Before the start of the Meeting, all present were advised that the meeting may be filmed and was being recorded, with the audio recording to be made available on the Council’s website.

The Mayor invited Reverend Canon Darren Barlow to lead those present in prayer.

Sue Gray, the Mayor of Thurrock, took the Chair for Minute Nos. 1 and 2. Following the election of the new Mayor of Thurrock, Councillor C Kent took the Chair for the remainder of the business.

To approve as a correct record the Minutes of the meeting of the Council, held on 23 March 2016.

The Minutes of the meeting of Council held on the 23 March 2016 were approved as a correct record.

Nominations were invited for the election of Mayor for the Municipal Year 2016-17.

It was proposed by Councillor B Rice, and seconded by Councillor Gledhill, that Councillor C Kent be elected Mayor of the Borough and Chair of the Council for the Municipal Year 2016-17.

The Mayor declared that Councillor C Kent had been duly elected as Mayor of the Borough and Chair of the Council for the Municipal Year 2016-2017.

Councillor C Kent signed the Declaration of Acceptance of Office and also received the chains of office.

The Mayor then made a short speech thanking the Council for the honour of being elected as the Mayor of Thurrock.

The Mayor presented Sue Gray and her Consort, Mr Tony Lane, with their past Mayor’s badge and past consort’s badge.

The Leader of the Council paid tribute to the out-going Mayor, Sue Gray, for being such a gracious, good humoured and hardworking Mayor and had been a good ambassador for Thurrock. The Leader also thanked the Mayor’s Consort, Mr Tony Lane, for their hard work and dedication to the residents of Thurrock. The Leader encouraged them to now put their feet up and reflect on the job well done.

These sentiments were echoed by the Leaders and Members of the Opposition who all paid tribute to the positive and fantastic work of Sue Gray throughout her mayoral year.

Sue Gray wished Councillor C Kent good luck in her Mayoral year and stated she could not have wished for a better person to step into her shoes.

Sue Gray spoke to give thanks to those who had assisted her in her Mayoral Year and stated that it had been a privilege and an honour to have been elected Mayor of Thurrock. Sue Gray paid a particular tribute to all the volunteers in Thurrock for their hard work and dedication. Sue Gray stated that she had attended 608 different events over the past year, of which she had visited 46 out of the 49 schools in the borough. Sue Gray then went on to thank all the Members, Officers, Chief Executive Lyn Carpenter, Reverend Canon Darren Barlow, Legal Department, Security and Member Services.

She wished Thurrock Council all the best for the future and asked that elected members be thoughtful to each other and to do the best for the residents of Thurrock.

Sue Gray further thanked her Consort, Mr Tony Lane, for his support over the last year.

Members stood for a standing ovation.

RESOLVED:

That Councillor C Kent be duly elected as Mayor of the Borough and Chair of the Council for the Municipal Year 2016-17.

To receive additional items that the Mayor is of the opinion should be considered as a matter of urgency, in accordance with Section 100B (4) (b) of the Local Government Act 1972.

The Mayor informed the Council that she had not agreed to the consideration of any items of urgent business.

Nominations were invited for the election of Deputy Mayor for the Municipal Year 2016-17.

It was proposed by Councillor Gledhill, and seconded by Councillor Hague, that Councillor Ojetola be appointed Deputy Mayor of Thurrock for 2016-17.

The Mayor declared that Councillor Ojetola had been duly elected as Deputy Mayor of the Borough and Vice-Chair of the Council for the Municipal Year 2016-17.

Councillor Ojetola signed the Declaration of Acceptance of Office and also received the chains of office.

Councillor Ojetola then made a short speech to accept the honour of being appointed as Deputy Mayor.

RESOLVED:

That Councillor Ojetola be appointed Deputy Mayor of the Borough and Vice-Chair of the Council for the Municipal Year 2016-17.

To receive any declaration of interests from Members.

Councillor Hamilton declared a non-pecuniary interest in respect of the Agenda as he was a landlord.

Firstly the Mayor invited all those present to reflect and remember Thurrock’s fallen during World War One.

The Mayor was pleased to announce that Councillor Liddiard had agreed to be her Consort. Councillor Liddiard was asked to step forward and receive the Consort’s Chain.

The Mayor confirmed that the Deputy Mayor Consort would be his wife, Bunmi Ojetola.

The Mayor announced that her charities for the Mayoral Year would be Thurrock Community Chest, The Fire Fighters Charity and The Epilepsy Action Group.

Furthermore, the Mayor announced that her Mayoral Chaplain would be

Father Bryan O’Shea.

The Mayor then invited Councillor J Kent to make any announcements he wished to make as Leader of the Council.

The Leader of the Council paid tribute to the appointment of Councillor C Kent as the new Mayor of Thurrock and to Councillor Ojetola as the new Deputy Mayor of Thurrock.

