Minutes:
Before moving to the formal business on the agenda, the Executive Mayor (Chair) made the following announcements:
i) The Passing of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II – Efforts of Staff
The Executive Mayor wished to place on record, his thanks to all the Council’s staff, volunteers and partners who had worked tirelessly over the past fortnight to ensure Croydon was able to appropriately mark the passing of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.
He said that, from the many floral tributes to the attendance at the proclamation and memorial service at the Minster last Sunday, Croydon had shown the warmth with which Her Majesty would be remembered and welcomed the new King with grace. He said it was a proud civic moment for the Borough.
ii) Passing of Councillor Badsha Quadir
The Executive Mayor was sad to announce that, at the same time, the
Borough had tragically lost its colleague, Councillor Badsha
Quadir, who passed away on Sunday 11 September.
The Executive Mayor said that Badsha had served as a Councillor since 2010, first in Purley Ward and then, more recently, having represented the residents of Selsdon Vale and Forestdale. During that time, the Executive Mayor said that Councillor Quadir had been a committed ward Councillor and a passionate champion for the wider Muslim community and the many charities and community groups that he had supported.
The Executive Mayor went on to say that Councillor Quadir was a dear colleague and close friend, and his death was a great loss to the community and the Borough. He said that a condolence book had been opened in the Town Hall Reception for anyone who wished to leave a message or share a memory of Badsha.
All present, stood silent in his memory.
iii) Energy Costs Measures
The Executive Mayor welcomed recent announcements by the new Prime Minister on measures to help tackle increasing energy costs. He said that the unprecedented increases in the global cost of gas and electricity, resulting from the war in Ukraine, had left many households worried about how they would pay their bills.
The Executive Mayor said that, earlier in the summer, he had written to the former Chancellor calling for more support for households and small businesses and was glad to see that was exactly what was being delivered.
The Executive Mayor said that, in addition to the previous support already provided to households, people would now see energy costs capped for two years, but while the costs would still be higher than people were used to, they would be significantly lower than feared. He said that today’s announcement that businesses would also see their energy fixed for six months would be a great relief to the many small businesses across the Borough.
The Executive Mayor acknowledged that the cost of living rises in the months ahead would be challenging for both the Council and its residents but these significant new initiatives by the Government would make a massive difference and the Council would be proactively signposting residents and businesses to available support such as the £3m hardship fund.