Agenda item - Election of the Mayor of Brighton and Hove for the Municipal Year 2016/17

The Mayor will seek nominations for the appointment of the new Mayor for 2016/17.

3.1.           The Mayor invited nominations for the position of Mayor of Brighton & Hove for the municipal year 2016/17

3.2.           Councillor Pete West was proposed by Councillor Mac Cafferty and seconded by Councillor Deane.

3.3.           Councillors Morgan and G. Theobald supported the nomination of Councillor West as Mayor for 2016/17 on behalf of the Labour & Co-operative and Conservative Groups respectively.

3.4.           The Mayor declared that, there being no other nominations, Councillor Pete West be duly elected Mayor of Brighton & Hove for the forthcoming municipal year. 

3.5.           The motion was agreed.

3.6.           The Mayor then adjourned the meeting at 5.05pm in order for Councillor West as the incoming Mayor to be robed and to take the Chair for the meeting.

Councillor West in the Chair

3.7.           Councillor West reconvened the meeting at 5.15pm and then made and signed his Declaration of Acceptance of Office.

3.8.           The Mayor then thanked the Council for his appointment and stated he wished to begin by thanking everyone for being here; many of whom would not have been in the chamber before.  It was a beautiful and special space, filled with a long history of heartfelt words that had helped shape our city.  He hoped everyone felt welcome and was enjoying the occasion.

3.9.           He was so pleased that many of his family and friends had been able to come along, and felt extremely honoured that they had all put themselves out to be here.  Most of his fifty-three fellow councillors were present and he was pleased to introduce them to Geraldine, his partner, the Mayoress and to their children Eoin, Clodagh and Tiarnan.

3.10.        He was pleased Lyn his sister and her husband Eamon were here too along with most of their children and their partners; and also all his friends and colleagues from over many years.  He was so glad they could be here to enjoy today.  By happy coincidence he noted that this year also marked the 20th anniversary of his first election by the people of St Peter’s Ward, now St Peter’s & North Laine.  To be made Mayor in this year made him doubly proud. He stated that he could truly say it had been a privilege and honour to serve his electorate and the city too.  He was really honoured that colleague councillors were entrusting him with the Mayoralty. 

3.11.        He noted that the day he was first elected it poured all day long and kept voters away from polling stations which meant he and others has to go out and encourage people to go and vote.  He would never forget what that was like, running up Ditchling Rise, appearing on doorsteps like a drowned rat; the grime of six weeks on the hoof washing black out of his suit as he went.  However, he was pleased to say many donned their jackets immediately and made off in the rain. They queued out of the doors that night and the polls shut late so they could all take part.  He had never forgotten that night and whenever he wondered why he did this job, he thought of that and knew why.

3.12.        The Mayor then noted that this year had been the first time a Deputy Mayor in Brighton & Hove had held their position in the year before their Mayoral year; whereas previously the outgoing Mayor was made Deputy.  He stated that doing it this way round had been a really great experience, as it has given him a feeling for the role and this had lessened the sense, as other Mayors had found, of it being a bit of jump in the deep end.  Throughout the past year he had been happy to assist by covering events that the Mayor was unable to attend, and this had given him a proper taste of what is to come and helped develop his thoughts on how he may wish to approach his mayoral term.  He had received tremendous support from a number of people, which he very much appreciated.  He wished to thank all those who had supported him; colleagues, family and friends, especially Geraldine and their children.  The Lord Lieutenant of East Sussex, Peter Field, and his wife Margaret, had shown him great warmth and as the Mayoral and Lord Lieutenant’s offices become more integrated he was looking forward to the opportunity to work more closely with Peter on shared initiatives. He also wanted to thank the Civic Manager, Martin Warren, for his friendly and reassuring approach.  He was aware that Martin felt he was still getting to know his role too, so looked forward to sharing a sense of exploration with him over the coming months.

3.13.        The Mayor stated that he hadn’t seen a great deal of Lynda, as she had been very busy meeting her 600+ mayoral engagements, but whenever their paths crossed he had been impressed that despite the demands on her time she had always been full of sparkle and drive; enthusing about all the wonderful people she was meeting and the great things they were doing.  He thought Lynda had been a brilliant Mayor and although it was often said, believed she would be a truly hard act to follow.

3.14.        The Mayor then stated that he would also like to thank his hosts at the engagements he had attended; whether sombre or jolly occasions, everyone had greeted him so warmly and really put him at ease, which made such a difference.  He was glad to say he had been able to attend nearly all of his engagements either arriving by bike or on foot.  He felt this had sent a positive message about cycling and walking as a healthy and affordable way to get around the city.  He was conscious he would have to work hard to resist the offer of cake and biscuits on visits, so was especially keen to carry-on pedalling to events where possible to help keep the mayoral tum in trim.

3.15.        Of course most events will call for full regalia and some for the Mayoral robes so I will have to hop into the car on those occasions, but where I can I’m hoping to cycle as much as possible.

3.16.        The Mayor sated that he had decided to adopt the theme of an “Active Life” for his year; as he was soon to turn 52 and was awake to the fact that we all do well to look after ourselves, and this was of course relevant across all ages.  He was very keen to help promote public health messages encouraging active and healthy lives, and hoped this would resonate with many of the organisations he would be working with. 

3.17.        The Mayor noted that with a lot of family commitments; his family were all very positive about the year ahead and he was really looking forward to including Geraldine and the kids in activities as much as possible.  It would undoubtedly be a challenge for them to balance his role and their family life, but they were pretty resourceful people, and used to being busy.  They would of course need a little help from time to time and he was grateful to those who had foreseen this and offered their support.

3.18.        The Mayor then noted that every year a large number of charities apply to be adopted by the Mayor as the ‘Mayor's Charities’.  Under the approach taken to date only a handful of those charities could be adopted.  He knew that had been very frustrating for those charities that did not get selected and he knew former Mayors had often found choosing some charities above others very difficult.  So, he intended to try something a bit different this year, which would allow a greater number and breadth of charities to benefit from association with the Mayor.  Instead of adopting three or four charities that he would then support by helping to organise special fundraising events, he was instead choosing to adopt 27 charities that would each be able to use the mayoral brand to promote events they organised.  This was quite a change, but was not a leap in the dark, as this was the approach taken by the Lord Lt, who had a record of using it to good effect.  He was pleased that the broadened selection of charities he would be working with had all responded with enthusiasm to the fresh opportunity this presented for them.

3.19.        The Mayor stated that the one thing he had come to realise this year was just how much public support there was for the Mayor.  Whilst this created great interest, and the Mayor’s presence at events was much appreciated by those attending, he did not think the good news about the work of these wonderful organisations was reaching as many as it could.  Social media offered a real opportunity to extend the mayoral reach and helped to make new connections; bringing recognition and active support to organisations.  The mayor already had a Twitter presence, and he intended to use Facebook too.  A picture and a few words about the good people he encountered would hopefully attract a growing following.

3.20.        Finally, the Mayor stated that he was really looking forward to being out and about, supporting communities, charities and council initiatives.  The city was blessed with so many talented and committed people and it would be his immense privilege to do his bit to help them in their endeavour.  As he saw it, the Mayor’s job was not about him, it was all about them, and he hoped with the continued support and encouragement of friends, family and colleagues to do his level best as Mayor to make the most of this year for everyone in the city.