Transcript

Susan Papadopoulos and V goin un, hello, hello everyone, oh that's a bit loud, could you all take your seats please, we're going to begin very shortly. Mark Bowman, please take your seats. I know we're in an unusual venue, but please take your seats. My chaplain, Father Patrick, is going to say the prayers for the last time. We'll begin our prayer in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. O God, we come before you with gratitude, and we thank you for the service and education of our outgoing mayor, Yvonne Johnson. May she be filled with peace and contentment. We also pray for our incoming mayor, Antoni Kelly. We pray that you give him wisdom and grace. Let him always act with honesty and integrity in all situations, and make him a true servant leader. We pray for our gathering this evening. May the Lord grant us wisdom and guidance in all that we do this evening. We pray for all the counselors here. May you always see your responsibilities as opportunity to make a positive difference. May every decision of yours be for the benefit of the people you present and serve. May you always act with love for the common good. And may Almighty God bless you and all of us. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Thank you very much. I know you've got a Zoom meeting, Father Patrick, so if you have to dash it off. Thank you very much. Thank you. Thank you. Right, good evening to everybody. The first item of business is the election of the mayor for 2025 to 2026. I believe Councillor Mfouz is the first to move and speak. Good evening, Madam Mayor. It gives me great pleasure and pride to propose my good friend, Councillor Anthony Kelly, to be our next mayor here in Ealing. And also pay tribute to Yvonne Johnson, who has been an amazing force of nature as mayor of Ealing over the past year. When I heard that I was going to be involved in the election of a fellow Catholic to high office, locked in a room with esteemed colleagues, waiting for white smoke and a man in robes to come out and preach to the masses, I jumped at the chance to propose the next pontiff. Sorry, some of you may call him mayor instead. But on the subject of titles, I haven't quite had the chance to discuss with Councillor Kelly what name he'll be choosing to be known as for the forthcoming year. But I'm sure the conclave here will have plenty of suggestions. Now, when it came to writing this speech, I thought I'd canvas opinion of my fellow cardinals, sorry, comrades, and ask them what words came to mind when they thought of Anthony. Approachable, brainy, confident, dapper, Ealing through and through. Sorry, I don't think I can read this one out. No, I mean, I genuinely can't read it. Anthony, your handwriting is appalling. But genuinely, he really is someone who all colleagues around the chamber hold in high esteem. I've known him for over a decade and consider him a true friend who is refreshingly candid, knowledgeable, witty, and similarly does not suffer fools gladly. He's someone who has a proven track record of delivering for the people that he has lived in all his life and is so proud to call his home. Having grown up in Hanwell with his parents, Noreen and John, and sister Sharon, he attended St. Joseph's Primary School before attending the same school as I did, Gunnersbury. And while sadly, Anthony's father, John, is no longer with us, I know how delighted Anthony is to have Aunt Chris, Uncle Paddy over here from Ireland, Aunt May from Oxford, and cousins Niamh and Clare over for this very special day. And Anthony, I know how proud all of them and your family are of you today. Now, Anthony's love of Hanwell shines through, with childhood memories of Bunny Park through to Hanwell Carnival, where he once admired Ealing mares in their robes and regalia. Little did he know one day he would take on that role. Anthony cares passionately about the borough, and whilst he has held many professional roles outside the council, he would be best known for his current job at Ealing Community Transport. There are a few colleagues who could match Anthony's A-to-Z knowledge of Ealing's streets, alongside a story of someone he knows or has helped on virtually every single one of them. But I saw firsthand, as chair of Mandeville Special School, the difference his day job meant for the pupils and parents of all of our special schools. And whilst he's achieved much in his 11 years as an Ealing councillor, including being the much respected chair of licensing, who was in his element when joining me in contraband raids of off-licences and shops, I'll never forget that through our most difficult times, five years ago, through COVID, when the going got tough, Anthony was a case of the tough get going. Anthony provided a lifeline with food and conversation to thousands of residents who were asked