The three crucial votes of the night (1st two shown here) for Mayor, Deputy and Leader of the Council were won on the Mayor’s casting vote.
Others will no doubt blog about the petulance shown by certain members, but I am off to bed!
However just to reiterate – Labour won 9 out of 15 seats at the recent elections and remain (increasingly!) the largest group on the council. The fact that the leadership of the council was determined by the Mayor’s casting vote says it all about why the Labour group nominated a Labour Mayor. The information below should show why we selected the candidate we did: Deborah Edwards is an outstanding community-minded councillor and will work very hard.
Council’s press release:
“A new Mayor and a new administration for Reading Borough Council were both confirmed at the Annual General Meeting tonight. (May 25th)
Reading’s new ‘First Citizen’ for the coming year was confirmed as Councillor Deborah Edwards at the annual Mayor Making ceremony at the old Town Hall in Reading on Wednesday evening (May 25). Councillor Gul Khan, last year’s incumbent, was voted in at Deputy Mayor for 2011/12.
The annual AGM is also where political groups vote on an administration for the up and coming year. Following that vote it has been confirmed Labour will form a minority administration for Reading in 2011/12.
Reading Borough Council Leader will be Cllr Jo Lovelock. Her Deputy will be Cllr Tony Page.
Councillor Edwards, a mother of five and a grandmother of six, has been a Southcote Councillor since 2006. She has lived in Reading for more than 30 years but her association with the town goes back even further having previously lived in Reading with her parents in 1968. She is a school governor for Manor Primary and Southcote Primary schools.
Her chosen charities for 2011/12 will be:
Plan UK International
NSPCC
BWA
Albert Rd Day Centre
Launchpad
YMCA
Other local charities
Cllr Edwards said: ‘I am extremely honoured to take up the position as Mayor of Reading. I have lived in Reading for 30 years and because of the fabulous way the whole community embraces newcomers I feel I have become a Reading native through and through. I hope to serve all Reading’s residents and work to enhance our town’s standing across the UK.’
New Reading Borough Council Leader, Cllr Jo Lovelock, said: ‘Deborah Edwards will make an excellent Mayor. She is very committed to community activities and will be enthusiastic and energetic in everything she gets involved in. The new Labour cabinet is very focussed on getting down to business and in particular dealing with the challenging budget situation facing the Council. We will also develop new ways of engaging with the public on the issues which they tell us matter to them.’
The Annual General Meeting of the Council also saw the make-up of each of Reading Borough Council’s committees for Municipal Year 2011/12 confirmed, with the following Councillors appointed to Lead on the following portfolios:
• Council Leader: Cllr Jo Lovelock
• Adult Social Care: Cllr Mike Orton
• Culture & Sport: Cllr Marian Livingston
• Education & Children’s Services: Cllr John Ennis
• Environment & Climate Change: Cllr Paul Gittings
• Public Engagement & Health: Cllr Bet Tickner
• Housing and Neighbourhoods: Cllr Rachel Eden
• Regeneration, Transport & Planning: Cllr Tony Page (Deputy Leader)
• Service Delivery & Improvement: Cllr Jon Hartley”