Agenda item

To elect the Chairman for the 2021/22 Municipal Year.

The Monitoring Officer advised that following the vote for the Chairman and Vice-Chairman of the Council a short video would be played showing the Covid safe exchange of the Chains of Office. The Chairman and Vice-Chairman would then read their Declarations of Acceptance of Office.

Councillor Lynne Doherty proposed Councillor Clive Hooker as Chairman for the Municipal Year 2021/22. This was seconded by Councillor Graham Pask.

Councillor Lynne Doherty added her thanks to Councillor Graham Pask for his two years of service which was much appreciated by all Members. It gave her great pleasure to propose Councillor Clive Hooker as she had first met Councillor Hooker at one of the many induction sessions that Members were required to attend in the 2015 intake. Since that time she had got to know Clive Hooker as both a member of the Conservative Group and also through his role of Chairman of Western Area Planning. Within that role Clive had demonstrated a number of traits that she held dear which included fairness and integrity. He was always considered and balanced in his views and sought to treat everyone fairly in his dealings with them. It was these very traits that gave her confidence to propose him as Chairman as she was sure that he would continue to act in this manner in the coming year.

When she had first spoken to Clive about becoming Vice-Chairman in 2019 with the intention to then become Chairman in 2020 he had been truly honoured to be asked and he felt sure that he and Christine would enjoy being the Council’s civic representatives for the year and looked forward to the many events and occasions that they would attend on behalf of West Berkshire Council. At this point Clive had no idea that his move into the role would in fact take two years. She was grateful to both Clive and Graham for their patience and endurance over this time as the Council moved through the roadmap out of Covid and she saw a growing number of events being reinstated across the district in the future. She hoped that Clive would now have the opportunity that so many of his predecessors had had - to act as the Council’s ambassador and represent West Berkshire. Councillor Doherty was sure that he would do well when it came down to his role as Chairman and that he would take his duties very seriously – preparing beforehand and then treating everyone with respect whilst retaining a firm control. Clive had been a magistrate for 34 years and she was sure that he had had more difficult crowds than this one to control. It therefore gave her great pleasure to propose Councillor Clive Hooker as Chairman of the Council for 2021/22.

Councillor Graham Pask said that it gave him great pleasure to second the nomination for Councillor Clive Hooker as he had been an outstanding Vice-Chairman for the last two years. Last year had not gone as planned and he hoped that as Councillor Doherty had stated that events would start to open up for him and Christine to enjoy.

Councillor Tony Vickers added his congratulations to Councillor Clive Hooker for being nominated and as his Vice-Chair to his well-run Western Area Planning Committee for the last two years he was very happy to see Clive elevated to the position of chairing the Full Council meetings and he was sure that he would take that role seriously but with a sense of humour when appropriate. 

RESOLVED that Councillor Clive Hooker be elected as Chairman of Council for the Municipal Year 2021/22.