To elect a Mayor for the Borough for the ensuing year.
Minutes:
2.1 With the retiring Mayor, Ruth Hatton, in the chair, it was proposed by Councillor Elaine MacTiernan, and seconded by Councillor Mike Dean, that Councillor Gill Blackwell be, and is hereby elected, Mayor of the Borough of Tewkesbury for the ensuing Municipal Year.
2.2 On the Motion being put to the meeting it was declared to be carried, whereupon the Mayor took the chair, signed the Declaration of Acceptance of Office and took the Oath of Allegiance to Her Majesty the Queen.
2.3 In thanking Members for the honour and pleasure of being elected Mayor of the Borough of Tewkesbury, and those present for attending the ceremony, Councillor Blackwell indicated that Tewkesbury Borough was working hard with all of its communities to raise the profile of the Borough, whether it be employment or leisure interests. Officers at the refurbished Borough Council offices worked hard to help all members of the community with the Public Services Centre not only accommodating office staff but also the Police, the Department for Work and Pensions, the Citizens’ Advice Bureau and officers from Gloucestershire County Council’s Social Services, among others. The Council was also the first local authority in the country to have a Growth Hub within its building which helped businesses with information and provided a place to get assistance with all aspects of growing a new business. As Mayor for the coming year, she hoped to be able to promote the Borough in the best possible way and to ensure that the ‘open to everyone’ message was carried across the whole Borough, especially to those in the communities that may need extra assistance.
2.4 The Mayor advised that her Consort for the year would be her husband, Mike Blackwell, and she hoped that together they would be able to represent the Borough at as many events as possible. Her Chaplain for the year would be Reverend Wendy Ruffle and she offered her thanks to Wendy for her continued support. The Mayor also announced the organisations that she would be supporting during her Mayoral Year which were the Butterfly Garden at Bamfurlong Lane and the Maritime Volunteer Service – Severn Unit. The Butterfly Garden offered people of all ages who were dealing with disablement of any kind the chance to feel that they had an opportunity to do something purposeful through its offer of education, recreation and therapy. The Maritime Volunteer Service aimed to keep the UK’s maritime tradition alive by training and delivering skills to nationally recognised standards; its members were volunteers and helped out in times of need and emergency for local communities which the Mayor considered to be of great value to Tewkesbury as the confluence of the Rivers Severn and Avon.
2.5 In concluding her speech, the Mayor thanked everyone for attending and hoped they would have an enjoyable evening. She also thanked the organist and each of the students, whose contributions to the ceremony had made it such an enjoyable event, as well as Reverend Wendy Ruffle and the Head of Music at Tewkesbury School for their help in organising the performances for the evening.