The Leader of the Council stated that he would be standing down as Leader of the Council of as of tonight, 25 May 2016, and that he would be dissolving Cabinet with immediate effect.

Councillor J Kent stated that the residents of Thurrock had spoken clearly on the day of the elections and felt it was the right time to stand down and for some else to take over representing Thurrock.

Since being Leader of the Council, Councillor J Kent stated that he believed Thurrock had turned the corner and although with steep cuts the council had balanced the books over the last 6 years. Councillor J Kent particularly noted that the council were now building more council homes, education results were up, one million pounds had been spent on school improvements, improvements had been made to Lakeside, High House Production and the developments in Purfleet.

Councillor J Kent stated that Thurrock had worked cross party together to say No to the proposal of the Lower Thames Crossing. Councillor J Kent stated that all parties should agree when it’s the right decision for Thurrock and that this should continue.

Councillor J Kent wished Councillor Gledhill and Councillor Snell good luck to who became the next Leader of the Council.

All Members stood for a standing ovation.

Nominations were then invited for the election of Leader of the Council.

It was proposed by Councillor Jones, and seconded by Councillor Smith, that Councillor Snell be elected as Leader of the Council.

It was proposed by Councillor Hague, and seconded by Councillor Halden, that Councillor Gledhill be elected as Leader of the Council.

Upon being put to the vote, the Mayor declared that Councillor Gledhill had been duly elected as Leader of the Council.

The Leader of the Council, Councillor Gledhill, thanked all members for their support and thanked Councillor J Kent.

Councillor Gledhill stated that Thurrock Council faces even more challenges and had plans to speak with the Chief Executive to discuss changes on how Thurrock delivers.

Councillor Gledhill stated that his new cabinet would work to the best of its ability and would work  ...  view the full minutes text for item 6.

The Leader of the Council introduced the report and recommended that the engagement of the Independent Persons should continue until the Annual Meeting of the Council in 2019.

RESOLVED:

That for the purposes of section 28 of the Localism Act 2011, the Council agreed to continue with the appointment of Sarah Cooper-James, Fiona Fairweather and Fola Onaeko as its independent Persons until the Annual Meeting of the Council in 2019.

The Leader of the Council proposed the recommendations as printed in the report.

Upon being put to the vote, Members voted unanimously in favour of the recommendations, whereupon the Mayor declared these to be carried.

RESOLVED:

1.         That the Overview and Scrutiny Committees listed in paragraph 3.2 of the report be established for the 2016-17 municipal year, with their terms of reference being those set out in Chapter 4 of the Constitution.

2.         That the Committees listed in paragraph 3.4 of the report be established for the 2016-17 municipal year, with their terms of reference being those set out in Chapter 5 of the Constitution.

The Mayor informed Members that the nominations of Group Leaders to the places allocated on committees, and the nominations for Chairs and Vice Chairs of committees had been received.

The nominations made to Committees for the municipal year 2016-17, together with the nominations for the positions of Chair and Vice Chair, were set out in a booklet circulated to Members immediately prior to the meeting.

The Leader of the Council briefly introduced the report, which requested the

Council to confirm the calculations relating to the allocation of seats on committees and also to appoint the nominations made by political groups to committees.

In addition, the report also requested the Council to appoint the Chairs and Vice-Chairs. Councillor Gledhill restated that the Conservative Party would not be nominating Chair or Vice Chairs on overview and scrutiny committees therefore these positions were open for the opposition parties to fill.

The Mayor asked Councillor Gledhill which option (a or b) of the nomination booklet did he wish the Council to consider. Councillor Gledhill stated option a.

The Mayor asked Councillor Snell which option (a or b) of the nomination booklet did he wish the Council to consider. Councillor Snell stated option b.

Councillor Gledhill stated that he would like to make 2 changes to the nomination booklet:

On the Planning Committee replace Councillor Piccolo with Councillor Ojetola and make Councillor Piccolo a substitute.

On the General Services replace Councillor Coxshall with Councillor Hague and remove Councillor Halden as a substitute and replace with Councillor Coxshall.

The Mayor then called for a separate vote to be undertaken in respect of each of the contested nominations for Chairs and Vice Chairs of Committees.

The result of each vote are set out below:

Children’s Services Overview and Scrutiny Committee

The result that Councillor Okunade be appointed Chair of the Children’s Services Overview and Scrutiny Committee.

It was proposed by Councillor Snell, and seconded by Councillor Smith, that Councillor Sheridan be elected Vice Chair of the Children’s Services Overview and Scrutiny Committee. Members voted unanimously in favour of the proposal.

