The Council observed two minutes’ silence in memory of former Councillor and Mayor Doug Murdoch who sadly recently passed away.

To elect a Mayor for the Council year 2019/ 2020.

Before calling for nominations for the election of the new Mayor, the outgoing Mayor welcomed newly elected Councillors Liam Ascough, Jilly Hart, Morgan Flack, Gurinder Jhans, Tom McAleney, Jennifer Millar- Smith, Charles Petts and Jonathan Purdy to the Council.

The Mayor then made a short speech to the Council about his Mayoral year.  A copy of the speech is attached as Appendix A to these minutes.

It was then proposed by Councillor Pickett, seconded by Councillor Flack, that Councillor Sharma be appointed as Mayor, whilst Councillor Lanzer, seconded by Councillor B J Burgess, proposed the appointment of Councillor R G Burgess. A vote was taken.

RESOLVED

That Councillor Raj Sharma be elected as Mayor of the Council year 2019/2020.

The newly elected Mayor was invested with the Mayoral Chain, made the statutory Declaration of Acceptance of Office and took the Chair. The Mayor announced that his wife Bhavna, would be his Consort for his year in office and she received the Consort’s Chain of Office. He also announced that his Mayoral charities would be Manor Green Community College and The Posh Club.

Councillor Lamb and Councillor Crow respectively, welcomed the new Mayor on behave of their Group. In response to the congratulations Councillor Raj Sharma made a speech conveying the honour to be elected Mayor of Crawley again. A copy of his speech is attached as Appendix B to these minutes.

To elect a Deputy Mayor for the Council year 2019/ 2020.

It was proposed by Councillor B Smith, seconded by Councillor McAleney, that Councillor Malik be appointed as Deputy Mayor, whilst Councillor Crow, seconded by Councillor Guidera, proposed the appointment of Councillor Eade.  A vote was taken.

RESOLVED

That Councillor Shahzad Malik be elected as Deputy Mayor for the Council year 2019/2020.

The newly elected Deputy Mayor was then invested with the badge of office.

The Mayor will call up the newly elected Youth Mayor to the top table to present the Chain of Office, and the newly elected Youth Deputy Mayor to present the Badge of Office. On behalf of the Council, the Mayor will convey his congratulations to both upon their election.

The Mayor called both Leon Mukazi and Shelly Sharma up to the top table to present the Chain of Office to the newly announced Youth Mayor Leon Mukazi, and the Badge of Office to Shelly Sharma as the newly announced Youth Deputy Mayor.  The Mayor conveyed his congratulations to them both upon their election.  Councillor R Burgess also expressed his congratulations to Leon and Shelly and took the opportunity to offer his thanks and appreciation to Laiba Baig, former Youth Mayor for 2018/19, for being an outstanding ambassador and role model.

Vote of thanks to retiring Mayor and Mayor’s Consort

The Mayor presented the retiring Mayor Mr Castro and his Consort his wife Catia with a commemorative Past Mayor’s Badge and Consort Badge respectively.  A photo album containing photographs commemorating their time in office was also presented.

A number of Councillors conveyed their thanks to the retiring Mayor and Mayor’s Consort for all their work during the year in office, especially relating to their strong support for their charity Forget-me-Nots.

It was moved by Councillor Lamb, seconded by Councillor Thomas and

RESOLVED

That the thanks and appreciation of the Council be accorded to Mr Carlos Castro, the retiring Mayor, for the work undertaken during his year in office and for the support given to him during that time by the Mayor’s Consort his wife Catia.

In accordance with the Council's Code of Conduct, Councillors of the Council are reminded that it is a requirement to declare interests where appropriate.

Councillor McAleney declared a Personal and Pecuniary Interest in relation to the specific discussion over appointment of nominations to Crawley Open House Management Committee, which was included in item 11 Review of Political Proportionality, Constitution of Committees and Appointments to Outside Organisations 2019/ 2020.

To receive any announcements from the newly elected Mayor or the Chief Executive.

