Minutes:
Leader of the Council
“Thank you Mr. Chairman, I think Members are aware of the new agenda here, where Cabinet reports on portfolio activity at item 9, but I do have some announcements on behalf of the Council.
The first one is that I’d like to formally announce that I’m going to set up a Veterans and Service Personnel Commission, with immediate effect, for this Council to investigate all opportunities for it to do as much as it can, for those members of the armed forces serving and retired.
To see that we can pull together all the different strategies and policies of the Council, and make sure that they’re all in one place, so that it’s very, very clear that we go above and beyond the armed forces covenant that we have agreed to and do everything that we can in this District to do the best by those people who have served on behalf of the country.
I’ve asked Councillor Gascoigne if he would Chair that Commission and over the coming weeks and months that will be staffed by the Scrutiny Team so that they can form part of proper recommendations to Cabinet. Councillor Gascoigne will be choosing members of that Commission from outside of the Council to get expertise in and we’ve spoke to people with relevant experience who run charitable bodies etc. already to help feed in to that.
So I’d like to make that announcement. I’m delighted that Councillor Gascoigne with his proud service record actually on behalf of the country has agreed to take on that piece of work. I think it’s very, very good.
Secondly and lastly, Members may not be aware but this will be Beth Brown’s last full Council meeting today. She is going off to….I don’t want to say a better place! She’s going off to Nottingham City, so it’s different. I’m not sure it’s better. I think she’s got a better job and a great opportunity but I think we’ll be sad to see her and her skills leave Ashfield District after the number of years she’s been here.
So on behalf of the Administration I’d like to say a big thank you, and Beth, from us….we’d like you to come forward please and take these flowers.
In addition to that, I’d also like to say that it would ordinarily have been Carol Cooper-Smith’s last full Council meeting. She has served as Interim Director for a long time and done an incredible piece of work here. She goes off for a small vacation very soon but we’re not going to say goodbye to Carol at this stage and I’m not quite ready to say why not, but it’s not goodbye, it’s just au-revoir for a couple of weeks. So, thank you Carol for this bit and we’ll see you very, very soon. Thank you Mr. Chairman.”
Portfolio Holder for Regulatory Services
“Thank you Chairman for allowing me to talk on this subject today before us. May I first of all congratulate Theresa Hodgkinson on her promotion to the Director of, of Places and Communities. A very deserved appointment after many years working in this Department. I would also like to put on my record my sincere thanks to Carol for all her help that she given me in the short time I’ve been one of her portfolio holders and she had four actually…and as I say she’s been the Director for the past two years and we all wish her well with whatever she comes up with.”