to shield at home for months. It was a real honour to join him on one of his rounds and see him in action. Because if there's one thing about Anthony, it is that no task is too big or too difficult for him to step up to and take on. And of course, in that role, he won't be alone. And his son, Maria, his wife, who is always brimming with positivity and a natural with people, will be an absolutely amazing consort. And their son, Luke, who, as well as inheriting his father's love for sports, is achieving brilliantly in his academics. And whilst being the mayor is hard work, I know he will also enjoy every minute of it. Anthony will enjoy the opportunity to dress impeccably, bring wit, humour and knowledge to connect with residents. And he will enjoy the many community performances that he has to attend. As I've heard, he does love a musical. He will also bring his immense care for his fellow citizen as he raises funds for his chosen charity. One that does such incredible work in the borough, the Ealing Soup Kitchen. Now, you can expect quiz nights, raising funds, and if I can put in an early bid, Anthony, I'm on your team. He will chair full council with fairness, just as he did when he deputised for Mayor Johnson last year. And so I'll finish off with this. Friends, Romans, countrymen, I know this mayorality will be marked by Anthony, leaving a positive and lasting impression on the people of Ealing. And so I wholeheartedly ask colleagues to support this nomination for Anthony Kelly as Mayor of our great borough. Thank you. Can I call on Councillor Cordeer next? Thanks. Thanks. Thanks. Thanks. Thanks. Thanks. Thanks. Thanks. Thanks. Thanks. Thanks. Thanks. Madam Mayor, I rise to second Councilor Kelly as Mayor of Ealing for our next year mayor. And thank you, Councilor Mahfouz, for nominating Anthony, our very own Greenfield Broadway board councillor. Councilor Kelly was first elected a councillor in 2014. And is an experienced councillor now. He has served on a number of committees during his period and chaired council's licensing committee for several years. As deputy mayor, he has often shared that he has enjoyed leading the borough's citizenship ceremonies and handing out certificates to new British citizens. Madam Mayor, Madam Mayor, you will remember that Councilor Kelly, Councilor Kelly, Councilor Kelly suddenly, at a few hours' notice, called to chair a meeting of full council. He did this with confidence and dignity and earned everyone's praise for this. So we and our council will be safe in hands, in safe hands when he becomes mayor. During the mayoral year, the mayor goes far and wide in the borough, meeting people in schools, community centers, centers for the elderly, community groups and businesses. This may seem a simple task, but it requires a certain temperament to relate to people, the ability to engage with them and to understand their concerns, and above all, a good sense of humor and empathy. Madam Mayor, as we all know, Councilor Kelly has an easy-going manner and approachability, and he is a good conversationalist. I can already see him regaling children and elderly folk with his entertaining anecdotes. I am sure he will bring many stories which he will share with us in council meetings. Councilor Kelly has been a very supportive world colleague, and our families began to know each other when his son, Luke, was a three-year-old toddler. But he sits in the council meeting council today as a 19-year-old young man. His wife, Maria, his wife, would make a great mayoress, as I should know, because I have been a mayor and a mayoress to Ranjit when he was mayor of the borough. Maria and Anthony met in 2003 after she arrived in the UK and married soon afterwards. She comes from a large family of seven brothers and a sister and 20 nephews and nieces. Naturally, she is a great believer in family and family values. She would do everything to support Anthony in this new role. Madam Mayor, I beg to support Councilor Kelly's nomination. Thank you. Councilor Poole. Thank you, Madam Mayor. You have had a truly impressive mayoral year, and I add my warm thanks to those of other members. But, Madam Mayor, I rise today to support the nomination of Councilor Anthony Kelly as mayor and to warmly welcome him into his new role as our first citizen. While I have also sat with Councillor Kelly on planning, I know him most closely through his former role as chair of the licensing committee, and I have sat on many licensing panels that he has chaired. Nobody who has seen the firm but fair way that he chairs these panels, countenancing no nonsense from anyone on both sides, including very expensive barristers, but leavening the proceedings with occasional humour, will have any doubt that he will be able to keep us in order, even in this most difficult of mayoral shifts in the