Agenda for St Edmundsbury Mayoral Advisory Committee on Thursday 31 March 2016, 1.00 pm

Agenda and minutes

Venue: GFR-13, West Suffolk House, Western Way, Bury St Edmunds IP33 3YU

Contact: Claire Skoyles  Email: claire.skoyles@westsuffolk.gov.uk

Items
No. Item

20.

Apologies for Absence

Minutes:

No apologies for absence from the Committee were received; however Councillor Julia Wakelam, Mayor Elect, who had been formally invited to attend, had given her apologies.

21.

Substitutes

Minutes:

No substitutions were required.

22.

Minutes

To confirm the minutes of the meeting held on 15 February 2016 (copy attached).

Minutes:

The minutes of the meeting held on 15 February 2016 were confirmed as a correct record and signed by the Chairman.

23.

Mayor Making and Annual Meeting of the Council - 19 May 2016 pdf icon PDF 135 KB

Report No: MAC/SE/16/001

Minutes:

The Committee considered report MAC/SE/16/001, which asked Members to discuss, with officers, arrangements for the Annual Meeting of Council on 19 May 2016.

 

The following arrangements for 2016 were approved:

 

(1)     Venue

 

The venue for 2016 would be the Apex, Charter Square, Bury St Edmunds

 

(2)     Rehearsal

 

The rehearsal would be held in the Apex on Wednesday 18 May 2016 at 5.00 pm.

 

(3)     Procession

 

It was agreed that the procession would assemble at the Guildhall at 12.30pm and start to process to the Apex by 12.45pm. The route was agreed as follows: from the Guildhall along Guildhall Street and into Cornhill. Turn left up Central Walk, across St Andrews Street South, up Gosnold Street and right into Charter Square. It was estimated that this would take 6 minutes.

 

(4)     Mayor Making

 

Time – It was agreed that the start time for the Mayor Making would be 1pm.

 

Film Recording – following an offer of film recording equipment free of charge, consideration was given to filming the proceedings for future prosperity.  This was agreed in principle, subject to appropriate agreements being sought, including agreement of the Mayor Elect.

 

Summons and Agenda – an A4 booklet with a card cover was agreed.

 

Music – It was agreed that this would be provided by King Edwards School with an orchestra for the procession in and a choir during the robing of the new Mayor.

 

Outgoing Mayor’s Charities – Consideration was given to incorporate the presentation of the outgoing Mayor’s Charities cheques to the relevant recipients into ceremonial business.  This was agreed, together with a photograph with each recipient.  Due to time constraints however, recipients would not be asked to provide acceptance speeches.

 

Mayor’s Chaplain – Consideration was given to the outgoing and incoming Mayor’s Chaplains sitting on the top table and exchanging places at the appropriate time in the ceremony.  This was agreed in principle, subject to their being sufficient space on the top table. 

 

Presentations – Presentations would be made to the incoming Consort and Deputy Mayoress, and the outgoing Mayoress. The new Mayor would advise who would make the presentations.

 

Speeches – Proposing speeches would be limited to 3 minutes and seconders should do so without an additional speech.  It was agreed to remove the need for a Vote of Thanks to the retiring Deputy Mayor, as this would be incorporated into the proposer’s speech for the incoming Mayor (as the retiring Deputy Mayor was expected to be elected Mayor for 2016/2017.)

 

Floral Decorations – Two pedestals for flowers would be located at either side of the stage. These could then be transported to the Athenaeum for the Civic Dinner that evening.

 

Public Address System – The Apex would provide the public address system.

 

Adjournment – It was anticipated that Mayor Making would conclude by 2pm and the top table and members would process from the auditorium. Tea and cakes would be provided on the first floor.  The adjournment would be limited to 45 minutes.

 

(5)    Annual Meeting  ...  view the full minutes text for item 23.

24.

Civic Dinner for the Outgoing Mayor and Mayoress, Councillor Patrick Chung and Mayoress - 19 May 2016 pdf icon PDF 115 KB

Report No: MAC/SE/16/002

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Committee considered report MAC/SE/16/002, which sought approval for various roles/decisions in respect of the Civic Dinner for the outgoing Mayor and Mayoress on 19 May 2016.

 

The following decisions were made:

 

(1)     Date and Time: Tuesday 19 May 2016.  The Mayor’s Secretary would confirm the time and communicate this to invitees in due course accordingly.

(2)     Venue: The Athenaeum

(3)     Seating: Round tables of 8 or 10

(4)     Style: Formal civic dinner

(5)     Dress: Dinner jacket or dark lounge suit, uniform and decorations

(6)     Caterer: West Suffolk College

(7)     Bar: Sodexo

(8)     Reception: Chief Executive, Mayor and Mayoress

(9)     Table Arrangements: Mayor’s Secretary to arrange.

(10)   Table Flowers: Mayor’s Secretary to arrange.

(11)   Grace: New Mayor’s Chaplain

(12)   PA: SFA (Simon Foster Associates)

(13)   Ticket Price: provisionally £40.00.

