To receive notification of any matters which the chairman determines should be considered as urgent business and the special circumstances which have made the matters urgent, and to receive any announcements from the chairman.
Minutes:
The chairman provided housekeeping information and invited councillors to join her for refreshments following the meeting.
She advised that prior to the Council meeting Margaret Reed, Head of Legal and Democratic, had received written notice from Councillor Matthew Barber that he had resigned as leader of the council. On behalf of the council, the chairman thanked him for his service to the council as leader since 2011.
She congratulated Councillor Emily Smith on her election as leader of the Liberal Democrat Group and therefore leader of the opposition.
She advised that former councillor Tommy Thompson had died on Tuesday 24 April 2018. The funeral will be held on 22 May at 11.30am at St Giles Church, Great Coxwell.
Councillor Debby Hallett responded by wishing Councillor Matthew Barber best wishes for what comes next in his life having witnessed his growth from an intelligent decision maker to a wise leader and stated that he leaves some pretty big shoes to fill. Whilst she disagreed with his policies, and the way they have been implemented, she respected him as leader of the main political group and of the council. He tried to keep to his word, listened to those who disagreed with him, saw things from other people’s perspective and worked to make things better.
Councillor Yvonne Constance made the following personal statement of appreciation for Councillor Matthew Barber’s service to the Vale.
“All good things come to an end and I want to make a personal statement of appreciation for his service to the Vale.
We were both elected in 2003, when Matt was only 21, but it was very quickly clear he had an interest and a grasp of the issues way beyond his years. Born to the role I decided, and knew he followed a grandfather.
In 2011 he became leader of the Council and we benefitted immediately from his strong strategic vision; his intelligent appraisal of pros and cons of every issue; his decisiveness; his attention to impact on the residents, and from the articulate fluent statements about everything – always lightened by humour I have never been able to do!
And disagree we have done – more than once, but he leaves today with impressive achievements: These are the big strategic ones – all these achieved whilst ensuring an efficient and responsive Council was delivering services in the here and now:
· Delivered Part 1 of the Local Plan and houses to meet Housing Land Supply – ahead of all in the County, and I now know ahead of all in the Region too
· Made shared administration work with SODC, and without accepting any undue costs for the Vale
· Agreed a future for the Vale in the Unitary bid – still to be decided by the Minister
· Agreed future funding for infrastructure for the Vale in the Oxfordshire Growth Deal
These are big shoes to fill . . . . . . and I thank you Matt for exceptional service in your time as Leader of the Vale”.