Agenda item

In accordance with the resolution of Council at its Annual meeting on 26 May 2015, the Council is asked to confer the title of Honorary Alderman, under Section 249 of the Local Government Act 1972, upon former Councillors:

Brian Calway

Brian Jones

Allen Keyte

Tony Mackinnon

Margaret Ogden

Jude Perez

Audrey Ricks

Gordon Shurmer

Bill Whelan

Claire Wright

Certificates will be presented to the Honorary Aldermen.

Following the close of the meeting, the Mayor will host a reception in honour of the newly appointed Honorary Aldermen.   

35.1           The Mayor thanked those present for attending the meeting to witness the conferring of the Office of Honorary Alderman on ten former Councillors. He expressed what an honour and privilege it was to have the opportunity to bestow such a title upon those that had done so much for the Borough during their time in Office. The Mayor indicated that, unfortunately, two of those being honoured, Brian Calway and Gordon Shurmer, had been unable to attend the meeting that evening and, in particular, he expressed the best wishes of the Council to Brian Calway who was unable to attend due to ill-health.

35.2           Councillor Robert Vines expressed his great pleasure in being able to formally propose the ten former Councillors for this honour. He explained that they had all served the Office of Councillor with integrity and had each shown a unique ability to represent their own Wards and the Council in the best possible way. With that in mind he proposed that, in recognition of their public service to their community and the Borough, the under-mentioned persons have conferred upon them the title of Honorary Alderman:

Brian Calway

Brian Jones

Allen Keyte

Tony Mackinnon

Margaret Ogden

Jude Perez

Audrey Ricks

Gordon Shurmer

Bill Whelan

Claire Wright

35.3           The Motion was seconded by Councillor Kay Berry who indicated that it was with great pleasure that she seconded the honouring of the ten past Members with the Office of Honorary Alderman. She was of the view that all of them had done a tremendous amount of work for the Borough and their local communities during their time in Office as Councillors.

35.4           Upon being put to the vote, the Motion was carried and each new Honorary Alderman in attendance was presented with their certificate and gifts to mark the occasion.

35.5           Councillor Dave Waters stated that, it was with great pleasure that he was able to speak about Brian Calway at this important occasion. He explained that he had first met Brian in the early days of the campaign to retain Alderman Knight School when Brian had suggested the campaign would be better led by someone with a personal connection to the school rather than a politician. He mentioned that Brian had spent his life in public service, serving in the ‘Blues and Royals’ as a trooper followed by a full career in the police force and then, during retirement, as an Enforcement Officer with Tewkesbury Borough Council. On retirement from paid work, Brian had thrown himself into public service as a Councillor; being elected onto the Borough Council in 2003. He had also served on Tewkesbury Town Council as well as Gloucestershire County Council and had been Town Mayor in 2003/04 as well as Borough Mayor in 2008/09. He had represented Prior’s Park Ward along with former Councillor Claire Wright with zeal, enthusiasm and passion to do the best for his constituents; he had also been a major participant with the Prior’s Park Neighbourhood Project and one of the key movers in creating the Tewkesbury Nature Reserve. During his time at the Council, Brian had been Chairman of the Overview and Scrutiny and Standards Committees as well as a Member of the Economy Committee and the Licensing Committee amongst others. Brian had been very active in supporting Tewkesbury in any way he could, also being a representative on the Board of Severn Vale Housing Society, Tewkesbury Museum Trust and the Swimming Bath Trust as well as being Chairman of the Gloucestershire Police and Crime Panel. Councillor Waters advised that Brian seemed to know everyone and had one of the largest networks of people of anyone he knew. He felt that the reason he knew so many people was that he truly cared, was genuinely interested in people and was a man of great integrity; who, together with his wife, had forged a formidable team. Councillor Waters was delighted that Brian’s tremendous public service and contribution to public life had been marked by the award of Honorary Alderman. Honorary Alderman Brian Calway was not present at the meeting to collect his certificate and the Mayor advised that Democratic Services would ensure it was delivered to him.