cycle, the run up to the local elections. I'm sure we'll all support Ealing Soup Kitchen during the year to come, which is a charity close to all of our hearts. Anthony's political career as a proud resident and representative of Greenford has been long. He was first elected in 2014, and not without drama. He saw off a former leader of this council, after all. I'm sure that most of us in this chamber know that he drives minibuses for Ealing Community Transport, directly helping many residents, including some of the most vulnerable children and adults, by taking them where they need to be. Fewer may be aware of his previous career as a banqueting manager at Pinewood Studios, which bodes well for the quality of the mayoral dinner to come. But reflecting on that got me thinking about some of the famous films in Pinewood's heritage, and whether they give us any pointers on how this mayoral year will go. Two enormously famous film franchises shot at Pinewood, with the Carry On films and the 007 movies. Given Anthony's expertise at chairing difficult meetings with aplomb, I'm sure we're not destined for Carry On at the council. I see him more as a suave but effective James Bond figure. Our mayor will be Kelly, Anthony Kelly. A cool and confident man of action, but with the occasional laconic quip. I'll finish by mentioning that a rather more obscure feature shot at Pinewood 80 years ago was Great Expectations, starring John Mills. On behalf of the official opposition, I'm delighted to confirm that we have great expectations for Anthony's year in office, and are confident that he will fulfil them. Thank you. Councillor Conte. On behalf of the Conservative group, I'd like to support Councillor Kelly's nomination to become the first citizen of the borough. I'm especially pleased to do so as we're both proud alumni of Gunnersbury School, and I think it's a running theme this evening. Though I should point out a few years difference between us. Councillor Kelly has always been a welcoming and approachable presence, treating colleagues from all parties with respect and good humour, which are really important qualities for the year ahead. I had the pleasure of seeing him in action as deputy mayor at various events, from St. Peter's Church to Remembrance Sunday commemorations in Greenford. He brings his own style, wit and charm to those occasions, which I think will make him a very good mayor indeed. From everyone in our group, we wish him all the best for the year ahead, and maybe, just maybe, a few uneventful council meetings too. Are there any more nominations? It's been moved and seconded that Councillor Anthony Kelly be elected mayor for the municipal year 2025-26. Is that agreed? Agreed. I declare that Councillor Kelly is a duly elected mayor for the municipal year. APPLAUSE We've got to wait a minute. He has to come and do the Czech. Do you, Councillor Anthony Kelly, having been elected to the office of Mayor for the borough, declare that you take the said office upon yourself and will duly and faithfully fulfil the duties thereof according to the best of your judgement and ability. I do. Thank you. Thank you very much. I have pleasure to inform the council that my consort will be Maria Kelly. Thank you. Thank you very much. I've been told I've got a maximum of five minutes, but so much has been said. Thank you very much, Bassam, Councillor Maffouz. Thank you very much, Councillor Harbour-Jane Cordere, and it was very nice to hear from Councillor John Ball. He did double-check the Pinewood reference with me today and I wondered where it was going. And I worked in the banqueting section there and I did feel a few hours ago I was working in banqueting again when I came into this room and we've got it all set up lovely now. So thank you very much to the Royal NowWeb team and the events team, Tom in particular, Cheryl, Ayaz, to put this together. Half of it's done because we're going to go down for dinner. Obviously, it's not a surprise announcement because it has been referred to, but I've got the pleasure of announcing that the Ealing Soup Kitchen will be the mayor's charity for this year. Doreen, who's the coordinator at the Soup Kitchen, is here with us and so hopefully she'll be able to network with some of you this evening. So donations and volunteers are always welcome. So I hope you enjoy the evening. You'll hear a little bit more from me, hopefully not too much, but thank you very much for attending. Thank you. I wish to call and Councillor Mason to propose a thanks for the retiring mayor. Thank you, Mr. Mayor, and what a great pleasure it is to welcome you to your place. In 1986, Councillor Yvonne Johnson was first elected to represent the good people of South Acton. As a one-year-old, I can probably say that from that point onwards, Yvonne has dedicated my lifetime's