Cleaner Greener and Safer Overview and Scrutiny Committee

The result of the vote: Councillor Gerrish (31), Councillor Jones (17). Therefore Councillor Gerrish be appointed Chair and Councillor Cherry being appointed Vice Chair of the Cleaner Greener and Safer Overview and Scrutiny Committee.

Corporate Overview and Scrutiny Committee

The result of the vote: Councillor Kent (32), Councillor Duffin (17). Therefore Councillor J Kent be appointed Chair and Councillor Gamester being appointed Vice Chair of the Corporate Overview and Scrutiny Committee.

Corporate Parenting Committee

The result of the vote: Councillor Okunade (32), Councillor Gamester (17). Therefore Councillor Okunade being appointed Chair of the Corporate Parenting Committee.

It was proposed by Councillor Snell, and seconded by Councillor Smith, that Councillor Snell be elected Vice Chair of the Corporate Parenting Committee. Members voted unanimously in favour of the proposal.

General Services

Councillor Snell withdrew this nomination for Chair of General Services. The result that Councillor Gledhill being appointed Chair and Councillor  ...  view the full minutes text for item 9.

The nominations of the political groups to Outside Bodies, Statutory and Other Panels were detailed in the supplementary booklet circulated to Members immediately prior to the meeting.

The Chief Executive submitted a report in respect of the appointments required to be made to Outside Bodies, Statutory and Other Panels.

The Mayor informed the Chamber that appointments to the following outside bodies, statutory and other panels were contested

-           Campaign to Protect Rural Essex

-           Coalhouse Fort Project

-           Essex Archaeological and Historical Congress

-           Essex Fire Authority

-           Essex Police and Crime Panel

-           Local Government Association

-           Mucking Charitable Trust

-           Museums in Essex

-           Thurrock Sports Council

-           Civic Awards Panel

The Mayor then called for a separate vote to be undertaken in respect of each of the contested nominations for appointments to Outside Bodies, Statutory and Other Panels.

The result of each vote are set out below:

Campaign to Protect Rural Essex

The result of the vote: Councillor G Rice (15), Councillor C Baker (26). Therefore Councillor C Baker being the representative of the council on the Campaign to Protect Rural Essex.

Citizens Advice Bureau Management Committee

No nominations were received for the vacant position on the Citizens Advice Bureau Management Committee.

Coalhouse Fort Project

The result of the vote: Councillor C Kent (16), Councillor Jones (17). Therefore Councillor Jones being the representative of the council on the Coalhouse Fort Project.

Essex Archaeological and Historical Congress

The result of the vote: Councillor G Rice (14), Councillor Cherry (25). Therefore Councillor Cherry being the representative of the council on the Essex Archaeological and Historical Congress.

Essex Fire Authority

The result of the vote: Councillor C Kent (29), Councillor Jones (17). Therefore Councillor C Kent being the representative of the council on the Essex Fire Authority.

Essex Police and Crime Panel

The result of the vote: Councillor Redsell (18), Councillor Jones (17). Therefore Councillor Redsell being the representative of the council on the Essex Police and Crime Panel.

Local Government Association

The result of the vote: Councillor J Kent (14), Councillor Ojetola (18), Councillor Smith (17). Therefore Councillor Ojetola being the representative of the council on the Local Government Association.

Mucking Charitable Trust

The result of the vote: Councillor Hebb (18), Councillor Wheeler (17). Therefore Councillor Hebb being the representative of the council on the Mucking Charitable Trust.

Museums in Essex

The result of the vote: Councillor G Rice (14), Councillor Sheridan (17). Therefore Councillor Sheridan be the representative of the council on the Museums in Essex.

South Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust

No nominations were received for the vacant position on the South Essex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust.

Thurrock Sports Council

Councillor Gledhill stated the removal of Councillor Watkins from the nominations.

The Mayor declared Councillors Liddiard, Fish Redsell and C Baker duly appointed as the representatives of the council on the Thurrock Sports Council.

Civic Awards Panel

Councillor J Kent stated that nominations to this panel were made every other year therefore not required for nominations  ...  view the full minutes text for item 10.

The Leader of the Council briefly introduced the report. A copy of the schedule of meetings for 2016-17 was included in the Agenda at Appendix 1 to the report.

Upon being put to the vote, Members voted unanimously in favour of the recommendations to approve the calendar of meetings for 2016-17, whereupon the Mayor declared this to be carried.

RESOLVED:

That the Schedule of Meetings for 2016-17 be approved.

The Leader of the Council briefly introduced the report and requested that the Schedule of Local Elections be more readily available for residents to view.

Upon being put to the vote, Members voted unanimously in favour of the recommendation contained within the report, whereupon the Mayor declared this to be carried.

RESOLVED:

That the schedule of elections from 2017 to 2020 and order of retirement of Councillors be noted.