The Mayor invited representatives from each party to pay tribute following the sad passing of former Councillor and Mayor Doug Murdoch. Councillors Mullins, Burrett and B. Smith paid their respects and touching tributes.

To approve as a correct recordthe minutesofthe meetingof the Full Council held on 3 April 2019.

The minutes of the meeting of the Full Council held on 3 April 2019 were approved as a correct record and signed by the Mayor.

To receive the Returning Officer’s report on the results of the Borough elections held on 2 May 2019, LDS/150.

The Council received the Returning Officer’s report LDS/150, on the results of the 2019 all out Borough Election, held on 2 May 2019. 

Councillor Lunnon as Chair of Governance Committee took the opportunity to thank all staff that had worked throughout the Election periods.

To note report LDS/151 from the Leader of the Council, which details the Cabinet and their Portfolio Holder responsibilities along with their appointments to Outside Bodies related to their Portfolios.

Appendix A also contains the Terms of Reference and Appointments for the Cabinet’s Advisory, Working Groups and Member Development Executive Support Group 2019/ 2020. (The nominations of which had been sought from each of the Group Leaders.)

Councillor Lamb announced his Cabinet and the related Portfolio Holder responsibilities to the Council, along with the Terms of Reference and Appointments for the Cabinet Advisory and Working Groups as set out in report LDS/151.

It was noted that there had been changes to the Cabinet, with Councillor Irvine becoming Cabinet Member for Housing, and a reduction to the number of Portfolios with a merger of the Resources Portfolio responsibilities.

Appendix C to these minutes also lists the Cabinet Membership and the Appointments for the Cabinet Advisory and Working Groups.

To consider report LDS/152 of the Head of Legal, Democracy and HR.

The Full Council considered the report of the Head of Legal, Democracy and HR, LDS/152, noting the revised nominations as detailed in the Order of Proceedings.

The recommendations were considered, as follows:-

Recommendation 1 – Review of Political Proportionality and Appointments to Committees

In the process of Councillor Lamb moving and Councillor P Smith seconding Recommendation 1, a number of issues were raised:-

Recommendation 1 (2) (ii) – Chairs / Vice-Chairs

(a)  Planning Committee – Chair

It was moved by Councillor P Smith, seconded by Councillor Thomas, that Councillor Malik be appointed as Chair of the Planning Committee, whilst Councillor Crow, seconded by Councillor Guidera, proposed the appointment of Councillor A Belben. A vote was taken.

As a result of the vote, Councillor Malik was appointed as Chair of the Planning Committee.

(b)  Planning Committee – Vice-Chair

It was moved by Councillor P Smith, seconded by Councillor Thomas, that Councillor McAleney be appointed as Vice-Chair of the Planning Committee, whilst Councillor Crow, seconded by Councillor Guidera, proposed the appointment of Councillor A Belben. A vote was taken.

As a result of the vote, Councillor McAleney was appointed as Vice-Chair of the Planning Committee.

(c)  Licensing Committee – Chair

It was moved by Councillor Ayling, seconded by Councillor Mullins that Councillor Jones be appointed as Chair of the Licensing Committee, whilst Councillor Crow, seconded by Councillor McCarthy, proposed the appointment of Councillor Peck. A vote was taken.

As a result of the vote, Councillor Jones was appointed as Chair of the Licensing Committee.

(d)  Licensing Committee – Vice-Chair

It was moved by Councillor Jones, seconded by Councillor Rana that Councillor Ayling be appointed as Vice-Chair of the Licensing Committee, whilst Councillor Crow, seconded by Councillor McCarthy, proposed the appointment of Councillor Peck. A vote was taken.

As a result of the vote, Councillor Ayling was appointed as Vice-Chair of the Licensing Committee.

(e)  Overview and Scrutiny Commission – Chair

It was moved by Councillor Lunnon, seconded by Councillor Jhans, that Councillor Rana be appointed as Chair of the Overview and Scrutiny Commission, whilst Councillor Crow, seconded by Councillor Pendlington, proposed the appointment of Councillor T Belben. A vote was taken.

