Transcript

Mr. Chair, thank you, Councillors, please be seated. I welcome Councillors, as well as those people watching the broadcast, for the annual meeting of Office of Digital Council, a name also in those commended about the day of the day. Please, can I remind all members, the police, which on their mark, if I'm on this, I don't like it to speak, I just would give up again when they are finished. I'm going to open the meeting with just a few words about my dear, Councillor interjecting as I stand down from the chair and hand over to whatever you vote in the evening. I would just like to say that I've had a very enjoyable year, I've made a lot of interesting people and hopefully made new friends. I do imagine I've had help from out the year from many people, too many to mention. So, thank you to HR, people, IT, environment, this Chamber, members, for their support. My whole colleague, Councillor, I'm brief, but he's supporting the world whilst I haven't been able to attain it, I'm taking on extra work. I would also like to say a special thank you to Susan Kimster and Melanie McGuire for the backup on prompting keeping the chair's diary and making sure I was in the right place at the right time. A great support team that made it all work, like Lockwood, and lovely to my wife and the consul, Angie, who is sitting in the back there somewhere. Just a few statistics of my year-in-of-this, I've represented that also to the District Council of 41 external or internal events to help people write money for charity throughout Essex and beyond. I could have been 42 as in June there is an invitation to attend Buckingham Palace for a garden party. However, as has become the tradition under the current administration, I will forego this and pass the invitation on to a well-deserving member of staff who has gone that extra mile for the residents of the District. I have about six other fund-rising events for my charities, the Pure Ocean Drive and Utlesford Domenica, Agon Alliance, looked after by UK. Total rates, I would now like to hand over this year, I've actually raised 4,859 pounds and 41 pounds. So, if a charity is represented here by Steve Fishpole from Acuro and Clive Emmett from the UK, if you could please both come forward, I will give you the checks. Thank you. What I will say is that we want to please be not put the check for you, but it has got the money. That's all I want to say about my year. So, we will move on now to the election of Chair. So, I now call for nominations in order to elect our new Chair of the Council, Councillor Raskin. Thank you, Chair. I would like to nominate Councillor Martin Fovee as your replacement for years 24-25. Thank you, Councillor ASELL. Do we have a seconder? Councillor? Councillor Planewell, thank you. Are there any more proposals, anybody else feel like they want to spend? In that case, then, I will put this for the vote, unless otherwise asked, I will just have a child of hand, all those who are please show, all those against, any abstentions. In that case, Councillor Foley, you will now the Chair of ASELL, so there are some formalities I'm afraid you've got to undergo. Thank you. I, Martin Fovee, have been elected as Chair of ASELL to District Council, declare that I take office upon myself and will duly and faithfully fulfill the duties of it according to the best of my judgment and ability. I undertake to observe the code of conduct which is expected of members of this District Council. Thank you. I think at this point I'd like to do what about my previous answer if I may. I think Councillor Driscoll has been an absolutely excellent Chairman of this Council and has given us clear direction, particularly during the little dramas that we have sometimes. Councillor Driscoll, we'd often be happy to say during a little dialogue from us Councillors, yes. Could we have that and play in this please? Well, I will say this and play in English, yes. Thank you and I wish you good luck and good fortune for the future or as we say in Scottish and language and language, I would like to give you this as a Chairman of that Chairman of the Council, thank you. And as is traditional, at the moment we get to unveil the new portrait to go on the wall. Can I ask for a little read if you will. Members and Chair and Ex-Chair, as Councillor Driscoll's fellow, sorry, that's about again, Councillor Driscoll just lead you to companion ward Councillor, I'm beholden to articulate in a particular really popular manner, how he had tared the Council with such delicate voice and graceful command of the Chamber, a particular merit worthiness I would like to facilitate and give a big cigar for conducting his civic responsibilities with exceptional seriousness and with unaccustomed and admirable sobriety, with a highlight being his velocity in the middle, around relation of the locality, or as Jeff would have liked this message, thank you. No, are there any nominations for the position of Christ Chair, six nominations, please, and seconder. Okay, I've been periodically in this Chamber and I keep paying it, but I would really like us to be very careful to be a beacon of light to other district councils of working conveniently, but I'm going to keep that word going Council's regulation all day, conveniently and collaboratively, but if benefited the residents, however, I can understand here and say it, but I can't make