Meeting Details

It was PROPOSED by Councillor Chapman, seconded by Councillor Goss and supported by Councillor Pearson and Councillor B. Oxford and:-

RESOLVED UNANIMOUSLY that Councillor Peter Chillingworth be elected as Mayor of Colchester for the ensuing municipal year.

Councillor Chillingworth took the customary oath and signed the declaration of acceptance of office.

Councillor Chillingworth then took the Chair and returned thanks for his election. 

It was PROPOSED by Councillor Goss and seconded and supported by Councillors Laws, T. Young and B. Oxford and:-

RESOLVED UNANIMOUSLY that Councillor Cope be elected Deputy Mayor of the Borough of Colchester for the ensuing municipal year.

Councillor Cope then signed the declaration of acceptance of office and returned thanks for his election as Depuity Mayor.

It was PROPOSED by Councillor B. Oxford and seconded and supported by Councillors Laws, Goss and T. Young and:-

RESOLVED UNANIMOUSLY that the best thanks of the Council are due and hereby accorded to Councillor Gerard Oxford for the admirable manner in which he has discharged the responsible duties of the Mayoralty during the past year and that a transcript of the resolution under the Common Seal be furnished to him.

The Mayor announced that he had appointed the Reverend John Richardson to be his Chaplain for the ensuing municipal year.

The Mayor announced that he would be supporting the following charities:-

• Action for Family Carers;
• Army Benevolent Fund;
• Cancer Centre Campaign;
• Colchester Emergency Night Shelter;
• Essex and Hertfordshire Air Ambulance;
• Essex Air Ambulance

Grassroots would also provide help including acting as the Charity Committee Treasurer and consequently would receive some financial support.

The theme of his Mayoralty would be "Town Meets Country". 

Sir Bob Russell addressed Council pursuant to the provisions of Council Procedure Rule 6(5) and offered his congratulations to the Mayor on his election.  In view of his long experience on the Council he advocated the benefits of the Committee system, which gave all Councillors an equal say, which reflected their equal mandate.   Councillors should put service before self and personal conscience should determine how votes were cast. He believed that if the matters before the Council at this meeting were put to a secret ballot then this may lead to a different outcome. 

Alderman Lewis addressed Council pursuant to the provisions of Council Procedure Rule 6(5) and offered her congratulations to the Mayor and also to Councillors Gerard and Beverley Oxford for their successful year.  She had raised the issue of the safekeeping of the plaques from the Avenue of Remembrance at Cabinet in October 2016 and at the Annual Meeting on 2017.  She had been assured that the matter would be considered by the 1918 Commemoration Task and Finish Group, but she considered that this was a separate issue.  She had also raised concerns about the condition of the Commemoration Wall on the junction of North Station Road and Colne Bank Avenue and this needed to be addressed urgently.  Despite assurances, she had not been kept informed.

The Mayor, as Chair of the 1918 Commemoration Task and Finish Group, explained that the matter had been discussed but no final decision had yet been reached.  

It was PROPOSED by Councillor Goss that Councillor Mark Cory be appointed as the Leader of the Council for the remainder of his period of office.

Councillor Davies moved a SECONDARY AMENDMENT that the motion be amended by substituting the name Darius Laws for Mark Cory.  Councillor Goss indicated the secondary amendment was not accepted.

Council indicated that it did not wish to treat the secondary amendment as a main amendment.

On being to the vote the secondary amendment was LOST (TWENTY FOUR voted FOR, TWENTY FIVE voted AGAINST and TWO ABSTAINED from voting).

A named vote having been requested pursuant Council Procedure Rule 15(2) the voting was as follows:-

FOR: Councillors Arnold, Barber, Bentley, Buston, Chapman, Crow, Davidson, Davies, Dundas, Elliott, Ellis, Flores, Hayter, Hazell,  Jarvis, Jowers, Laws, Lissimore, Loveland, F. Maclean. J. Maclean, Moore, Willetts and Wood.

AGAINST: Councillors Barlow, Barton, Bourne, Chuah, Coleman, Cory, Fox, Goss, Harris,  Higgins, Hogg, King, Liddy, Lilley, Luxford Vaughan, B. Oxford, G. Oxford, P. Oxford, Pearson, Scordis, Scott-Boutell, Warnes, Whitehead, J. Young and T. Young.

ABSTAINED FROM VOTING: The Mayor (Chillingworth), the Deputy Mayor (Cope).

The original motion was then put to the vote and was CARRIED (TWENTY FIVE voted FOR, TWENTY FOUR voted AGAINST and TWO ABSTAINED from voting). 

RESOLVED that:-

(i) in accordance with the provisions of section 15 of the Local Government and Housing Act 1989 the number of seats, Group representation and membership of the Governance and Audit Committee, Licensing Committee, Local Plan Committee, Planning Committee, Policy Review Panel and Scrutiny Panel (including the Crime and Disorder Committee) for the ensuing municipal year be as set out in the Supplementary Information for the meeting.

(ii) in accordance with the provisions of section 17 of the Local Government and Housing Act 1989 the appointments to Task and Finish Groups not be on a group basis and be as set out in the Supplementary Information for the meeting.

(iii) that the membership of the Independent Remuneration Panel be as set out in the Supplementary Information for the meeting. 

RESOLVED that the Council recorded its grateful thanks to former Councillors Chaplin, D. Ellis, Feltham, Graham, Scott, J. Scott-Boutell and Smith for the public service rendered by them to this Borough and that a transcript of this resolution be furnished to them under the Common Seal of the Borough as a permanent record of the appreciation of the Council. 

The Reverend Hannah Cooper opened the meeting with Prayers.

The Retiring Mayor chaired the meeting for the items at minutes 251-253.

Apologies were received from Councillors Bourne and Scott-Boutell for the Mayor Making ceremony only.

Apologies were also received from Honorary Aldermen Bober, Cooke, Fairhead, Green, Holt, Kimberley, Sykes, Trusler and Wheeler.