worth of her energies and her passion to this incredible borough that we all get to call our home. And through that very long period of service, her wise words, her counsel, her reflection and her perspective have guided countless administrations that she has seen come and go alongside a couple of governments to boot. She has pretty much done most jobs that you could possibly do at the London Borough of Ealing. As mayor, as a cabinet member, as deputy leader of our council, and as chair of the pension committee and the audit committee, and very many more. Your year, of course, has been full of events and engagements, fundraisers and activity, but I know that even whilst you surrendered for 12 months your party political persuasion, you will have taken, I'm sure, great satisfaction at having been the returning officer of the general election, not only to welcome back to their places our colleagues in Westminster, but knowing that on that day, as a Labour Party member, that we would win back government. And, of course, commemorating, just as we did the other day, the Victory in Europe Day and its 80th anniversary. Now, it's probably fair to say that Yvonne has been a people's mayor, aside from perhaps the one that she has had to, characteristically, in her years of being a schoolteacher, chastise when they went slightly too long in asking their questions at full council. And I think probably it is a reflection, therefore, of her usual role in the Labour group as being the mother of the chamber, our senior stateswoman, that we are particularly looking forward to welcoming her back in the final year before an election so that she can return once more to her characteristic demolition of the opposition. But, of course, we might be looking forward to it, but we all know that the Liberal Democrats and the Tories are quite looking forward to it, too. But I do know that probably the person who's most looking forward to getting his Yvonne back is Brian, who has been your steadfast consort throughout this past year. So characteristically well has Brian taken to the role as the mayor's consort that I can announce here today that we're standing Brian in a safe seat at the next election so that he will be inserted immediately into the mayoralty. Apologies for Duma. That's not true. That's not true. That's not true. But to see Brian's sort of beaming smile alongside Yvonne's characteristic wit and charm at every event has shown just how incredible that they have been as a first citizen team. And I know, too, Rosemary, your sister, who's also with us today, has taken such great pleasure in sharing in this incredible year. After a lifetime of public service at the London Borough of Ealing, we often will say that the freedom of the borough is the highest award that we can bestow on any individual. And, of course, we already did that in 2018 when we awarded it to Yvonne. So when racking our brains as to what possibly we could do to offer our thanks and our appreciation to her for all of that service, it only seemed right, therefore, that when the need arose Yvonne, you stepped forward to take on the role as mayor of our incredible borough. Yvonne, thank you. I'd like to invite Councillor Steed. Thank you. Mr Mayor, and congratulations. It gives me great pleasure to second the motion in thanking Councillor Yvonne Johnson for her year of service. And also to thank Brian, who has been by her side for most of that time. and also to thank the officers, Cheryl and Ayers, and others, no doubt, who have supported Yvonne in the past year. Thinking about this speech, it got me thinking a little bit about next year. And as Councillor Mason has already made reference to, it's an election year. And it got me thinking that when the Liberal Democrats take control of Ealing next year, and the current regime is brushed away, banished to the winds, about what will happen then and who may become mayor. But I'm very aware from conversations of Councillor Johnson and also many previous mayors, what bloomin' hard work being mayor actually is and what it entails. And it does make you think, gosh, it's a big responsibility to represent the borough and to be the first citizen. And you've got to be nice to people all the time, I'm going to say. Which I think Yvonne probably was most of the time, if not all the time. And you've got people explaining what the Ealing mayor does and what that other mayor who lives on the South Bank, what does he do? And then there's that other mayor who drives around in-horse-drunk coaches and what does that particular mayor do? But we know that the mayor in Ealing does a lot and we know that Councillor Johnson, as mayor, did a lot. She herself spoke often how she was able to visit all four corners of the borough and meet all the residents and we mean all the residents of the borough and how, at times, how enlightening and how educational it was. And to see all the good people who do so many good things in our borough. So thank you, Councillor Johnson. Thank you for your year. And as the Chaplain said, may the next year be one of contentment. