Agenda item - Mayor's Communications.

97.1               The Mayor I stated that he was sure that all Members would join him in offering the council’s condolences to Councillor Carden on the recent loss of his wife Merle, who had been a wonderful Mayoress during Councillor Carden’s time as Mayor; and it is with this in mind that he wished to ask councillors to stand to hold a minute’s silence in memory of Merle.”

               A minute’s silence was then held.

97.2               The Mayor stated that he was pleased to announce that Brighton & Hove City Council had achieved the gold standard after signing up to a WWF pledge to ensure all the wood and timber products purchased were from legally felled timber within well managed forests. The Council received top marks when it signed up to the gold pledge for wood procurement as part of the WWF ‘What Wood You Choose?’ campaign in January 2012.  The council was only the second authority in the United Kingdom to have been awarded the WWF UK gold pledge certificate, and he invited Catherine Vaughan, Director of Finance and Councillor Littman, Deputy Chair of Policy & Finance Committee to come forward to receive the award.

97.3               The Mayor informed the council that he had recently received a party from the British Red Cross who had held their annual assembly at the Brighton Centre, and he was pleased to say that the feedback from them on how well staff and the centre had accommodated the conference had been excellent and so much so that they had booked to return for the next two years.

97.1               The Mayor noted that he had been invited to speak at a conference in Finland on Future Cities and that the Dome Foyer was now being used for a number of events.  He also noted that the Mayor of Dieppe was due to attend the Children’s Parade and walk in the parade as part of the opening on the Brighton Festival.