Agenda and minutes
Venue: The New Armouries, Tower of London, London EC3N 4AB
Contact: Matthew Mannion, Head of Democratic Services Tel: 020 7364 4651, E-mail: matthew.mannion@towerhamlets.gov.uk
Note: Freedom of the Borough
Media
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APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE To receive any apologies for absence. Additional documents: Minutes: Apologies for absence were received on behalf of
• Councillor Sufia Alam • Councillor Asma Begum • Councillor Dipa Das • Councillor Marc Francis • Councillor Ehtasham Haque • Councillor Danny Hassell • Councillor Ayas Miah • Councillor Harun Miah • Councillor Puru Miah • Councillor Mohammed Pappu • Councillor Kyrsten Perry • Councillor Gabriela Salva Macallan • Councillor Andrew Wood
Apologies for absence were also received from Jim Fitzpatrick - one of the nominees for the Freedom of the Borough Award.
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DECLARATIONS OF DISCLOSABLE PECUNIARY INTERESTS AND OTHER INTERESTS Members are reminded to consider the categories of interest, identified in the Code of Conduct for Members to determine; whether they have an interest in any agenda item and any action they should take. For further details, see the attached note from the Monitoring Officer.
Members are also reminded to declare the nature of the interest at the earliest opportunity and the agenda item it relates to. Please note that ultimately it is the Members’ responsibility to identify any interests and also update their register of interests form as required by the Code.
If in doubt as to the nature of an interest, you are advised to seek advice prior to the meeting by contacting the Monitoring Officer or Democratic Services.
Additional documents: Minutes: There were no declarations of Disclosable Pecuniary Interests.
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FREEDOM OF THE BOROUGH - NOMINATIONS REPORT Additional documents: Minutes: The Speaker of the Council invited Members to consider the report of the Freedom of the Borough Panel.
The Speaker explained that the Freedom of the Borough was the highest honour or recognition that a Council could bestow on an individual in recognition of their outstanding achievements. This is the second time it had been awarded in almost twenty years.
The Speaker stated that he was very pleased to have chaired the cross party Freedom of the Borough Panel that assessed the nominations for the award. The Panel sought and assessed many high quality nominations based on the criteria set out in the report. On behalf of the Panel, he thanked everyone who submitted a nomination. He also thanked the Panel for their hard work and dedication to support this award process.
After considerable discussion, the Panel determined that five nominations should be submitted to Council for consideration for the Freedom of the Borough.
They were: · Sufia Alam · Sir George Iacobescu CBE and · Abdul Aziz Sardar
At the invitation of the speaker, a number of individuals and Councillors addressed the Committee on their reasons for nominating the candidates. These were:
· Mahbub Alam – on Sufia Alam · Lord Michael Cashman - Sister Christine Frost fcJ · Sheikh Aliur Rahman - Sir George Iacobescu CBE · Councillor Kahar Chowdhury - Sister Christine Frost fcJ · Councillor Motin Uz-zaman - Jim Fitzpatrick · Councillor James King - Jim Fitzpatrick · Councillor Helal Uddin - Abdul Aziz Sardar
Mayor John Biggs, alongside Group Leaders, (Councillors Peter Golds, and Kabir Ahmed) and as well as a number of other Councillors also spoke in recognition of the candidates.
They highlighted the following points in relation to each of the candidates:
· Sufia Alam. It was stated that it was a great honour to speak in support of Sufia Alam in view of all her tireless community work, and her role in acting as a strong advocate for women from different backgrounds, especially Muslim and Bangladeshi women. It was noted that she had done so much good work over many years, particularly during the pandemic - for example by setting up a number of community projects to support health and wellbeing, education and recreational activities. Her voluntary work included leading the Women’s collective, significantly raising recycling rates. These were very special and unique achievements. · Sister Christine Frost fcJ. The speakers paid tribute to Sister Christine’s great ability to lead and her tireless work, over decades, to bring people together, regardless of their faith, and her persistence in overcoming barriers, especially during the pandemic to help vulnerable residents. She had given so much and had changed many lives. The speakers gave many examples of Sister Christine’s work, particularly in relation to tackling poverty, promoting community cohesion and preventing loneliness and isolation. Sister Christine’s contributions have been massive and she was an inspiration. · Sir George Iacobescu CBE. The speakers also addressed the meeting in recognition of Sir George’s achievements. This was in view of his contributions ... view the full minutes text for item 3. |