Agenda item

Announcements

To receive announcements from:

 

a)         The Mayor

b)         Leader of the Council

c)         Members of the Cabinet

d)         Chairs of Committees

e)         Head of Paid Service

Minutes:

The Mayor

 

15.1    The Mayor announced that a ceremony would take place at 11am on Friday 10 July 2020 at North Warehouse to mark 25 years since the genocide at Srebrenica. The flag would be flown at half mast.

 

15.2    The Mayor announced that a certificate had been prepared for Councillor Lugg to mark her being a Councillor for twenty years and invited Members to share their thoughts on her achievement.

 

          Councillor Stephens expressed that he was delighted that Councillor Lugg’s long service had been recognized and that she had made an important contribution to the City through both her time as a ward Councillor and her holding Civic Office.

 

          Councillor Lewis stated that Councillor Lugg was a great advocate for the people of Gloucester and expressed the thanks of the Conservative Group.

 

          Councillor Hilton conveyed the congratulations of the Liberal Democrat Group and that it had been a pleasure to have worked with her on the Board of Gloucestershire Airport. He also thanked Councillor Lugg for staying on as a Councillor during the COVID-19 pandemic when she had intended to stand down from her role.

 

          Councillor Gravells thanked Councillor Lugg for her work when Secretary of the National Sherriff’s Association.

 

          Councillor Lugg thanked Members for their good wishes and thanked the Mayor in advance of the delivery of the certificate marking her long service.

 

15.3    The Mayor announced that Paul James had stood down as a Councillor. Councillor Cook noted that Paul James was first elected in 2002 as one of two Conservatives and had been Leader of the Council from 2007 until late 2019. He stated that he was sure that Mr James would always have a fondness for both the City and the Council.

 

          Councillor Stephens stated that, while he and Mr James had numerous political differences, Mr James made an important contribution as a major force in driving the regeneration of the City and would be missed by his constituents. Councillor Stephens conveyed the thanks of the Labour Group for his work and their best wishes for the future.

 

Members of the Cabinet

 

15.4    The Cabinet Member for Economic Growth and Recovery, Councillor Melvin, brought to Members’ attention the newly initiated, ‘Monster Hero Safari Trail’ and that there were numerous locations for families to discover the stories of the monster superheroes. She stated that she hoped this would bring more people to the City’s high streets.

 

15.5    The Cabinet Member for Culture and Leisure, Councillor Morgan, informed Members that there had been a meeting of the culture and visitor economy action group and that there had been a lengthy discussion on the need to support local business. He invited Members to support local businesses in recovering from the current pandemic.

 

          Councillor Morgan announced that the Music Works project had been offered funding of £1m from the Arts Council as a consequence of the Council’s support. He also announced that £200k had been awarded to Music Works and the Culture Trust from the Disabled Facilities Grant fund in order to install a lift in Kings House where Music Works was to be situation on the top floor.

 

          Councillor Morgan brought to Members’ attention the launch of the Gloucester Good to Go digital campaign which was important for the promotion of Gloucester businesses.

 

15.6    Cabinet Member for Planning and Housing Strategy, Councillor Gravells, stated that he had been working with the South West branch of the Royal Institute of British Architects and that Gloucester had been invited to showcase their recent work at an online conference on 30 July 2020.