Agenda and minutes

The Mayor for 2015/16 (Councillor Balmain) referred briefly to the highlights of his year of office and thanked family members, Councillors and officers who had supported him.

He presented a cheque to Mrs Rebecca Ferguson from the Blue Skies Hospital Fund.  Mrs Ferguson thanked the Mayor and all those who had made contributions, which she said would enhance the services they could provide to heart patients in the area. 

The Mayor said that a cheque would also be sent to the other Mayor’s charity for 2015/16, Croston House Cancer Help, Garstang.

To receive any declarations of pecuniary or significant other interests from any Councillor Member on any item on this Agenda.

None.

The Mayor for 2015/16 (Councillor Balmain) presented the HMS Sheraton Trophy to Steph Cartmell, a pupil at Hodgson Academy in Poulton, who had made significant achievements in the Guiding movement and, had raised significant funds for charity whilst supporting her mother through a significant illness.

Councillor Balmain invited nominations for the office of Mayor for the 2016/17 Municipal Year.

It was proposed by Councillor R Duffy and seconded by Councillor Fail and

RESOLVED, that Councillor Terry Lees be elected to the office of Mayor of the Borough of Wyre for the Municipal Year 2016/17.

The outgoing Mayor for 2015/16 (Councillor Balmain) retired from the Chair which was then taken by Councillor Lees, who signed the declaration of acceptance of office.

As Mayor of the Borough, Cllr Lees thanked the Council for the honour bestowed upon him.  He also thanked two local businesses which had already pledged to sponsor musical events to raise funds for the Mayor’s Charities for 2016/17.  He said those charities would be NSPCC, Blackpool, Fylde and Wyre, (The National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children) and SSAFA Lancashire (the Soldiers Sailors and Airmen Families Association).  Both organisations had told him that any money raised in this region would be spent in this region.

Retiring Mayor

Councillor Lady Atkins proposed a vote of thanks to the retiring Mayor.

RESOLVED that the thanks of the Council be tendered to Councillor Balmain for the valuable services which he had rendered to the Borough during his term of office as Mayor and that the thanks of the Council also be tendered to Mrs Balmain for the valuable services which she had rendered as Mayoress.

The Mayor invited nominations for the appointment of Deputy Mayor for the 2016/17 Municipal Year.

It was proposed by Councillor M. Anderton and seconded by Councillor Barrowclough and

RESOLVED, that Councillor Emma Anderton be appointed to the office of Deputy Mayor of the Borough of Wyre for the Municipal Year 2016/17.

Councillor E. Anderton thanked the Council and then signed the declaration of acceptance of office.

The Chief Executive read out a number of cards from well-wishers congratulating Councillor Lees on his appointment as Mayor.

Report of the Leader of the Council and the Chief Executive.

The Leader of the Council (Councillor Gibson) and the Corporate Director of Resources submitted a report on appointments to Committees, Panels and Groups for the 2016/17 Council Year.

When introducing the report, Councillor Gibson proposed that Councillor Ann Turner be appointed to fill the remaining Conservative place on the Councillor Development Group for 2016/17.  He also said that Councillor Murphy would continue to be the Cabinet representative on the Wyre 3 Tier Forum and that the other five Conservative representatives would be as listed in Appendix 1 of the report.

RESOLVED

1.    That Members be appointed to Committees, Panels and Groups for 2016/17 as listed in Appendix 1 to these minutes.

2.    That Councillor Berry be appointed as the Wyre Council representative on the Lancashire Police and Crime Panel for 2016/17.

3.    That (following separate votes in accordance with paragraph 18.7 of the Council Procedure Rules on the appointments for the Cleveleys and Thornton areas, where nominations had been received from both the Conservative and Labour Groups) Neighbourhood Lead Members be appointed for each of the Council’s Shaping Your Neighbourhood areas, as follows:

-       Fleetwood  -  Cllr Barrowclough

-       Cleveleys  -  Cllr Kay

-       Thornton  -  Cllr Jones

-       Poulton  -  Cllr McKay

-       Rural East  -  Cllr Murphy

-       Rural West  -  Cllr Robinson

Report of the Leader of the Council and the Corporate Director of Resources.

The Leader of the Council (Councillor Gibson) and the Chief Executive submitted a report on changes to two appointments to outside bodies for the period until the next elections in May 2019.

RESOLVED

1.    That Ms Lynden Walthew be appointed as a representative of the Council, on the Baines Charity (Poulton Branch) for the period until the next Council elections in May 2019.

2.    That Councillor Wilson be appointed as the Council’s representative on the Forest of Bowland (AONB) Advisory Committee for the period until the elections in May 2019.