Agenda item
ELECTION OF SPEAKER
- Meeting of Annual Council Meeting, Council, Wednesday, 20th May, 2015 7.30 p.m. (Item 1.)
- View the background to item 1.
To elect a Councillor to serve as Speaker of the Council for the municipal year 2015/16 or until a successor is appointed, whichever is the sooner.
(Note: Section 4 and Schedule 2 of the Local Government Act 1972 provide that the election of the chairman (which post the Council has resolved to title ‘Speaker’ in Tower Hamlets) shall be the first item of business transacted at the Annual Meeting of the Council and that in the case of an equality of votes, the person presiding at the meeting shall give a casting vote in addition to any vote s/he may have).
Minutes:
Councillor Rajib Ahmed sought nominations to serve as Speaker of the Council.
It was moved by Councillor Rachael Saunders, seconded by Councillor Shiria Khatun and:
RESOLVED
That Councillor M. A. Mukit, MBE be re-elected to serve as Speaker of the London Borough of Tower Hamlets Council until the Annual Council Meeting in 2016.
[Note: Councillor M.A. Mukit, MBE and Councillor Khales Uddin Ahmed entered the Chamber at this point of the meeting.]
Councillors Rachael Saunders and Councillor Shiria Khatun, then came forward to witness the Speaker of the Council signing the statutory declaration of acceptance of office.
The Speaker of the Council, Councillor M. A. Mukit MBE, in the Chair
Following the adjournment of the meeting on 20th May 2015 and the resumption on 24th June 2015, Councillor Mukit addressed the Council about his year in office.
He reported that it had been a wonderful experience and a great privilege to serve as the Speaker over the year affording him the opportunity to attend many events with fellow civic colleagues. He had tried his best to attend as many as possible. There were so many unique experiences worth highlighting including: attending the Queen’s Garden Party, the local government anniversary event at Westminster Abbey and the London Mayor’s and Borough Mayors services. Other activities included raising money for the Poppy Appeal, participating in charity events, visiting Bangladesh to promote joint initiatives, welcoming esteemed visitors to the Borough from all over the world and celebrating cultural and educational achievements.
The Speaker also reported on his attendance of the recent civic awards ceremony, praising the work of the volunteers honoured who gave their time to community work.
Regarding his chosen charity, the Tower Hamlets Foodbank, he expressed gratitude for the kind contributions to the project. In particularly, he thanked staff for contributing so generously to their Christmas appeal. He had worked hard to support the charity. He also referred to the Speaker’s Charity Ball and his tour of Tower Hamlets with London Borough Mayors. In total, he had raised over £30,000 for his charity.
Finally, he thanked all those who had supported him throughout the year. This included colleagues, residents, his wife and daughter who had accompanied him as his consorts at events, as well as Council staff, particularly Patricia Attawia and everyone in Member Support and his drivers.
The respective political group leaders and the Mayor in turn each responded to the Speaker’s address, sharing some of their own favourite memories of his year in office and praising the personal quality that he brought to the role. They also congratulated him on his achievements over the year and thanked him for being such a good ambassador for the Borough.
The Speaker of the Council then addressed the meeting on his plans for his second year in office. He stated that it was a great honour to be re - elected for a second year running giving him more time to do all the things he wanted to do. He had chosen to support two charities during the forthcoming year in office. These were Mind in Tower Hamlets, that delivered a programme of services to people with mental health needs and the Surjamuki Project that provided services for young Asian people with moderate disabilities. He hoped that the Council would join him in supporting these charities. He also reported that once again, his wife and daughter would be his consorts for the year.