As a result of the vote, Councillor Rana was appointed as Chair of the Overview and Scrutiny Commission and that Councillor T Belben was appointed as Vice-Chair of the Commission.

It was noted that opposition Councillors referred to the fact that whilst it was the Group in Opposition, the Conservative Group did hold a large proportion of seats on the Council, that should entitle them to have the Vice Chairs of all major Committees, and in line with good practice, the Chair of the Overview and Scrutiny Commission as recommended by the Centre for Public Scrutiny.

Moved by Councillor Lamb, seconded by Councillor P Smith and

RESOLVED

That the Council approves the establishment of Committees, the allocation of seats, and the appointment of Councillors to those seats (based on political proportionality); along with the Chairs and Vice-chairs for those Committees  ...  view the full minutes text for item 10.

APPENDIX A

Mr Carlos Castro farewell Mayoral speech

In 1373 Portugal & England signed a diplomatic alliance, this was sealed by John I of Portugal and Philippa of Lancaster. This is known as the Treaty of Windsor and the oldest alliance in the world that is in force still today. This Treaty established perpetual friendship, union & alliances between the two Nations. The Treaty was reinforced throughout history, including Second World War in 1943. This alliance opened the door to a long standing friendship. I am proud of this friendship and how our two Countries decided to stay united so early on. I was born in one and now live to rejoice in the other.

646 years later, together we made history, yet again! 2018 this Country honoured not 1 but 2 Portuguese Nationals as Mayor. You may think the 2 events aren’t related but indeed they are! This is history in the making; good people representing the place they call home, contributing positively in their community while providing hope and motivation for others to follow.

Everyone is entitled to the freedom of chasing their dreams and inspiring others. As diverse as Crawley is, I believe my contribution has played a positive part within the various communities in Crawley. And, therefore I thank all the community leaders who gave me the opportunity to support you during this past year.

As the door in this chapter comes to a close, Catia and I are touched by the well-wishes and thanks we have received from all across Crawley and I, thank you Catia, for being there for me each and every step in more ways than I can describe.

Today is my turn to give thanks. Being an active Mayor of Crawley has been a true honour, a blessing and an unbelievable experience. Engaging with our community and representing The Forget Me Nots was definitely a busy year, but one I will always thank the good people of Crawley for giving me the opportunity of a lifetime, welcoming us to your events and take part of your community – this has made me a better man.

Throughout the year, I kept great focus on representing Crawley to the best of my ability and get Crawley the recognition of a fantastic place to grow and prosper. We have seen for the first time, many dignitary visits- showing off Crawley for the vibrant & diverse town that it is. I tell you that the grass isn’t greener on the other side, we should be proud of Crawley! I know I am! Like John F. Kennedy said in short ‘it’s what you can do for your country’. I say, Crawley benefits from what you put in.

I’m often asked what has been the highlight of being a Mayor. The truth is, every engagement is special, because it benefits someone else and therefore it’s special. The highlight for me starts with putting the Mayor’s chain over my head and resting it on my chest and shoulders. The feeling is truly amazing and one not to be taken for granted.

I have updated you throughout the year with the engagements. I would like to add that the visit to the Buckingham Palace is something I will cherish for the rest of my life and an amazing way to end my year.

I’d also like to thank the Democratic Services Team for their support. A special thanks to Hayley for always being available and patient throughout this year. To Bob for the knowledge, experience and company, making going to the unknown a piece of cake. A heartfelt thanks to my wife, Catia, for the massive support, love and companionship – without you, I’d probably go somewhere without the chain!

To the Forget Me Nots for allowing to work with you raising funds in the excess of £7k and it doesn’t stop here. I am happy to confirm that B&M will support the Nots with the sales of their plastic bags for at least one year and so will M&S! Raising the awareness of dementia has also been my commitment and this has kept the memories of my maternal grandmother alive.