(14)   Toasts:

(a)     The Queen to be proposed by the Mayor;

(b)     The guests to be proposed by a serving councillor (to be confirmed); and

(c)     Response by a guest (to be confirmed).

(15)   National Anthem: One verse – accompanied

(16)   Vote of Thanks: to be confirmed

(17)   Music: County Upper School, Bury St Edmunds (to be played during dinner)

(18)   VIP Guest List (non-paying) (Appendix A):  It was considered that as in previous years, Community Business Representatives should continue to remain on the VIP Guest List as it was recognised that appropriate business leaders positively promoted the mayoralty function, economic growth and prosperity of  the Borough.  The majority of Members felt that the following should be allocated accordingly:

 

(a)     1 x ticket to the Chairman of New Anglia Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP);

 

(b)     1 x ticket to the Chairman of Greater Cambridge Greater Peterborough LEP;

 

(c)     2 x tickets to appropriate business representatives located in Bury St Edmunds; and

 

(d)     2 x tickets to appropriate business representatives located in Haverhill.

 

Those referred to in (c) and (d) above would be selected following discussion between the outgoing Mayor, Chairman of the Mayoral Advisory Committee (MAC) (upon consultation with other Members of MAC, as appropriate) and the Mayor’s Secretary.  It was also agreed that no separate donations would be given to County Upper School or King Edward VI School if the Head Teachers (or appropriate representatives) were to accept the VIP Guest tickets, as proposed.

 

Subject to the above, the guest list, contained in Appendix A was approved.

 

RESOLVED:

 

That the decisions taken in respect of the 2016 Civic Dinner for the outgoing Mayor and Mayoress, as detailed in (1) to (18) above, be approved and implemented.

 

 

25.

Mayoralty Protocol - The Financing of Twinning Events pdf icon PDF 226 KB

Report No: MAC/SE/16/003

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Committee considered Report No: MAC/SE/16/003, which sought approval for a number of recommendations in connection with the future financing of twinning events and the associated changes to the Mayoralty Protocol.

 

The Mayoralty Review, undertaken by the Committee in 2013, had considered the events attended and supported by the Mayor. The primary purpose of the Mayoralty was agreed to be the promotion of community engagement, the economic vitality of the Borough and the democratic process.  This should inform decisions about the acceptance of invitations to attend events and the choice of invitees to events hosted by the Mayor.

 

It had also been agreed that the diary of the Mayor had to reflect the resources available, and in practice events and invitations would be informally assessed with a view to determining which events aligned most closely with the strategic priorities of the Council. As a result of the review, the Mayoralty budget had reduced by £5,000 from 1 March 2015.

 

Bury St Edmunds was twinned with Compiegne in France and Kevelaer in Germany.  The Borough also had a Charter of Friendship with Huy in Belgium and Ehringhausen in Germany.

 

Consideration was given to the financial support currently provided to civic events connected with the twinning of the above towns and whether funding for such events should continue to be provided from the civic budget.  Under the Mayoralty Protocol, the Mayor was authorised to attend civic events in ‘twin’ towns with the cost funded through the Mayor’s Personal Allowance; however due to insufficient funds being available from this allowance, the costs had been funded from the civic budget in recent years. When twinning events were hosted by the Mayor in Bury St Edmunds, these were also funded from the civic budget.

 

The Committee considered the history and background to the twin towns, as outlined in the report and felt that modern communication should be encouraged, such as using video messaging and social media, which would maintain links with the twin towns but at a significantly reduced cost. Invitations to visit, and the hosting of twin town events, should not automatically be accepted by the Mayor and be funded by the civic budget.  Should the Mayor wish to support such events, these should be funded from the Mayor’s Personal Allowance, as originally intended.

 

In order to provide sufficient time to enable the Twinning Associations/Friends to raise their own funds to pay for twinning events, as appropriate, whilst also maintaining a commitment to celebrating the 50th anniversary of twinning with Compiegne in 2017, it was agreed that from 1 April 2018, no funding would be provided by the Council’s civic budget.

 

Encouragement was also shown for partners to become more involved, such as through local schools and Bury St Edmunds Town Council, to assist the Twinning Associations/Friends with their future events and fundraising activities.   

 

Attached as Appendix A was a tracked changed version of the Mayoralty Protocol, which enabled Members to easily view the amendments proposed.  Appendix B showed a final version of  ...  view the full minutes text for item 25.

26.

Any Other Business

Minutes:

With the agreement of the Chairman, the following items of other business were discussed:

 

(a)     Despite a reminder being sent with the Summons, Members would be actively encouraged to inform Democratic Services if they were unable to attend Mayor Making/Annual Meeting on 19 May 2016.

 

(b)     Later in 2016 and for future years, Democratic Services would ask Members to inform Group Leaders by email, if they wished to nominate a councillor for the office of Deputy Mayor in 2017/18 with a view to that councillor becoming Mayor in the following year. This was on the proviso that the prospective nominee had agreed to being put forward.  Nominations received by the Group Leaders would then be considered in private session by the Mayoral Advisory Committee at its meeting on a yet to be arranged date in late 2016/early 2017.

 

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