(To be circulated before the meeting).
Minutes:
DEATH OF FORMER LADY MAYORESS, MRS FLORENCE SAVILLE
It was with sadness that the Lord Mayor reported the death of former Lady Mayoress, Mrs Florence Mary Saville. Mrs Saville who was Lady Mayoress in 1990/91, alongside her husband Ernest as Lord Mayor, died on 19 August 2018. On behalf of the people of the district, the Lord Mayor and Lady Mayoress attended Mrs Saville’s funeral service and wrote to express sympathy to the family.
DEATHS OF FORMER COUNCILLORS KEVIN HAWKINS AND MOHAMMAD MASOOD
It was also with regret that the Lord Mayor reported to Council the deaths of two former Councillors which had taken place since our last meeting.
Former Councillor Kevin Hawkins, OBE, who died, aged 71, on 11 September 2018 served this Council from 1975 until 1980 representing the ward of Silsden, Addingham, Kildwick and Steeton with Eastburn and from 1980 to 1983 he represented the Craven ward. He was Conservative group Chief Whip and Co-ordinator in 1979/80, went on to serve as Deputy Leader in 1980/81 and became Leader of the Group from 1981/82.
Former Councillor Mohammad Masood worked for this Authority as an Officer, before becoming an elected Member for the Heaton ward in 2004, a position he held until 2010. He worked for many years as a senior town planning officer and as Bradford West Area Co-ordinator. As a councillor Mohammad Masood was appointed as portfolio holder for Corporate Services on the Council’s Executive.
The Lord Mayor had written to both families extending condolences and to express gratitude for the work they carried out for this Council. Members paid tribute to former councillors Hawkins and Masood and Mrs Saville and stood for a minute’s silence.
RETIREMENT OF HER MAJESTY’S LORD-LIEUTENANT FOR WEST YORKSHIRE AND THE APPOINTMENT OF HER SUCCESSOR
Dame Ingrid Roscoe, DCVO, who for 14 years had served as Her Majesty’s Lord-Lieutenant for West Yorkshire, stood down on 1st September 2018. On behalf of the people of the district, the Lord Mayor wrote to Dame Ingrid on her retirement to thank her for her years of dedicated and distinguished service. Her Majesty The Queen appointed Mr Edmund (Ed) Anderson, DL as Lord-Lieutenant for West Yorkshire and he took up the position on 1 September 2018. The Lord Mayor had written to the new Lord-Lieutenant to congratulate him on his appointment.
Prior to her retiring, Dame Ingrid appointed the following as Deputy Lieutenants for the county: Zulfi Karim (Secretary-General of the Council for Mosques); Wahida Shaffi (the West Yorkshire Co-ordinator of Near Neighbours, a countrywide initiative bringing together people from different backgrounds to forge relationships of trust) and Mrs Elizabeth Reynolds, JP (a magistrate of thirty years’ standing, who was Deputy Chairman of the Bradford and Keighley Bench from 2011-2015 and then Chairman from 2015-2017).
BRADFORD BULLS CHAMPIONSHIP PROMOTION
The Lord Mayor congratulated Bradford Bulls rugby team on clinching promotion to the Championship with a 27-8 victory over Workington at Odsal on 7 October 2018 in the League One play off final.
BEENI WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION RETAINS HIS TITLE
Congratulations were also given to Bradford’s undefeated Beeni World Heavyweight champion, Umar Khan, from Manningham on retaining his title in front of a hometown crowd on 7 October 2018. Mr Khan hopes to inspire youngsters across the Bradford area to take up the sport, which is a form of arm wrestling popular in south Asia, and to thereby increase their interest and activity levels.
BLACK HISTORY MONTH
The Lord Mayor was pleased to officiate at the flag-raising ceremony marking the beginning of Bradford’s Black History Month on 29 September 2018 and
hoped as many people as possible had the chance to explore some of the events and activities going on throughout the district.
YORKSHIRE IN BLOOM SUCCESSES
Gratitude was placed on record to the Council’s Parks and Green Spaces teams and other groups and individuals who enhanced the environment in which we live, work and play with floral displays. In particular congratulations were given to those whose work has been commended by the Yorkshire in Bloom judging panel.
ALHAMBRA THEATRE AWARD SUCCESS
For the second consecutive year, Bradford’s Alhambra Theatre had been crowned the ‘Most Welcoming Theatre’ in Yorkshire and the Humber in the UK Most Welcoming Theatre Awards. The community support in voting for the Alhambra was a welcome reminder of how close to the hearts of local people – and those from farther afield – the theatre is. The Lord Mayor congratulated all concerned.
THE 72ND FESTIVAL OF REMEMBRANCE
A reminder was given that the 72nd Festival of Remembrance would take place at Bradford Cathedral on Sunday 4November 2018 featuring the traditional Parade of Standards, the City of Bradford Brass Band, the Military WAGS Choir from Catterick Garrison and the Service of Remembrance with the Bradford Cathedral Choir.
REMEMBRANCETIDE
This year the World War One Armistice centenary would be on Remembrance Sunday on Sunday 11 November 2018 with a service, an Act of Remembrance and wreath-laying ceremony at Bradford Cenotaph. Other services would take place at various locations throughout the district on that day. Remembrance poppies had been placed in trees and on lighting fixtures in the City Park area creating an ‘avenue of remembrance’.
