To elect the Mayor for the Municipal Year 2021/22.
There will be a video presentation of the retiring Mayor presenting the Civic Awards.
Minutes:
Nominations were invited for the election of the Mayor of the Borough of Welwyn Hatfield for the Municipal Year 2021/22.
It was moved and seconded by Councillors D.Bell and S.Boulton that Councillor P.Hebden be elected. The retiring Mayor then asked if there were any other nominations. There being no other nominations, it was
RESOLVED:
That Councillor P.Hebden be elected Mayor of the Borough of Welwyn Hatfield for the Municipal Year 2021/22.
Councillor P.Hebden made the formal Declaration of Acceptance of Office as Mayor pursuant to Section 83 of the Local Government Act 1972.
(Councillor P.Hebden in the Chair)
The Mayor thanked Councillors D.Bell and S.Boulton for nominating him and expressed that it will be an honour to serve the residents of Welwyn Hatfield as the Mayor of the Borough, helping to support the residents return to normality and reinforcing the strong community spirit in the Welwyn Hatfield borough.
The Mayor also thanked Councillor R.Trigg for all of the excellent work he did during his time as Mayor.
The Mayor had already presented Councillor R.Trigg with his Past Mayor’s Medal and album of his time in office.
The Leader of the Council, Councillor T.Kingsbury, expressed his thanks to Councillor R.Trigg for his service as Mayor of the Borough and was joined by Councillors P.Zukowskyj, Liberal Democrat and Independent Group Leader and K,Thorpe, Labour Group Leader.
The retiring Mayor presented the Borough Civic Awards for 2020 and 2021 in partnership with Mears and the University of Hertfordshire.
The retiring Mayor presented the following awards for 2020:-
• Ciara Brown in recognition of her hard work and founding a company called Universal Discoveries, which prepares tailored activities for school students in the areas of science, technology, engineering and maths, bringing science to under-represented groups or students from schools without the kind of expertise to nurture young talent in the area.
• Fiona Montgomery in recognition of her hard work and delivering an inspiring, interactive lecture on Boccia, her national involvement with this sport played by athletes with severe physical impairments.
• Janet Lewis in recognition for her long commitment to the Welwyn Garden City Society of St Vincent De Paul.
The retiring Mayor had already presented the 2020 Mears Community Award to Carol Hopkins and Lloyd Harrison in recognition for their hard work undertaken in organising community litter picks.
The retiring Mayor had already presented the University of Hertfordshire Young Person Award to Daisy Cooper for her contribution to Scouts and Beavers in Welwyn Hatfield.
The retiring Mayor presented the following awards for 2021:-
• Ben Catchpole in recognition of his contribution to the local community and his humanitarian efforts have been outstanding.
• Jonathan Mather in recognition for his continued commitment to Cricket through tireless dedication to the sport and cricketers of all ages.
• John Roper in recognition of the work he has undertaken over many years for the community in both Welwyn village and Danesbury.
The 2021 The Mears Community Award was awarded to Meaghaen Reid in recognition of the work she has undertaken for the Live Life Project at Herts Young Homeless. The award was presented by Scott Clarke from Mears.
The University of Hertfordshire Young Person Award 2021 was awarded to Bethany Bartram in recognition for her outstanding commitment and work for pro bono work on behalf of the Law school at the University of Hertfordshire and the local community particularly those who are vulnerable or in need. Geraldine Ward will be presenting the award to Bethany Bartram soon.
The retiring Mayor then presented the Covid-19 Local Hero Awards:-
• Debbie Thompson in recognition for her outstanding contribution to the community and volunteering in Hatfield.
• Sarah Jamieson, Clive Marlowe and Georgie Lake were three exceptional members of the Resolve team that stayed in The Jim MacDonald Centre Isolation Shelter. They went into lockdown with eight Shelter Guests, five of them were alcoholic and two were drug dependent.
The retiring Mayor, on behalf of Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council, thanked both Mears and the University of Hertfordshire for their continued support as sponsors of the civic awards.
The retiring Mayor spoke about his time as Mayor of Welwyn Hatfield.
The retiring Mayor presented his wife, Mrs C.Trigg with a gift as a token of the Council’s appreciation of her service as Consort.
The retiring Mayor thanked Councillor P.Hebden as his Deputy for his support during the year and presented him with a gift.
The retiring Mayor thanked S.Houghton, Member and Mayor Liaison Officer for her help during the year and presented her with a gift.
The retiring Mayor reported that for both years his charity was Potential Kids, and funds were able to be raised for them in the first year to carry out such excellent work. He stated that Potential Kids had flourished during the last two years, he and wished them well for the future and hoped to stay involved.
The retiring Mayor also thanked the Councillors who have left the Council this year for their contributions during their period in office and offered them all good wishes for their future. The Councillors were Edward Boulton, Harry Bower, James Broach, Jaida Caliskan, Alan Chesterman, Maureen Cook, Malcolm Cowan, Mike Larkins, Terry Mitchinson and Simon Wrenn.