Agenda and minutes

Council are asked to:

(a)  Elect the Mayor of the Borough for the Municipal Year 2023-24 and

(b) The Mayor to make the Declaration of Acceptance of Office.

The retiring Mayor, Councillor S Doran, welcomed all members and guests to the Annual Meeting of the Council.

The Mayor gave a thank you speech as follows:

“Firstly, I would like to welcome Councillors, both new and returning, to the Chamber and congratulate you all on your successful election to this place. They say time flies when you’re having fun and the last 12 months as Mayor have flown by. It was a privilege to meet residents, both young and old, across our wonderful Borough. We have some amazing people in Spelthorne who are doing wonderful work all for the benefit of other people and I commend everyone who puts the wellbeing of others over themselves.

I am delighted to say that we were able present cheques totalling £27,000 to the Spelthorne Mental Health Association, Stanwell Family Centre as well as Dramatize, 398 Squadron Staines & Egham ATC and 1^st Stanwell Scout Group.

Over the course of the year, I have attended over 120 different events. These have included a Holli Festival event, Kempton Park Racecourse and Stanwell Moor Easter Fun Day. We also arranged a Music Night at Sunbury Cricket Club in April and an Afternoon Tea at Squires Garden Centre in Shepperton earlier this month.

My Mayoral Ball was held on 25 March, and I am grateful to Visit Staines, Willmott Dixon and Heathrow for kindly agreeing to sponsor the evening. I would like to thank everyone who attended this and other events over the past year.

The past 12 months have been historical for this country. It was an honour to represent the Borough as we celebrated Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee last June, mourn her majesty’s passing in September and mark the Coronation of King Charles III. Spelthorne Borough Council was created in 1974, so this was the first time this authority was able to mark royal events of this magnitude.

As a Council, we have marked a number of events ourselves. We celebrated Pride Month last June, marked Holocaust Memorial Day, continued to show solidarity with our friends in Ukraine, who are suffering appalling atrocities and just last week, we celebrated Middlesex Day with a flag raising ceremony outside the Council offices.

I will be eternally grateful for everyone who has helped me over the course of the year, including my consort John, my charity committee, fellow Councillors past and present, officers and I want to pay special tribute to Maxine Cole, my Mayoral PA who has been such a big supporter of me and John this year.

I will close with a few words about my Deputy Mayor who has been a great help to me over the past 12 months. It has truly been an honour to be Mayor of Spelthorne and to represent our wonderful Borough and I, once again, thank everyone who made this past year possible”.

It was moved by Councillor Sexton and seconded by Councillor J Doran that Councillor Saliagopoulos be appointed Mayor for the Municipal Year 2023-2024.

Resolved  ...  view the full minutes text for item 44/23

To confirm as a correct record the minutes of the Council meeting held on 20 April 2023.

The minutes of the Council meeting held on 20 April 2023 were agreed as a correct record.

To receive any disclosures of interest from Councillors in accordance with the Council’s Code of Conduct for Members.

There were no disclosures of interest.

(a)  To elect the Deputy Mayor of the Borough for the Municipal Year

2023-24, and

(b)  The Deputy Mayor to make the Declaration of Acceptance of Office.

It was moved by Councillor Williams and seconded by Councillor Beecher that Councillor Baldock be appointed Deputy Mayor for the Municipal Year 2023-2024.

It was moved by Councillor Button and seconded by Councillor J Doran that Councillor Buck be appointed Deputy Mayor for the Municipal Year 2023-2024.

It was moved by Councillor Boughtflower and seconded by Councillor Attewell that Councillor Chandler be appointed Deputy Mayor for the Municipal Year 2023-2024.

Council voted on the 3 nominees as follows:

Councillor Baldock –    12   votes

Councillor Buck –            8  votes

Councillor Chandler –  10   votes

Councillor Buck was eliminated from the voting and a second round of voting took place as follows:

Councillor Baldock –    20 votes

Councillor Chandler –  10 votes

Resolved that Councillor Baldock be appointed as Deputy Mayor for the Municipal Year 2023-2024.