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. I'm calling Councillor Kuma. Thank you, Mr. Mayor, and congratulations. On behalf of my conservative group, I wish to thank the outgoing mayor for her gracious, thoughtful, and great community support serving our great borough. I'm delighted the two charities she chose, the Homeless Concern and Cape, have truly benefited enormously through her support. I have always appreciated your frank approach with some humor, which worked really well during sensitive situations. I am so proud and grateful we were able to launch the very first Face of Ealing concert during your mayoralty. Thank you for your appreciation and thoughtfulness and awarding the performers. You know, they were so, so happy. And bringing over 30 communities from Ealing together. Thank you to Cheryl and Ayers for their efficient and helpful support always. I wish you the very best and support this proposal. So it has been moved and seconded that a vote of thanks be recorded to Councillor Johnson. Is that agreed? Agreed. And I'll invite Councillor Johnson to say a few words in farewell. I'm just seeing if this thing works or not. It's on. It's on. OK. Thank you. I was just pulling it nearer to me. Thank you to everybody. As the leader said, I was elected in 1986. That makes it 39 years ago this May. And that makes probably some of you in this room aren't even that age. But it hasn't seemed that long. When I first was elected, I thought I'd do this for four years and see how it goes. And you do things for four years and see how it goes. And it's just one thing after another. But I have enjoyed being a Councillor and I've enjoyed being Mayor more than I thought I would. But it's also been tiring. I've had a cold for a fortnight now. And now after tomorrow, I'm sure I'll start getting better when I can have a rest. But thank you for everybody in this room who's bought a raffle ticket or attended a function. I know it's not always easy because some of you are busy and you've got your daytime jobs and other commitments. But thank you, those of you who've managed to get to something. And for those of you who haven't yet, we're not closing the books yet. If you didn't manage to get to anything, we're still... Cheryl is going to keep the books open so you can still make a donation, however small. Now, my two charities, I was very pleased to choose them. They are based in the whole of Ealing, but Acton Homeless Concern deals with anybody who comes in the door. They don't say, where do you live? Are you from Hammersmith or are you from Hanslow? They do a really good job feeding people every single day and providing families food to take away. And I know some of you in this room know that quite well. CAPE is not so well known. It's a community action project in Ealing, and it's for people with mental health problems. They used to have a little sort of drop-in centre in Acton. They've still got a shop in Churchill Road and they're hoping maybe to have a second shop. But if you want to get in touch with them, they appreciate your help. Somebody in the Trade Union Club told me on Saturday night he now goes and helps their volunteers. So they do good jobs. But thank you for all of you. It's been a really great year. The highlights have been going to the Abbey and sitting where the choruses sit. That was a really unusual thing to do and probably won't repeat it. Going to Mark and Barul. Brian was tickled when I had to inspect the troops. There was me walking along these great big soldiers and all sorts of people. It was quite interesting doing that. We've gone to events with children, with older people, sports, music events. Now I have to admit, I'm not a great sports person. I didn't even know you could play indoor cricket with plastic bats, but that was quite interesting. So I've been to all sorts of things. I must say to all of you, we all get invited every year by the music service to go to their concerts to try and go, because they do such a good job. And we need to encourage those young people. I really have to thank Brian and my sister for helping out. Brian said to my sister, oh, well, you can do all the religious stuff. And we've been to temples, we've been to mosques, churches, cathedrals, but he ended up coming to a lot of them himself in the end. So it's been really good meeting with all sorts of people. I think I've been to the Green Quarter in Southall four times, but I went, you know, wherever I was asked to go, and it's been really, really interesting. Rosemary and Brian have been my feet. They've