people do this, I can't ask people, I can ask people to play nicely, but only I can ask. What you have to do, isn't it, is lead by example. Some of the lead by example, and going through the records, this is the first time a political administration has nominated somebody from the largest opposition group, they have been opposition groups before, they're the largest, so I'd like to nominate, if I may, Councillor Chrisierly, it goes against the grain in the fact that he's young, because numerally, they say share to be longevity and experience, but actually, in the Chamber, you need to be vibrant, be able to see what's going on, and understand them, but you know recollect, no reflection on you, perhaps it's difficult, or you have to go alone, I'll go along with you. So there is the difference in that as well, and I think that Council Chrisierly has shown himself to be honourable in religion, I'd like to say yours agrees, but as you all know, I don't care for lying, so he doesn't agree always, and says robustly challenged where leads to be. And in scrutiny, particularly particularly, one of the things I like, is it all shows that he's read the papers, and asked very probing questions to indicate that, which shows good diligence, and also co-chairing the task and finish group with Councillor Paul recently, was fair, thorough, diligent. So I think that he's made an excellent voice by Chair, and hopefully moving on to Chair, and Councillor Chrisierly has told me that he believes in the acceptance of the apolitical position of Chair, and I believe in. And so because I believe in, I would like to nominate Councillor Chrisierly. Thank you. Do you have a seconder? Thank you, Councillor Gray-Ray. May I speak to the seconding this? Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. I'd like to second Councillor Chrisierly. With the sole acceptance, I think, of Miss Miss Chrisierly and his mum, and his greatest living fan, even outstanding politician, he has an enormous grasp of the theatre of full Council, and the ability to put people on spot. But a couple beyond that, I've had the enormous privilege of serving within five years on scrutiny, and he has become what I would describe as one of the ocean guides, if we have a problem. I know that if I ask Councillor Chrisierly to involve him serving something, it will be done physically, it will be done objectively, and it will be done with absolute fairness. To be able to balance those two things, having a skewed political mind, and to be able to make the robust political points when it's appropriate, and at the same time, be able to put those on one side when one needs to investigate serious issues and matters, and comes to conclusions, is an extraordinarily rare skill, and I commend him for that. They are, of course, the skills that I would suggest are essential in both the chair and the right chair, so I'm utterly delighted that in a second the proposal. Councillor interjecting. So, now I'd like to go straight to the vote. All in favour of Mr Councillor— Councillor interjecting. I'm looking forward, Councillor CASSIDY only, but hearing the words of Edmund Burke once again, I think one of your first meetings that when you elected, we retreated to that, so who knows when you're in the chair, we might again. I've slightly disappointed, in that one sense, Councillor CASSIDY, only, that I was hoping, given, as Councillor Lee just said, your age, that you were going to be in the long haul for at least 50 years. It seems I may be disappointed in that, but I hope that you will enjoy your time as Vice Chair. Thank you very much. Councillor interjecting. Councillor interjecting. Did Councillor Part 1 to say if you would? No, sorry. I can now take it straight to the vote, then. All in favour? Any thanks? Any note? That's a good note. Councillor CASSIDY, would you like to talk to the Councillor? Councillor interjecting. I, Chris Chrissione, having been elected to the Office of Vice Chair of the Useless Food District Council declare that I take that office upon myself and will duly and faithfully be fooled for duties, public, according to the best of my judgement and ability. I undertake to observe the code as to the conduct which is expected of members of the two council. Well done. I would just like to do work because we're going to carry on with my duties. Nationally and even sometimes locally, democracy is not perfect, but it's the best we have and certainly better than the alternatives that I've seen. We only need to look around the world today and see what happens when talked by past democracy and democratic principles. In places like New Train, no fighting for the very existence and in the Middle East where the other is no demonised on both sides to the extent that humanity has been lost and on the way. Even here, we are now being warned. Councillors, you had left about some time ago to take great care when you're doing your surgeries and guidelines have been issued to all of us following the awful murder of the excellent constituents. Just a couple of years ago and before that, the campaigning joke call was more of the violent extremists. Bill Cox once said, We are more united and have more in common with each other than which divides us. We're remembering that when we get excited about things. My best wishes to you all and thank you for electing me as chair. I much prefer doing it