Councillor Baldock made the Declaration of Acceptance of Office as Deputy Mayor of the Borough of Spelthorne and announced that her husband, Richard Baldock would be the Deputy Mayor’s Consort. The Mayor presented Councillor Baldock with the Deputy Mayor’s badge.

The outgoing Deputy Mayor’s Consort, Mr Yanis Saliagopoulos, presented the Deputy Mayor’s Consort Badge to the Deputy Mayor’s Consort.

To receive any announcements from the Mayor.

The Mayor made the following announcements:

“Firstly, may I thank our past Madam Mayor and her Consort, husband John and congratulate them on their successful past year. I wish them all the best for the future.

May I also thank all Councillors and guests here today for just being here.

May I also thank my long suffering husband Yanis and wish him well for his year as Mayor’s Consort. I really must thank our officers for their kind guidance and patience, for arranging today and in advance for their support in the forthcoming year.  I wanted to say thank you to Maxine, the Mayor’s Secretary who has been really supportive.

As most of you may be aware, my late Mother, past Mayor, Cllr Isobel Napper, was unable to finish her Mayoral year due to her premature death from breast cancer, halfway through her Mayoral Year in 2013.   Ten years ago?  Where has the time gone?

One of my charities will be to support the Jasmine Suite at Ashford Hospital.  The opening of the Suite was the last official engagement my mother carried out. The Suite is dedicated to the care of our residents with breast cancer and their treatment. It will be my great honour to continue to support this.  One in three women will suffer from breast cancer, which is a truly frightening statistic.

 My other Charity will be Daybreak, a fantastic facility at St Peter’s Church for those needing respite and for those fantastic carers and families who know they can bring their loved ones to Daybreak in the knowledge that they will be well supported and looked after. They particularly welcome those with Dementia which is something that I care passionately about.

 I work for Barchester Heath Care, and may I say how fortunate I have been at my age to take up a new career.  I work with those who will be taking care of residents with Dementia.  If you have never been involved in the care of people with Dementia, I would urge you to take time to do so.  It is a growing issue for our elders (and sometimes younger people too; we simply cannot ignore this. I would therefore ask you to please support my charities whenever you can.

 Finally, I would also wish to support the young people in our borough and one of the ways I will be looking to do this is to start a “Ride Spelthorne” – a Cycle Race around the Borough for our young people – I know it is going to need some organisation (apologies to officers) but I am hoping it may become a yearly event.  I have had the great pleasure of meeting Mark Cavendish, our greatest ever cyclist; every young person should aspire to such greatness.

I want to thank you all councillors and Madam past Mayor and your wonderful Consort John for all your support.  I look forward to working with you all in the coming year.  We hope to go through  ...  view the full minutes text for item 48/23

To elect the Leader of the Council for the Municipal Year 2023-24.

It was moved by Councillor Bateson and seconded by Councillor Gerachi that Councillor Joanne Sexton be appointed Leader of the Council for the Municipal Year 2023-2024.

Resolved that Councillor Joanne Sexton be appointed Leader of the Council for the Municipal Year 2023-2024.

To receive any announcements from the Leader.

The Leader made the following announcements:

“Thank you, Madam Mayor and may I congratulate you and your consort Yannis. I very much look forward to supporting you and your charities in the forthcoming year.

I am both humbled and honoured to be elected as Leader of this council. I pledge to put my heart and soul into this role for the benefit of all our residents. We must all come together and work to achieve those best interests.

All committee members can participate in decision making but with it comes accountability. This important function will shape the strategy, direction and image of this council. It will encompass the many skill sets councillors have acquired in their professional working lives to put to best use on behalf of the council.

Robust debate and discussion are to be encouraged, that is healthy for democracy but in doing so I must ask all members to respectfully acknowledge the views of others whose views may differ from their own. We must move this council forward in a spirit of co-operation, working on behalf of all our residents who expect nothing less of us.  We want to encourage more resident participation and reach out more widely to the community as a whole and for them to be more aware of and involved in the issues this council faces.

