Agenda item - Election of the Mayor of Brighton and Hove for the Municipal Year 2015/16

The Mayor will seek nominations.

4.1The Mayor invited nominations for the position of Mayor of Brighton & Hove for the municipal year 2015/16.

4.2         Councillor Lynda Hyde was proposed by Councillor Geoffrey Theobald and seconded by Councillor Simson.

4.3         Councillors Morgan and Mac Cafferty supported the nomination of Councillor Hyde as Mayor for 2015/16.

4.4         The Mayor declared that, there being no other nominations, Councillor Lynda hyde be duly elected Mayor of Brighton & Hove for the forthcoming municipal year. 

4.5         The motion was agreed.

4.6         The Mayor then adjourned the meeting at 5.15pm in order for Councillor Hyde as the incoming Mayor to be robed and to take the Chair for the meeting.

Councillor Hyde in the Chair

4.7         Councillor Hyde reconvened the meeting at 5.30pm and then made and signed her Declaration of Acceptance of Office.

4.8      The Mayor then thanked the Council for her appointment and stated that she was delighted to be making my maiden speech as Mayor in your presence.  She then paid tribute to the Former Mayor and former Councillor and Alderman Brian Fitch.  He and his wife Norah had given great service to the city during their Mayoralty, adding zest and passion to the dignity of office.  She stated that it would be remiss of her not to mention Brian’s forty years’ service in local government and that in the view of many in the Chamber his term as Mayor was an apt conclusion to his public life. She then thanked Brian Fitch for his service.

4.9      The Mayor noted that the 1^st Mayor of Brighton was Major John Fawcett in 1855 so there had been a Mayor in Brighton for 160 years and she understood the chain she was wearing today had been worn by all past Mayors in Brighton.  Hove and Portslade had their own Mayors in the past when they were towns in their own right.  However, we became a Unitary Authority on 1^st April 1997, and she had on occasions albeit, luckily not too many, seen the significance of the April the 1^st date. On 15 February 2001 the Mayor received Letters Patent from the Vice Lord Lieutenant conferring City status on Brighton and Hove on behalf of her Majesty the Queen. Subsequently, we are now the City of Brighton and Hove. However, those of us born here know we are really the City of Brighton, Hove and Portslade.

4.10    The Mayor stated that during her year as Mayor she wished to meet all sections of the communities in the City. There will obviously be some very formal and maybe grand occasions which she will attend and she wanted the presence of the Mayor to add a sense of occasion and gravitas. Some of the events would be to raise funds for charities and she wished to give her full support to these. She looked forward to supporting tourism and the business community when she could. One of her great wishes was to visit schools and inspire our young people to do their very best and to tell them if you set your mind to achieving your goal you can do it. She had some interesting little stories she could tell of her own school days which her 3 secondary school friends who were present would be able to confirm.

4.11    The Mayor stated that she had a belief that many of the City’s volunteers were the glue which held society together and shewanted to visit them and thank them for their contributions.  Often they are the unsung heroes of the City. She hoped that some of the charities would invite her to their fund raising events and if they did she promised she would buy some raffle tickets.

4.12      Finally the Mayor stated that she wished to thank her Group for putting her name forward to the Council and the Council for voting for her to be the Mayor of the City of Brighton and Hove. She also wished to mention the Councillors who voted to put her forward at the December Council meeting and were no longer in this chamber.