been dancing on my behalf. They walked at the Acton Carnival and the Hanwell Carnival, and I went along in the car slowly and waved. But they did the walking. We've been to some really interesting things. As I say, we've met some really lovely people. And I said this at one of the other meetings. We could be so proud of all the people in Ealing who volunteer, who help all sorts of people, children, the elderly, youngsters, that give up their time for all sorts of things. And we could be proud of all of them. So, now, I wouldn't have been able to do it without the work of Cheryl and I as. They really are so good. And I know they'll help Anthony as well. The whole thing wouldn't work without them. And Rianne Davis, who I think she was here earlier, might be relieved to know that Anthony hasn't been around quite as long as me, so he might be a bit easier to manage when it comes to meetings. Because I said, we didn't do it that way. And she said, oh, well, you know, if you want to do it this way. But, I mean, I was used to doing things in a certain way, and she's been very tolerant and put up with it. Tony knows I've been around a long time, but Rianne said, oh, didn't do it like that in my last authority. But I'm sure she doesn't mind too much. And I wasn't too difficult, I hope. I hope she'll forgive me. But it's been a really great year. Rianne said to me this morning, it's been one of the best years of his life. And Peter was right, saying he really did enjoy it, more than I thought he would. And I know my sisters enjoyed meeting all sorts of young people and so on. And can I particularly thank Seema for her help with the voices and the faces of Ealing and introducing me to her very rich friend, who was very generous. We're not quite sure what the full number is yet, but we've done reasonably well this year. When I know the exact amount, I will let you know. I'll send an email out or I'll get Anthony to announce it. But that money's going to both those charities. And many of you in this room have been so generous. And I won't go on anymore because I'm sure you're all dying to go and eat. But thank you very much and thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. I should have thanked Anthony. Anthony had to do that meeting for me because I had COVID and I got an injection on a Monday morning at nine o'clock and I got tired and tired all day. And then by Tuesday morning, I had to ring up the show and I said, I can't move. So poor Anthony was thrown in at the deep end. So, but he coped very well and he's been very helpful all year. And I do thank him for, I think we had a reasonable relationship, didn't we, Anthony? Yes. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. So that's only, we've only done one item of business if you look at the order paper. So we're on item number two. So my first duty is having the pleasure of announcing that we have appointed Councillor Faduma Mohammed to be the Deputy Mayor. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. And Councillor Mohammed will go and receive my dearly, dearly used badge. It's Deputy. Not too often. Dearly used. Dearly used. And the Deputy Mayor's consort will be Mr. Ahmed Haji Mohammed. Thank you, sir. Thank you, sir. Thank you, sir. We have a small gift for past consort. For the past consort. Mr. Johnson and Rosemary. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. So item number three. Mr. Bailey, do we have any apologies for absence? Yeah, I've had apologies for absence from councillors Nijar and Young. Any declarations of interest? No. There are no urgent items. Again, just to give some brief thanks. And I have announced it does go recorded. The Mayor's charity will be eating soup kitchen. And then item number seven is review of political balance appointments to cabinet committees and other bodies. I call on Councillor Shaw to move the appointments to committees and other bodies. Move the appointments. Thank you. Is that agreed, proposal? Thank you. Is that agreed by the council? Agreed. Okay, well. Sorry? Of the group. Okay. So, just, we're going to try and take a photo of the full chamber, so to speak. So, we have a photographer here. I'm on steps. So, we need to perhaps turn around and look at the photographer. Mr. Mohammed. Mr. Mohammed. Would you mind to sit over there, sir? Thank you. Thank you. They'll be saying, who was that councillor? They'll be saying, who was that councillor? Yeah. Okay, the meeting's now over, but we're going to have to wait about 10, 15 minutes before we go upstairs for the dinner. So, Sam or another member, somebody else will call you up. So, obviously, you can mix in the room and use the loo, but don't come upstairs until you're called. So, thank you very much for your support and look forward to the end. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.