Agenda item - Mayor's Communications.

33.1         The Mayor informed the council that she had to announce the death of former Labour Councillor Gill Sweeting who served for 22 years as an elected Member, was Mayor and was appointed as an Honorary Alderman of the city in July 2007. She had also been informed of the death of Mr. John Broadley, Former Mayor of Hove (1987-88) who was also a former Leader of Hove Borough Council.  She wished to convey the council’s deepest sympathy to their families, friends and former colleagues.  The Mayor then asked everyone present to stand for a minute’s silence as a mark of respect.

33.2         The Mayor then offered the Council’s congratulations to the Revenues & Benefits Teams who had again retained their Customer Service Excellence award following an annual review which included testing on 57 individual criteria.  The Revenues and Benefits teams passed on every single one. The Mayor then invited Mike Masters to come forward to accept the award on behalf of the Teams.

33.3         The Mayor then offered the Council’s congratulations to the City Parks Projects Team for The Level who won the “Bees Needs” award for work to attract bees and other pollinating insects and plants. The award for innovation was supported by Defra and the National Pollinator Strategy and was awarded by the Tidy Britain Group as part of the annual Green Flag awards. The Mayor then invited The Level Garden Manager and members of the City Parks Project Team to come forward to collect the award. 

33.4         The Mayor then stated that the Council’s congratulations went to Francesca Iliffe, Sustainability Officer in Planning Projects Team, who had been given the Soil Association Catering Mark Champion Award. She had been recognised by the Soil Association for her excellent work in the city over many years to facilitate a more sustainable food system, working in the Planning Service with the Food Partnership to spread good practice through all council departments. The Mayor noted that in addition to this award, in October Francesca was invited to an International Climate Change Conference in Germany to share the council’s good practice and track record with the Food Partnership in increasing urban food growing through effective Planning.

33.5         The Mayor then invited Francesca Iliffe, to come forward to collect the award.

33.6         The Mayor offered the Council’s congratulations to the Brighton & Hove Food Partnership for winning the Silver Sustainable Food Cities Award.  Brighton & Hove became the first and only place in the country to be named a Silver Sustainable Food City; setting the benchmark high for cities across the UK and recognising the city’s pioneering approach to food. The award recognised the achievements of the Brighton & Hove Food Partnership and their collaborative work over the last 12 years with partners in the city including the Council, Public Health, local sustainable food business and the thousands of volunteers involved in community food projects across the city.

33.7         The Mayor stated that she would like to present the award this to Vic Borrill, the inspirational Director of the Brighton & Hove Food Partnership, and invited her to come forward to accept the award.

33.8         The Mayor stated that she understood that the Health & Wellbeing Board at its meeting on Tuesday had agreed to endorse the St Mungo’s Charter for Homeless Health and for the Chair to sign the Charter on behalf of the Board.  She therefore wished to invite Councillor Yates as the Chair to come forward and sign the Charter in front of the council.

33.9         Finally, the Mayor invited all Members to attend the Remembrance Services taking place in the city in 2015.  On Remembrance Sunday 8^th November in Brighton the following services would be held:

·           11 am at Old Steine War Memorial Garden, the Service will be followed by a March Past in the Old Steine and there will be a sherry reception in the Mayor’s Parlour at Brighton Town Hall.

·           A wreath laying ceremony will take place at 11.00 am at the Easthill Park Memorial, Portslade. 

·           A Parade will leave Hove Town Hall at 2.10p.m and proceed to the War Memorial, Grand Avenue, Hove, for a wreath-laying ceremony.  From there the Parade will process to All Saints Church for a full Service of Remembrance beginning at 3pm.