here than I did in the early days when I had to do it before from my kitchen alone without any prompting. I have to tell you no. It was scary biscuits. We got to and after a bit of drama that we had with the idea at the beginning as well. We did get very British, much nicer being here looking at you all and 16. I know that drama is an argument with these little things that we'll have ahead of us. Just like to see a couple of quick other things, I'd like to say well done to John Moran for two things I can think of right now for getting married just the other week. As I said, he's made an honest man of you. We don't mind me saying, John, I understand you've been elected as a leader of your group here at Oxford Council. I'd like to say a big thank you all to Councillor Bonne for having all the time doing it. We haven't always treated everything, have we? I think I've always appreciated our grasp of what's going on. Thank you, Councillor Collins. Welcome, Mr. Leader of the Conservative Group. There's a good way to start, the new term. Is there anything else to say at this point before I move on? Oh, yeah. That's important. This would be a good time to do it. Earlier today, you may have seen us taking some photographs. My charity for this year, I'm very pleased to say, will be up a bit fine. I know that it's a thing that you'll all be hopefully back in. We'll do it here and in fact, in another place, Councillor BARK and myself are looking at ways to raise money for it as well, for our locality fund. But I tell you now, they do need the money and I'd like to work. Who's going to do it? Is it Jeremy or Katie? Katie, we'd like to just come for a few minutes up here and just do it, or would you like to do it? You can do it from there with the microphone if you like, or you can come here. Okay. Just to say a few words about the food bar. Thanks, Councillor Freddie. Good evening, Councillors and thank you for inviting me here tonight. My name is Katie. I run a full food bank. You may have known my food as best as Sophie Durlough. I've had you sit down after seven years of incredible hard work at the beginning of this year. Perhaps with Paula Delaise, because we had some slight technical issues. I did have a very, very brief PowerPoint presentation that was just highlighting a few of the facts figures and information about the food bank. So I'm going to have to vocalise that instead. I believe that Jann is going to share those in these minutes. So you will all get access to them. So I do apologise the fact that you're going to have to listen to my voice a little bit more than I was intending on your days. I will keep it brief, though. So I'm here for two reasons. Number one, I am here to convey my appreciation and thanks to Councillor Faye for choosing a full food bank here's chosen charity for the year. I'm also using this as an opportunity to thank all of you, and many of you that have already supported us either by providing us with some much needed funds from your board member initiative grants, by awarding a pass of grants to those that are in cabinet members and also, and I don't say this lightly, but listening to us, many of you will have seen the e-mails from Dead Addison, who is our Campaigns and Advocacy Manager and David Gooroo. So you've listened, we've watched, you're talking about it, you're advocating for our clients both in the community and in council chambers, and I can't stress how important that is, particularly in a district which is perceived by many to be affluent and perceived by many not to have a problem with poverty. The more people talk about it, the more people realise what the issues are. Briefly to those of you who do not know what the food bank does, and I'm sure that is incredibly few of you, we all want to go over a 1,300 strong network of food banks from Sweden. We've run by the trust of trust, but we are supported by the public trust. We provide support in the form of food and the central household products and toiletries to the residents of us, but we find that there are lots of prices and trying to survive whilst and excuse our importantly, chronic poverty. I'm just going to feel out a few numbers here, which as I said, I hope we're going to be over there, but just to give it, put things into context on how we're struggling at the moment as an organisation. The support that we've provided this very previous year, the 23, 24 years, we've provided just short of 1,800 food parcels. A parcel is a full parcel as you may perceive it to be, that's anything up to 12 bags of support. That is a 15% increase from the previous year, and more astonishingly, that's a 650% increase from the 19, 20 year free pandemic. We have supported nearly 5,000 individuals and nearly 50% of those individuals for children under the age of 18. There are many reasons why people come to us and I'll go into some very brief specifics in a moment, but the majority of those coming to us are struggling because the cost is living. They're struggling because of priority debt, both debts that they have to pay or else they don't have a roof over their heads, food on the table or heating, or the impact of most mental and physical health conditions. As I said, plenty more reasons. I just want to take a moment to keep an eye back by us because sometimes if I count myself in this, it's very easy to forget that there's people behind the