To elect the Mayor for the Council Year 2021/22 and note the appointment of the Deputy Mayor.
Minutes:
Madam Mayor, called on the Leader, Councillor Hamida Ali, to propose Councillor Sherwan Chowdhury as the new Mayor of Croydon.
The Leader proposed the motion and took the opportunity to emphasise Councillor Sherwan’s commitment to the people of Croydon with over forty years of service, including two decades as a councillor.
The commitment to wanting to make a difference in the community has meant that Councillor Chowdhury had built up a reputation to being a responsive, active and supporting councillor and had championed a number of community organisations, particular those dealing with equality and diversity in the borough. Councillor Chowdhury’s commitment to the Bangladeshi community was also recognised through his role in helping to establish the Bangladeshi Welfare Association of which he served as both its President and General Secretary.
The support he had given to Madam Mayor was acknowledged along with the support that would be provided by Councillor Felicity Flynn as Deputy Mayor.
Madam Mayor invited the Leader of the Opposition, Councillor Jason Perry, to second the motion.
Councillor Perry reiterated the Leader’s comments regarding the great support that Councillor Chowdhury had given the Bangladeshi community throughout his time as a councillor and that the community held great respect for him as a result.
Councillor Perry also expressed the hope that Councillor Chowdhury would have the opportunity to have a more traditional year as Madam Mayor had had to carry out many of her duties in a virtual capacity and looked forward to supporting Councillor Chowdhury.
Before the vote was taken the Madam Mayor confirmed that there were 37 Labour members and 22 Conservative members present on the call.
Madam Mayor put the motion to the vote which was unanimously passed to elect Councillor Sherwan Chowdhury as the Mayor of the London Borough of Croydon for 2021/22.
The meeting paused briefly (from 17:15 to 17:27) to allow The Mayor to dress in his chains of office and the Deputy Mayor to put on her badge.
The Mayor read out the declaration of office:
I, Councillor Sherwan Chowdhury, having been elected to the Office of Mayor of the Council of the London Borough of Croydon, hereby declare that I take the said office upon myself, and will duly and faithfully fulfil the duties of it according to the best of my judgement and ability. I undertake to observe the Code of Conduct which is expected of Members of the London Borough of Croydon.
It was explained to the meeting that both declarations would be signed, in a socially distanced way at the end of the meeting.
The Mayor formally announced Councillor Flynn as Deputy who also read out the declaration of office.
Mrs Rohema Chowdhury was formally announced as Mayor’s consort.
They explained that the past-Mayor’s badge and citation would be presented to Councillor Henson and the past-consort’s badge to Mr Mark Henson as soon as social distancing restrictions were sufficiently relaxed to allow this to happen.
In his acceptance address, The Mayor described the honour of becoming the first citizen and Mayor of Croydon having lived in the Borough for over forty years. In addition The Major spoke about the many years that he had worked in the social housing sector.
When growing up The Mayor was inspired by his father’s passion for helping others in the community which made him want to give back to the community that he lived in. The Major then outlined some of the work that he had been involved in.
The Mayor went on to say that as a first-generation immigrant who this country has given an opportunity, he wanted to ensure that every person had the same or better opportunities, that they did not face discrimination in any form and that they get the chance to explore and secure their aspirations and dreams. The Mayor spoke about his role within the Bangladesh community and the organisations that he had been part of.
The Mayor thanked the outgoing Madam Mayor, Councillor Maddie Henson for her work during the challenging year and for the personal support that she had given him.
The Mayor announced that the charities and voluntary organisations that would directly benefit from the Mayor’s fundraising activity would be one homelessness charity and two cancer charities.
In his closing remarks the Mayor thanked all those people who had worked so hard during the Covid-19 pandemic including those who had lost their lives.