect, we neglect it at our peril.  I am aware of my duty as Mayor to do everything I can to nurture and promote it and I will do my very best for the city.

Thank you all again for joining me in what is a very special occasion for me and my family.  I hope you will join me after this meeting at the Royal Pavilion.”

3.9             The Mayor then called on Councillor Mac Cafferty.

3.10         Councillor Mac Cafferty thanked the Mayor and offered his congratulations on his appointment and stated that he wished to present the Mayor with a Plaque from the Mayor of Derry, which was offered as a token of friendship from the City of Derry to the City of Brighton & Hove.  He noted that Derry was due to be the City of Culture in 2013 and hoped that relations between the two cities could be strengthened over the next year.

3.11         Councillor Bowden offered his thanks on behalf of the Green Group to Ms. Heather Randall for agreeing to the borrowing of Councillor Randall as Mayor for the year and to accompanying him in his role as much as possible over the year.