35.6           Councillor Derek Davies expressed what a pleasure it was for him to speak in support of Brian Jones. He advised that Brian had first joined the Council in 1988 and had chaired almost all Committees except Planning. Brian had had a very successful Mayoral year in 1997/1998 during which time he and his wife had memorably ridden a tandem on a 40 mile cycle ride; had held a triple concert in a day; and had organised a cricket match between staff and Members – on that day Brian had saved the day with his batting ability and fitness resulting on the Councillors team winning by 150 runs to 76. Councillor Davies expressed his great thanks to Brian for all he had done for the Council and his constituents. On receiving his certificate, Honorary Alderman Brian Jones thanked the Council for the honour of conferring the title of Honorary Alderman upon him and for the kind words that Councillor Davies had spoken. He indicated that it truly was an honour to have been chosen.

35.7           Councillor Rob Bird indicated that it was his pleasure to speak in support of Allen Keyte. He had not known Allen as long as many but had quickly learned that he did not suffer fools gladly. Councillor Bird felt that Allen’s willingness to challenge had been a great achievement and, since joining the Council in May 1995, he had given 20 years of outstanding service. He had sat on a long list of Committees and Outside Bodies and had been the Council’s Deputy Leader for a number of years; in particular he had been a longstanding Member of the Planning Committee and his common sense attitude to planning and strategic planning had been of great benefit. In terms of the Council’s finances, Allen’s professional expertise had undoubtedly left the Council in a much better position than it might otherwise have been. On receiving his certificate, Honorary Alderman Keyte expressed what a real privilege it was to be honoured in this way. He felt strongly that the title of Honorary Alderman was something which was earned and he was delighted to have been chosen as a recipient. He missed the Council, and particularly the interactions with both Officers and Councillors, and he hoped to make the most of speaking to people following the meeting.

35.8           Councillor Kay Berry expressed her pleasure at being able to speak in support of Tony Mackinnon. She advised that Tony had first joined the Council in 2003 and during his time he had earned the respect of all of the Members for his attention to detail and his astuteness in financial matters. Tony continued to work for the residents of Bishop’s Cleeve and had been a prime mover in one of the Borough’s largest new attractions, the Jet Age Museum. She felt that it was very fitting indeed that he should be made an Honorary Alderman. On receiving his certificate, Honorary Alderman Mackinnon thanked the Council for the honour. He indicated that it was not just a piece of paper but was a significant honour. He expressed his thanks to Officers for their help during his time as a Councillor and to Peter Richmond for being his guest that evening, explaining that they had worked in partnership in Bishop’s Cleeve and he hoped this had been to the benefit of residents. Honorary Alderman Mackinnon indicated that he had found his time on the Council to be an interesting twelve years. He felt that one of his best achievements had been the Council’s record of affordable housing provision during the time that he had been Chairman of the Housing Sub-Committee. He indicated that he missed the Council a little but was now Chairman of Bishop’s Cleeve Parish Council which presented its own challenges. He wished everyone luck for the future and thanked them for conferring the title of Honorary Alderman upon him.

35.9           Councillor Mike Dean indicated how fitting it was that he was to speak in support of Margaret Ogden. He indicated that he had known Margaret prior to 2011 when he had become a Councillor but then he had looked upon her as being a Borough Councillor that also attended Parish Meetings. Once he got to know her he had seen her as a stoic and indomitable lady. He indicated that Margaret had served as Mayor and had always been a champion of older people with the particular interests of her constituents at heart. He felt that she fully deserved the honour and was delighted that she should be given it. On receiving her certificate, Honorary Alderman Margaret Ogden offered her sincere thanks to everyone. She indicated that she felt as honoured that evening as she had when she had been made Mayor and when she had become a Nursing Sister; she felt the honour was almost too much to handle. She explained that at the moment she was not sure what being an Honorary Alderman entailed but she knew that someone would advise her. She was truly honoured to receive the title and thanked all of those concerned for honouring her for something that truly had been a pleasure.

35.10         Councillor Mrs Pearl Stokes expressed what a great pleasure it was to speak in support of Jude Perez in receiving the title of Honorary Alderman. She explained that she had not known Jude before she had become a Councillor but she felt sure that there were not many people that worked as hard for the residents in their Wards as Jude had. Jude had done fantastic work and it was a real shame, and a loss to the Council, that she had decided not to stand in the recent elections; although she understood that she still worked hard in Brockworth campaigning for the area. On a personal note, Councillor Stokes thanked Jude for her work on the Gloucestershire Market Towns Forum and the Tewkesbury District Twinning Association, both of which they had worked on together. On receiving her certificate, Honorary Alderman Jude Perez expressed her thanks for the honour which had been quite a surprise. She thanked all of those Councillors that she had worked with for their support and indicated that her experience as a Councillor had been quite a learning curve.