numbers. There are many, as I mentioned before, reasons why people come to us, but just grabbing a few examples, and these people that have come to us in the previous 12 months, these are real stories. The mother is in temporary accommodation with her children after playing domestic violence. The single parent who has just had a cancer diagnosis and cannot work. The pensioner who has just been scammed out of all of their life savings and cannot afford to put food on their table. The young person unable to work and awaiting treatments for their mental health condition, and the household who thinks him has plummeted due to redundancy and awaiting their first benefit payment. I think that really reflects the circumstances and the situation that people are finding themselves in the current climate wave, NHS waiting list, delays in benefit processing, etc, etc. These are people that are living in your wards. These are people that are living in our footsteps. But it's not all bad news. We're still here. We're responding to every single referral that we receive. We intend an aim to respond to the referrals and our fight needs within 24 hours, more often than not on the same day. We've got increased collaboration with our partners, both our referral partners in, referral out. So we are providing more and more of that wraparound support and ensuring that that wraparound support is there for our clients. So they can improve their circumstances. We don't want to see people repeatedly, but unfortunately, we do, particularly at the moment. Our raid, along with our partners, is to support people out of crisis and not further into it. We have our financial inclusion service supported by Citizen's Advice, who, again, are aiming to relieve people of their long-term debts and, again, support them out of crisis. We have our district-wide community cook clubs. They're really making a massive difference across particularly families in efforts. But I'm just going to briefly say one of the quotes that we received regarding our cook clubs, which is coming here to give them the confidence to completely change the way we eat. You have really changed our lives. Thank you. And that is one of the many that we've received. And you're listening to it. As I said before, that's good news. I'm here talking to you. Councillor Foula has given me the opportunity to speak to you tonight, and that is good news in itself. And finally, we along cyclical trust for campaigning to change to the top level. We're particularly campaigning for the moment so that people on the universal product can at least afford the essentials in life. And campaigning, along with the work that we do on a day-to-day basis, we're hoping, as we say, that over, I can probably say, over in the window there, we're trying to create a fair and better future for everybody, not just living enough of us, but nationwide. So thank you very much for the opportunity. Thank you again, Councillor Foula for choosing us this year. And thank you. And thank you all of the volunteers that are coming along at the back row as well. And thank you very much for all the work that you do. I've been to the food tea from the plate recently, and it was very, very instructive. As I'm the head cook and bottle water in the house, I learned a few things. My wife says, I'm cooking better. So there we are. I would just like to... I wonder if one opportunity that we have as members of the World Initiative with World Initiative, you're able to do, as you know, whatever you feel lightly to. I'm going to give my entire World Initiative to the food bank. I can see that this is such an important, and I've looked into the financial situation. So just now, are you going to drop off? How would you do it? Do you drop the offices and not pick up on the line? Yeah. By the names later, I wonder if you're getting under there or something, but you maybe... I'll just come over here to get under there. And in the bag, it's completely up to you and you'll feel under any pressure whatsoever. But with the World Initiative, if I can ask, if you can think about it, it's already filled in, without your name one, and without your signature. But if you want to fill it in, get fill it in and give it back here today. And whether it's 50 pounds or 500 or 2000, whatever you want to do, everything will be volumeally, will be volume-bound and be well-received. This is something that I know we can make it different with immediately. Now, I've been given a special representation as well. I've gotten to the band. I'm able to do this. I want to fill it here with everybody. I haven't checked with everybody. But as we get the money in, it can go every month to, rather than build up, like we normally do, because it's got the details of the food bank already on there. So, we make an immediate impact on what is a very difficult situation financially for them at the moment, as it thinks about out. So, that's all I'm going to say for that at the moment. And, counselor, as he gets to the end here, Christiani is going to just say a word on that note. We'll get the rest of you at the moment. Thanks, thank you. I'm conscious. Let me start by saying that I did not know that that was coming. The rebutes, I felt like I died. But at the same time, it was incredibly moving to hear it from colleagues. So, thank you very much. I am conscious that the vice chair of this council