To receive such announcements as may be made by the Mayor.
Minutes:
The Mayor:-
1. Reported that she had had a very busy, but enjoyable couple of months, since she had been elected at the Annual Meeting of Council, meeting a wide variety of volunteers and organisations across Cheshire East. Details of the events that she and the Deputy Mayor had attended had been circulated in advance of the meeting.
2. Informed Council that it has been her sad duty to represent Cheshire East at two funerals. In June, she had attended the funeral of Alan Coburn who had died just a week short of his 102nd birthday. There were very few people still around who actively participated in the Local Government structure in Cheshire before the major reorganisation in April 1974. Alan had been Chairman of the former Wilmslow Urban District Council in 1969-70, having been first elected in the early 1960s. Earlier in the month it had been her privilege to attend the funeral of Honorary Alderman Margaret Melrose. She had first been elected to the former County Council in 1967, served until 2001 and was Chairman of the County Council on two occasions. Both Alan Coburn and Margaret Melrose were popular and hard-working Councillors who served their communities for many years.
3. Reported that Bosley was in her Ward and it was fitting that, as Mayor, she had able to attend services held in both the local church and chapel, to mark the third anniversary of the disaster. She thanked the Leader of the Council for attending the Commemoration. (Council stood for a minute’s silence in tribute to Alan Coburn, Margaret Melrose and to those who had so tragically lost their lives three years earlier in Bosley).
4. Asked all Members to join with her in congratulating Janet Jackson on her award of an MBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours last month.
5. Noted that Parish Councils played an important role in the life of communities. To help develop the Council’s relationship with Parish Councils and to enable Parish Chairs to meet each other, she announced that she would be hosting a series of informal afternoon teas for Parish Chairs. The first two would be held next month; one in the Mayor’s Parlour in Crewe and the other in the Parlour in Macclesfield. If they were successful, she would be hosting more later in the year.
6. Reported that it had been her privilege, in the previous month, to attend the opening by HM Queen of the new Mersey Crossing. The Queen had been accompanied by the Duchess of Sussex, in what had been her first official visit to the north of England. The Duke of Gloucester had also been welcomed to Cheshire East, at the Royal Cheshire Show.
7. Reported that she attended a number of Civic Services recently, which had been inspirational and without exception had refreshed and renewed both her own and the local Council’s aspirations to continue to do the best they could for Cheshire East residents and the environment. She would be holding her Civic Service on Sunday 7 October. This was an important day of the Civic year and over recent years attendance by Members had been quite low and she would appreciate Members’ attendance at what she was sure would be an enjoyable event. Further details would be circulated shortly.
8. Announced that, on Sunday 26th August, the Council would be hosting, in the historic setting of Tatton’s Old Hall grounds, a family day of activities, music and stories commemorating the centenary of the First World War. The day would include a range of “hands on” activities and include performances from Foden’s Band, Stafford Military Wives Choir and Sacred Sound. All Members would be receiving invitations in the near future and she urged them to attend and to publicise the event in their communities.
9. Announced that she was delighted to have been invited to the Pride in the Park picnic, which would take place at Tatton Park on Sunday 16th September and promised to be a standout celebration of the LGBT+ community, welcoming all visitors from across Cheshire East and beyond.
10. Reported that, at the Mayor Making ceremony, she had mentioned that she planned to introduce an online charity account, to make it easier for people to make contributions to the Mayor’s Charity Fund and she was pleased to report that this account was about to be launched.
11. Announced that she was delighted to have attended the launch of the Brighter Future Together Culture programme, which had taken place just before the Council meeting. Conscious of the spirit of that programme, she reminded everyone of the need to focus on the issues that were on the agenda for the meeting, rather than individuals; not to engage in behaviour that would bring the Council into disrepute, but encourage respect for Council business.