Committees have a huge responsibility to formulate policy and make decisions accordingly. Many challenges lie ahead, least of all the huge challenge of addressing the predicted budget deficit in order to present a balanced budget to council for approval next February.

Formulating the next budget will be difficult and all members in committees must play their part in achieving this task. We can no longer continue making last minute decisions appertaining to the budget which does not do justice to the work and input that our officers have contributed and provided.

We no longer operate a strong leader model of governance.  Policy formulation rests firmly with members of committees and it is they who will determine the key objectives and direction of this council. Every member is of equal status and without exception has the opportunity to play their part in the process, thus making us an all-inclusive member council.

I very much look forward to working with you all in the year ahead”.

To elect the Deputy Leader of the Council for the Municipal Year 2023-24.

It was moved by Councillor Sexton and seconded by Councillor Nichols that Councillor Bateson be appointed Deputy Leader of the Council for the Municipal Year 2023-2024.

Resolved that Councillor Bateson be appointed Deputy Leader of the Council for the Municipal Year 2023-2024.

To receive announcements from the Council’s Chief Executive.

The Chief Executive made the following announcements:

Team Spelthorne has had an exceptionally busy month, contending with an all-out Borough election and coronation festivities.

As Head of Paid Services, and on behalf of all Borough colleagues, may I congratulate every one of you on your election as a Borough Councillor.

We are an ambitious Borough who are rightly proud of what we have achieved over recent years in supporting our residents and boosting our local economy.

The next 4 years will rightly have its own challenges, but together I know we can look forward to progressing the priorities you set and delivering further on efficient and effective services for our communities.

In particular, I congratulate Cllr Sexton and Cllr Bateson on their respective election to Leader and Deputy Leader.

We look forward to collaboratively working with you all in discharging our public service duties in the interest of residents and businesses that call Spelthorne home.

As Returning Officer for Spelthorne, I would like to express my appreciation and thanks to colleagues across the Council for a smooth elections process.

All staff at the polling stations and at the count have given excellent service yet again and showed Spelthorne in a very positive and professional light. I would like to pay tribute to my Deputy Returning Officers and to the Elections Team for their outstanding commitment and efficient organisation.

Special thanks go to our Neighbourhood Services colleagues for their immense assistance throughout.

Finally, for most of us in this chamber, this would have been the first Coronation we will have ever experienced, and the occasion was one of celebration. My thanks go to the many colleagues, who along with the past Mayor and myself, volunteered to support the 70 plus street parties and events across Spelthorne as we marked another significant date in our country’s rich history.

The Kin in his first speech to the nation told us that he shall endeavour to serve with loyalty, respect and love. I trust that we can together, equally serve the interests of this Borough.

Thank you Madam Mayor

Council is asked to approve the allocation of seats to parties and the number on each Committee as outlined in Appendix 2.

Council considered a report on the proposed changes to the allocation of seats on Committees.

Proposed by Councillor Sexton

Seconded by Councillor Bateson

Resolved to:

1.    Agree the proposed allocation of seats to parties as outlined in Appendix 2 of the report, including one additional seat on each of Corporate Policy & Resources, Environment & Sustainability and the Planning Committees; and

2.    Agree the delegation to the Group Head of Corporate Governance to make the necessary changes to the Constitution to reflect the increased sizes of committees as outlined in Appendix 2 of the report.

To appoint Committees, of the size noted in the table below, in line with the amendments in the Council’s Constitution agreed at Agenda Item 11.

a)    Establishment of Committees and Sub-Committees

b)   Allocation of Seats on Committees and Sub-Committees

           Pursuant to Section 15 of the Local Government and Housing Act 1989, to agree the representation of the different political groups on Committees.

c)    Appointment of members to Committees and Sub-Committees

To appoint members to serve on the above-mentioned Committees and Sub-Committee.

d)   Appointment of Chairs and Vice-Chairs to Committees and Sub-Committees

To appoint the Chairs and Vice-Chairs to Committees, in accordance with the Council’s Constitution.

e)    Appointment of  Names Substitutes to Committees

To appoint names substitutes to Committees, in accordance with the Council’s Constitution.