gets their responsibility allowance. I think about £2,290 and pens. I am going to walk out that in favour of the bank. Thank you very much. So, I have apologies, but I'm going to move on to the next slide. Sorry, I can't move on to it. Before the next year, you had a wash-up council in April. We now think of a wash-up council every April, because I think just as to the administrators' burdens, I don't know if there's any reason for it, because we have a very short meeting tonight, but a short meeting in April, a short meeting in May. And I just wondered if, constituting this look at the normal council election year, I'm getting rid of that extra April meeting again, and just doing the business in May? I think that's a fair point, Councillor BAC and all I'd say is we'll look at it and get by to it. Any apologies for asking? I'll move on to that. All right, Councillor BAC, no. And Taylor, and Luck, and anybody else? Right. Well, thank you for that, and let's say thank you for that. Let's try again. Thank you for that. And let's say if you want to fill it in, now, by all means, give it to the ban at the end of the meeting. Maybe start at the meeting afternoon. Right. Remember, the next item is to approve the minutes of the meeting hall in April 2024. As a record, as a correct record. Is it members wish that we approve the minutes of the correct record? Approved? No dissension? Yeah, I've got a number, right? So the next item in the agenda is the political balance for 24/25. We have a recommendation to approve the political balance. I'm sure you've all read the report and given your recommendations and compare it to political leaders. I'd like to seek a proposal and seconder for recommendations that are on the report. So we have a proposal. Thank you. And a second then. Thank you. So that's the second. We're going to go through this pretty quick now. Oh, sorry. Our votes is needed there. Can we just have all hands up, please? And that's fine. Thank you very much. The next item was to appoint members of committees of council in accordance with the political balance calculation, which has been, I just pretty agree, nominations are set at the agenda in respect to committee, substitute members, chair and vice chair. We're going to have a proposal in a second that plays proposed by the council for the second, second, second, second, second. Thank you. There shouldn't be a contest, I'm going to do some more, isn't it? I'm not. Civil, I'm so sorry. It gives, take that all in favor. Thank you. Yes? The next item is to appoint members of working groups of the council, nominations of the agenda. Please, can we have a proposal and seconder? Chancellor Reeve, seconder? Chancellor Kurtz, our votes is needed, all these in favor? All these against? The final appointment of the evening is to appoint a successful member, just an substitute, or to the ethics, please, crime, and far panel. Councillor Sutton must be nominated as a substantive member. Councillor Gregory has been nominated as a Director of the substitute. Please, can we have a proposal and a seconder, proposal, Councillor Lise, and Councillor Drissville, the seconder? And I invite the Leader to also answer the votes. Please, all in favor? Councillors, thank you. Much easier in my kitchen, I see what I think. I invite the Leader to make announcements about matters not already on the agenda. Thank you. Thank you, Chair. I'm pleased to share about me that my covenant and I have asked the Labor Department Association to arrange one of their new corporate peer challenges to come in later in the year and have an objective look at how we are responding on a strategic level locally to the vast array of challenges facing local authorities, particularly considering, as we all agree, the public service of austerity. I'm particularly pleased, actually, that this new peer review regime is much more rigorous and objective than previously, because the old one we had six or seven years ago, considering what we've disposed with over time of late, I personally not too sure that it's worth the paper that we've written on. We are determined to use this new objective review to, I can read the writing in a minute, to, as quality as our work, and give us constructive feedback. And to prove that point, unusually, which I think is common for us that it's not really unusually as it, is we have informed the Labor Government's appreciation that we would welcome somebody from a different political display than come and do this assessment. And the reason for that, there can be absolutely then no reception of political favoritism. Just so you all know, everybody will be involved in the review, and I will share that date as soon as we have it on offer. We anticipate, I'm sure everybody here, generally, Nixon. So I think it will probably be after that nearer to Christmas, but we will be informed as a date chair when we have assuredly what the Labor base is. Thank you, David. Any questions? No? It's moving on. Masters, referred to the Executive from Council Committee, this has been no matter notified to me from the Executive or Council Committee's got this meeting. Masters received about joint arrangements, external organisations. There's been no matter, I've been notified to me about joint arrangements from external organisations, which brings me at 20-8 to close the meeting. Thank you very much. [BLANK_AUDIO]