Agenda item

Executive Member for Children, Young People and Learning

CouncillorDr Barnard was proud to introduce Rachel Kenyon, Adventure Education Worker and two participants of the Duke of Edinburgh Award scheme Megan Currie and Katie Charlwood. He had attended the celebration evening where 100 youngsters had received their awards. Megan and Katie gave a presentation on their journey towards achieving their gold awards describing all the completed elements and the benefits they had received form completing it. The Duke of Edinburgh Award scheme would celebrate its 60^th Anniversary in 2016 and everyone present was encouraged to get involved in the activities.

CouncillorDr Barnard had been pleased to attend the opening of Rise@GHC which was a specialist school for children on the autistic spectrum to support their education experience. He thanked everyone involved in its development including Keith Grainger, Principal of Gath Hill College and David Watkins, Chief Officer Performance and Resources who saw the project through to completion. He advised that the number of students attending Rise would increase gradually.

Executive Member for Adult Social Care, Health and Housing

Councillor D Birch advised the meeting that the Public Health team had received five shortlisting nominations for awards recognizing their good work. The successful nomination was for the significant improvement the team had made in the number of health checks being completed in the borough on 40 – 74 year olds. He asked the meeting to join him in congratulating John Nawrockyi, Director of Adult Social Care, Health and Housing; Lisa McNally, Consultant in Public Health and their team for becoming one of the top health check deliverers supporting the borough’s residents to stay fit.

Executive Member for the Environment

CouncillorMrs Hayes was pleased to announce that the use of Member Initiative Fund monies to install defibrillators across the borough had been recognised by UK Heart Foundation. On 9 October the Council was awarded the Public Sector Organisation of the year and she congratulated all the Councillors who had used their allocation for this cause. Councillor Phillips who had initially suggested the initiative presented the Mayor with the glass award.

CouncillorMrs Hayes gave all Members a reusable shopping bag promoting recycling and encouraging the reduction of disposable bag use.

Executive Member for Finance and Transformation

CouncillorHeydon was delighted to report that the Council had received an unqualified audit opinion in its Annual Audit Letter from the external auditors Ernst & Young. In addition, Ernst & Young had issued an unqualified conclusion on the Council's arrangements for securing value for money. Councillor Heydon stated that for the second year running the Annual Audit Letter contained no recommendations for improvement which was almost unprecedented within local government. He asked the meeting to join him in thanking the Borough Treasurer and his team for this near unique achievement.

Executive Member for Culture, Corporate Services and Public Protection

Councillor McCracken reported that the Cemetery and Crematorium had raised £4321 from recycling materials, with agreement from bereaved families, and these monies had been donated to Thames Hospice.

The Members present joined Councillor McCracken in congratulating the Dog Warden team who had been recognised by the RSPCA and received two gold awards.

Councillor McCracken reflected that during the Summer Reading Challenge the borough’s libraries had seen a high participation by young people with 54% girls and 45% boys. He added that Birch Hill library staff had been selected as judges for the Radio 2 short story competition.

Councillor McCracken congratulated staff at the Look Out for achieving the Quality Assurance Award which it had retained since 2006. They had also retained the Health and Safety award since 2001; Customer Service Excellence since 2008; Learning in an Outside Classroom since 2010 and the Platinum award for Loo of the Year since 1994.

Mayoral Announcements

The Mayor had visited a number of schools during Local Democracy Week and thanked all the officers and Councillors involved in the recent successful Takeover Challenge in which young people shadowed the Mayor, member of the Executive and senior officers.

The Mayor was delighted by the number of schools that participated by submitting entries into the Christmas card competition and had chosen the winning design by Molly Brookes from New Scotland Hill Primary School.

The Mayor advised the Members present that since the last Council meeting she and the Deputy Mayor had been busy attending engagements across the borough.

Mayoral Charity events

The Mayor advised the members present that she had been visiting a number of the borough’s libraries and reading seasonal stories to children to raise money for her charity.

The Mayor updated Members that her ‘Pounds for Pounds Challenge’ was continuing and thanked her fitness coaches for all their help.

The Mayor was pleased to report that the Bake-A-Wish cake sale had made £140 her Make-A-Wish and further cake sales would follow.

The Mayor reminded Members that the annual Carol Concert was being held on Sunday 6 December and requested that if there were any volunteers able to help with the Charity collection at the end of the event that they notify the Mayor’s office.

The Mayor  asked anyone able to support her annual Charity collection day at the Meadows on Thursday 10 December to contact the Mayor’s office for more details.

The Mayor announced that Make-A-Wish would be benefitting from the charity initiative ‘Text Santa’ which includes a number of fundraising activities.