Council resolved to agree the Committees and Sub-Committee as outlined on the agenda.

Pursuant to Section 15 of the Local Government and Housing Act 1989, to agree the representation of the different political groups on Committees.

(Appendix B will be circulated in advance of the Annual Council meeting)

Council resolved to agree the allocations of seats to each political group.

In accordance with the Council’s constitution, to appoint the members to serve on the above mentioned Committees, and Sub-Committee, including Mr Ian Winter as the non-elected Chairman of the Standards Committee and Mr Dylan Price as the non-elected Vice-Chairman of the Standards Committee.

(Appendix C, the nominations to Committees, will be circulated in advance of the meeting)

Proposed by Councillor Gerachi

Seconded by Councillor Rutherford

And resolved that the vacant seat on the Licensing Committee be gifted to the Independent Green member, Councillor McLuskey.

Council resolved to agree the appointments of members to Committees and Sub-Committee.

In accordance with the Council’s constitution, to appoint the Chairs and Vice-Chairs to serve on the above mentioned Committees and Sub-Committee.

(Appendix D, nominations for Chair and Vice-Chairs will be circulated in advance of the meeting).

Council resolved to agree the appointment of Chairs and Vice-Chairs to the Committees and Sub-Committee as outlined in the Supplementary Agenda.

In accordance with the Council’s Constitution, to appoint the Substitute Members to serve on the above mentioned Committees.

(Appendix E Will be circulated in advance of the Annual Council meeting).

Council resolved to agree the nominations for substitutes for Committees and Sub-Committee as outlined in the Supplementary Agenda.

Council is asked to approve an interim arrangement for the Members’ Allowances Scheme for 2023/24.

Proposed by Councillor Sexton

Seconded by Councillor Bateson

Council resolved to agree the interim arrangements for the Members’ Allowances Scheme. This would be a continuation of the provisions of the Members’ Allowances Scheme for 2022/23 pending receipt and consideration of recommendations from the Independent Remuneration Panel.

To appoint representatives to the following outside bodies:

1.    South West Middlesex Crematorium Board – for 2023/24

(1 representative and 1 deputy)

2.    Surrey Police and Crime Panel – for 2023/24

(1 representative)

3.    Knowle Green Estates Board – for 2023/27

(1 representative)

4.    Armed Forces Champion – for 2023/27

(1 representative)

5.    Mental Health Champion – for 2023/27

(1 representative)

South West Middlesex Crematorium Board

It was proposed by Councillor Bateson and seconded by Councillor Nichols and resolved that Councillor Dunn serve as the Council’s representative on the South West Middlesex Crematorium Board.

There were no nominations for a deputy representative for this Board.

Surrey Police and Crime Panel

It was proposed by Councillor Bateson and seconded by Councillor Sexton and resolved that Councillor Boparai serve as the Council’s representative on the Surrey Police and Crime Panel.

Knowle Green Estates Board

It was proposed by Councillor Sexton and seconded by Councillor Bateson that Councillor Nichols serve as the Council’s representative on the Knowle Green Estates Board.

It was proposed by Councillor Button and seconded by Councillor Buck  that Councillor Geach serve as the Council’s representative on the Knowle Green Estates Board.

By a majority vote, Council  resolved to appointment Councillor Nichols as a member on the Knowle Green Estates Board.

Armed Forces Champion

It was proposed by Councillor Boughtflower and seconded by Councillor Attewell that Councillor Clarke serve as the Council’s Armed Forces Champion.

It was proposed by Councillor Button and seconded by Councillor Buckthat Councillor J Doran serve as the Council’s Armed Forces Champion.

By a majority vote, Council  resolved to appointment Councillor J Doran as a Council’s Armed Forces Champion.

Council were advised that a Deputy Armed Forces Champion role would be considered at the next meeting of the Council in order to provide a role for the second nominee.

Mental Health Champion

It was proposed by Councillor Button and seconded by Councillor Beatty and resolved that Councillor S Doran serve as the Council’s Mental Health Champion.