Agenda item

The Mayor placed on record the Council’s condolences in the event of the tragic death of MP Sir David Amess and asked that a minute’s silence be held to enable a moment of reflection.

The Mayor also paid tribute to two Past Mayors/Honorary Alderman Michael Parkin and Brian McCluskie who had passed away and said that their contribution to the council would not be forgotten; the Council’s condolences were sent to their families.

The Mayor informed council that the past few weeks had been challenging and reminded all members that they were elected to serve the people of Worthing with fairness and equity and to act in a way that did not bring the Council into disrepute.

The Mayor had undertaken several civic duties, including:

·       opening the Salvington Mill Fun Day;

·       hosting the High Sheriff of West Sussex and his wife to a Town Hall tour and tour of the town centre;

·       meeting members of Worthing Shakers, a support group for people who suffer from Essential Tremor Symptoms; 

·       unveiling two Blue Plaques: one at the Dome for Carl Seebold who originally opened the Dome as an entertainment centre and the other was outside the Town Hall building for Ellen Chapman the 1st female Mayor of Worthing. The latter had been a project that had involved both the Mayor and Mayoress and he thanked the Town Hall team and the Worthing Society for their help and support and all those who contributed to their crowdfunding campaign to pay for the plaque;

·       launching the Worthing Mental Health Awareness week.

The Mayor and the Mayoress had also attended several Military Commemorations and events. These were:

·       the drumhead service outside the Town Hall to dedicate the Worthing Veteran’s Standard and to remember 3 Royal Naval veterans that “passed over the bar”;

·       the Canadian Memorial Day;

·       the RBL Lantern Relay in Shoreham;

·       the Battle of Britain Service;

·       the 80th anniversary memorial for the sinking of HMS BROADWATER; and

·       a very successful first Worthing Veterans’ Dinner/Dance.

The Mayor raised awareness of the recent Baby Loss Awareness Week and asked that the Council consider marking and recognising this event in the future.

The Mayor had been approached by Worthing College to provide the council with an overview of the Colleges Week 2021; a nationwide week of celebration organised by the Association of Colleges that shone a spotlight on Further Education colleges, highlighting the work achieved by students and staff - as well as campaigning for fairer funding for education. It was noted that Worthing College looked forward to welcoming the councillors to get involved in celebrating their local college and to remind them of the outstanding education offered to students in the Worthing Area.

The Mayor asked members to support Worthing Symphony Orchestra and their concerts; as WSO was a real asset for Worthing.

The Mayor announced that he was holding a New Year’s Bash in support of his mayoral charities and asked members to support the event.

There were no announcements from the Leader, Executive Members or the Interim Chief Executive.