35.11         Councillor Mrs Elaine MacTiernan indicated that she had not known Audrey Ricks for very long but it was an absolute pleasure to speak in support of her becoming an Honorary Alderman. Audrey had served as a Councillor for twelve years and always gave the impression that party politics did not matter to her; she just worked to do the best she possibly could, both for the Council and her community. During her time as a Councillor, Audrey had sat on nine different Committees along with Working Groups and Outside Bodies; she had also chaired the Parish Council in Churchdown for five years and was a Board Member for the Citizens’ Advice Bureau and Innsworth Infant School amongst others. Councillor MacTiernan indicated that she had really got to know Audrey when they had gone to the Queen’s Garden Party earlier that year and had realised then just how much fun she was and what a great sense of humour she had. Councillor MacTiernan felt that she thoroughly deserved the recognition of becoming an Honorary Alderman. On receiving her certificate, Honorary Alderman Audrey Ricks indicated that it had been a privilege to serve the community of Churchdown St John’s for twelve years. Over that time the Council had changed a lot and it was a very different place now than it had been when she had first become a Councillor. She was extremely grateful for the honour of becoming an Honorary Alderman and she thanked everyone for bestowing the privilege upon her.

35.12         Councillor Robert Vines indicated that it was a pleasure to speak in support of Gordon Shurmer. He explained that he and Gordon had arrived at the Council on the same day and had worked together for sixteen years on the Borough Council. During his time on the Council, Gordon had served on a number of Committees and had been the Chairman of the Planning Committee and a Lead Member for some time. In addition, Gordon had been a County Councillor for a number of years and had also been granted the honour of being an Honorary Alderman by that Authority which Councillor Vines felt was quite an achievement and an acknowledgement of his hard work.  Honorary Alderman Gordon Shurmer was not present at the meeting to collect his certificate and the Mayor advised that Democratic Services would ensure it was delivered to him.

35.13         Councillor Philip Awford expressed what a privilege it was for him to speak in support of Councillor Bill Whelan. They still worked together at Gloucestershire County Council, as well as within the Parish, and therefore he still interacted with Bill on a regular basis. Councillor Awford indicated that Bill had joined the Council in 2007 and over the years they had come to know each other quite well. He explained that his work in the community was phenomenal and, in addition to his work at GL3 Hub, meant that he worked exceptionally hard for the residents of both Churchdown and Innsworth. Over the years he had found Bill to be quite an adversary and he felt that he would be a tough act to follow on the Council. On receiving his certificate, Honorary Alderman Bill Whelan indicated that he had known many of the Officers at the Council Offices even before he had become a Councillor and they had always interacted with him and helped him when he needed advice. He thanked everyone for giving him the honour of becoming an Honorary Alderman.

35.14         Councillor Philip Surman expressed what a privilege it was to witness Claire Wright becoming an Honorary Alderman and to be able to speak in support of her. He explained that Claire had joined the Council in 2007 and had been a very successful Councillor who was respected by Officers and Members alike. She had worked tirelessly for Prior’s Park and had sat on a number of Committees as well as being a Lead Member and also Mayor in 2013/14. In that respect he felt that he could not finish without thanking her for her help and support in his Mayoral Year when she had been Deputy Mayor. On receiving her certificate, Honorary Alderman Claire Wright indicated how lovely it was to be back at the Council. She explained that she had really missed the ‘buzz’ and the friends that she had made; it was also good to see so many new faces. She felt it was a real pity that Brian Calway had not been able to attend; it had been a huge privilege to share her work in Prior’s Park Ward with him and she hoped they had made a little difference during their time. In respect of the honour of becoming an Honorary Alderman she advised that she was thrilled to be nominated and would treasure it as was fitting for such a title.

35.15         At the conclusion of the presentations, the Mayor congratulated the new Honorary Aldermen and indicated that, following the close of the meeting, all were welcome to join him and the Mayoress for something to eat and drink in Committee Room One.