Lastly, I would like to thank my Labour colleagues for the amazing opportunities and I hope one day every one of you across the Chamber sees each other as equals.

Thank you & thank you Crawley!

APPENDIX B

Councillor Raj Sharma inaugural Mayoral speech

Good evening, fellow Councillors. Namaskar, Salam-E-Lekum, Satya-Siri-Akal, greetings and welcome to all my guests and friends. Thank you for coming.

A very warm welcome to Mr Anil Nautiyal. Counsellor from the Indian High Commission, London.

I was making this welcome speech only back in 2016, a short 3 years ago.

Either my colleagues liked my year in office so much, therefore they decided to have me back so shortly, or have decided to punish me for something.

I hope it is the former and not the latter

It is indeed a privilege to be the mayor of any town, but to be the Mayor of Crawley, twice and do soon as well… is indeed an outstanding honour. I hope I can live up to it.

I think most of you know me by now, however, I repeat… having worked and lived in Crawley for the past 27 years and working directly with the youth and community of this wonderful town, has enabled myself and my family to be fully integrated, and be part of this larger family.

I have as most of you know, believed very strongly in unity, cohesiveness and integration…..my moto is “unity in diversity”, a strong believer in raising the profiles of the Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic Communities in all wakes of life… I worked last time around to showcase the cultural, religious and linguistic values and practices of the blame community….whilst showing the highest respect to being part of the Crawley community.

During that time we collectively celebrated in these Council Chambers.

1…Diwali with the Hindu community

2. Vaisakhi with the Sikh community

3. Christmas, Easter, St George’s day, Armistice day and other festivals and events with the Christian community in various Churches and halls.

4. We also celebrated Eid-Ul-Fitr with the Muslim community... I am hoping to continue with that tradition by celebrating Eid-Ul-Fitr, at the end of Ramadan on the 7^th June in these chambers with the Muslim community and invite all other faiths to join us.

I hope to hold as many events in these chambers, with other communities, before we lose it to the builders and go to new premises.

Friends and colleagues…..believe me… I have the utmost respect for the “office of the Mayor”

In my opinion and those of other past mayors and colleague’s…from both sides of the chambers. This office remains “above the individual holding it”……

I recall last time around on many occasions being met by Councillor bob burgess (an honourable past mayor in his own right), on official duties who met me and greeted me with the highest respects that are given to the holder of this office of the Mayor….thank you Bob ……..

I request, to all those present on both sides that they will continue to honour that tradition… I promise to be fair… but firm and hope that the respect is mutual…

On happier notes my lady Mayoress, Bhavna, has promised to be an excellent host, and will be dishing out her tasty Indian curries, pilau rice, samosas and chutneys as previously… bon appetite

I promise as previously that during my Mayoral term  I will endeavour…to make those bridges more stronger and firm …and help build new ones with the new communities, reassuring ” past Brexit” that all individuals who live and work in Crawley to be respected as equals.

I will continue to work hard to champion the causes of all people, work with all communities…help break down barriers… create harmony, friendship… tolerance and understanding…

Once again I would like to be the champion of Crawley for good citizenship and promoting integration.

Of course let’s not forget my charities for the year.

1. Manor green community college. A special needs school, who work tirelessly in Crawley.

2. The Posh Club. Based out of Broadfield. A unique organisation that puts sunshine and smiles back in to the lives of over 60’s.

I won’t say too much about them and let their respective speakers inform you about their work   in the civic hall.

As always for me it will be “one Crawley----one community”, I hope that I will continue to have your support….thanks for listening.

Appendix C

APPOINTMENTS

Committees Membership and Chairs and Vice-Chairs 2019/20

Full Council Appointments to Outside Organisations 2019/ 2020

Appointments for Cabinet Advisory and Working Groups and Member Development Executive Support Group                                                                              

Notes

1)         Lead Officers to be appointed to each Working Group

2)         Administration to be undertaken by each individual service department.