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Council - Wednesday, 27 May 2026 - 7.30 pm
May 27, 2026 at 7:30 pm Council View on council website Watch video of meeting Read transcript (Professional subscription required)Summary
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The Havering Council annual meeting saw the election of Councillor Maggie Themistocli as the new Mayor and Councillor Keith Prince as the Leader of the Council. A significant portion of the meeting was dedicated to appointing members to various committees and as Member Champions, reflecting the council's new political composition.
Election of Mayor and Leader
Councillor Maggie Themistocli was elected as the Mayor of Havering for the municipal year 2026/27, securing 41 votes against Councillor Barry Mugglestone's 11, with three abstentions. Following this, Councillor Keith Prince was elected as the Leader of the Council for the 2026-2030 term, with 43 votes in favour, one against, and 11 abstentions. Councillor Prince announced his new cabinet members, including Deputy Leader Sue Benjamins, and portfolio holders for adults and healthcare, children, customer services, highways, housing allocation, planning and public protection, regeneration, and public realm.
Committee Appointments
The council agreed to its committee structures and schemes of delegation for the upcoming municipal year. Following a motion to amend a nomination, members were appointed as Chairmen and Vice-Chairmen to various committees, including Audit, Governance, Licensing, Pensions, Planning, Strategic Planning, Overview and Scrutiny Board, People Overview and Scrutiny Sub-Committee, Places Overview and Scrutiny Sub-Committee, and the Appointments Sub-Committee. Several positions were contested, with votes cast to determine the successful candidates.
Member Champions Appointed
The council agreed to the creation of four additional Member Champion categories: Anti-knife Crime, Disabilities, Veterans, and Wildlife. Following nominations and votes, Councillor Terry Brown was appointed Champion for Anti-knife Crime, Councillor Della Morton for Disabilities and Equalities & Diversity, Councillor Luke Barry for Veterans, and Councillor Kevin Ayres for Wildlife. Other appointed Member Champions include Councillor Alex Donald for Armed Forces, Councillor Martynas Cekavicius for Historic Environment, Councillor Liz Tyler for Over 50s, Councillor Angelica Ola for the Voluntary Sector, and Councillor Khuram Amin for Young People.
Leader's Statement
Councillor Keith Prince, the newly elected Leader of the Council, delivered a statement outlining his vision for Havering. He emphasised a commitment to honesty, transparency, and decency, promising a 100-day plan and longer-term ambitions for the borough. Councillor Prince stated that the administration would focus on getting Havering back on track
and would not pursue leaving the Greater London Authority, citing a lack of a well-researched proposal with clear benefits for residents. He also expressed a desire to make Havering cleaner, safer, greener, leaner.
Delegated decisions linked to this meeting
Decision summaries below are AI-generated from the council’s published record. Check the council source or the full decision page before relying on them.
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APPOINTMENT OF THE LEADER OF THE COUNCIL 2026/30
Recommendations ApprovedThe Council of Havering Council decided on 27/05/2026 to approve recommendations. Councillor Keith Prince was elected as Leader of the Council for the 2026/2030 term.
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APPOINTMENT OF THE MEMBER CHAMPIONS
Recommendations ApprovedCouncil decided on 27/05/2026 to approve recommendations for the appointment of Member Champions. Councillor Terry Brown was appointed Anti-knife Crime Champion, Councillor Alex Donald was appointed Armed Forces Champion, Councillor Della Morton was appointed Disabilities Champion and Equality & Diversity Champion, Councillor Martynas Cekavicius was appointed Historic Environment Champion, Councillor Liz Tyler was appointed Over 50s Champion, Councillor Luke Barry was appointed Veterans Champion, Councillor Angelica Ola was appointed Voluntary Sector Champion, Councillor Kevin Ayres was appointed Wildlife Champion, and Councillor Khuram Amin was appointed Young People Champion.
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APPOINTMENT OF THE CHAIRMEN AND VICE-CHAIRMEN OF COMMITTEES
Recommendations ApprovedCouncil appointed members to committee chair and vice-chair positions on 27/05/2026. A motion to amend the nomination for Vice-Chairman of Governance Committee was agreed. The Council approved the appointment of Chairmen and Vice-Chairmen for various committees.
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MINUTES
Recommendations ApprovedThe Council of Havering Council approved the minutes of the meeting held on 18 March 2026. The Council also approved revised Contract Procedure Rules, changes to the Constitution, and the Pay Policy Statement 2026/27. Additionally, the Council agreed to note a report on exceptions to the scrutiny call-in procedure.
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MAYORALTY 2026/27
Recommendations ApprovedThe Council of Havering Council elected Councillor Maggie Themistocli as Mayor for the municipal year 2026/27 on 27 May 2026. Councillor Themistocli received 41 votes, Councillor Barry Mugglestone received 11 votes, and there were 3 abstentions.
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APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE
Recommendations ApprovedThe Council of Havering Council noted there were no apologies for absence on 27/05/2026.
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APPOINTING THE COMMITTEES OF THE COUNCIL AND THE SCHEME OF DELEGATION
Recommendations ApprovedThe Council of Havering Council decided to approve recommendations regarding the appointment of committees and the scheme of delegation on 27/05/2026. The Council agreed to appoint committees for the 2026/27 Municipal Year, confirm non-elected member appointments, and agree the delegation of non-executive functions to officers.
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