Agenda item

HM Queen Elizabeth II

 

At this first County Council meeting since the decease of Her Majesty

Queen Elizabeth II, I ask, those who can, stand and join me in a minute’s

silence of respect and reflection.

 

On 12 September, I read a copy of the Proclamation of the Accession of

His Majesty King Charles III on behalf of Surrey County Council. I would

like to take this opportunity to thank those Members, officers and staff that

attended, whether in person or virtually.

 

God Save the King! (Members repeat: God Save the King!)

 

My thanks to my Office, all those staff of the County Council and the emergency services for all their hard work and extra hours in making sure the Council showed proper respect and observances during the period of mourning of Her Majesty,

Queen Elizabeth II and the proclamation of King Charles III across the

county's services.

 

David Ivison - former County Councillor

 

During the summer break we heard about the death of a former colleague,

David Ivison. David served as a county councillor from 2005 to 2017 for

the division of Heatherside and Parkside, amongst other posts held during

his tenure, David was Chair of the Surrey County Council Transport Select

Committee. Our condolences to his family and friends.

 

For those that can, please stand for a moment's reflection in respect of our

past colleague.

 

Rosemary Scott - former County Councillor

 

Former county councillor Rosemary Scott has also very sadly passed away. Rosemary was a local and long serving county councillor for the old Ashford East division. Her family were by her side when she passed. Rosemary will be fondly remembered.

 

For those that can, please stand for a moment's reflection in respect of our past colleague.

 

Alison Todd (née Griffiths) - County Councillor

 

It is with great sadness to have to inform you of the recent death of Surrey

County Council Councillor Alison Todd. Alison had been ill for quite some

time and many of us knew this but it has still come as a shock to many

colleagues and friends. Alison was a hardworking, amazing and giving

colleague and a good friend to many. Our hearts go out to her family and

to all her colleagues and staff who will be deeply saddened that we have

lost such a kind and talented person.

 

Alison joined Surrey County Council in 2017. During her time as a

councillor, she served as Deputy Cabinet Member for Health between May

2019 and May 2021; prior to that she was the Deputy Cabinet Member for

All-Age learning from May 2018 to April 2019.

 

Alison was a dedicated Councillor for several years. She was a staunch

advocate for the residents of Sunbury & Ashford Common and her death

will come as a bitter blow to her community. Her passion for doing the right

thing by her residents and getting things done shone through.

Tributes have poured in from colleagues across the council, describing

Alison as a ‘wonderful woman, liked by colleagues from across the political

spectrum’ and highlighting how hard working and dedicated she was to

helping people.

 

Alison leaves behind her four children Dean, Chloe, James and Jade, her

five grandchildren and devoted husband, Phil.

Our condolences to her family and friends.

 

For those that can, please stand for a minute’s silence in respect of our colleague.

 

Surrey Fire and Rescue Service

 

I wish to thank the Surrey Fire and Rescue Service, who were much in

demand over the summer period in which we experienced unusually hot

weather and drought. And of course, to add our thanks to all emergency

services in the county along with our community resilience teams, who

together responded to incidents brought about by the extreme weather.

 

In July Surrey Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) were called to a wildfire at Hankley Common, Tilford. On arrival they were faced with a rapidly spreading fire, made worse by the strong winds and tinder-dry conditions. Crews worked tirelessly to control the fire and prevent it from spreading into surrounding properties. During one of the many briefings to the Ministry of Defence (MoD), SFRS asked if they could make use of a helicopter with water dropping facilities. The following morning a multi-agency meeting was held, and just three hours later the helicopter had arrived on scene and dropped it’s first 1,000 litres of water. Thanks to joint efforts from Surrey Police, the MoD and Landmark Support Services the helicopter continued to fly between Frensham Great Pond and Hankley Common, making 120 drops totalling over 120,000 litres of water with pin-point accuracy.

 

This collaborative working took some of the strain off already stretched resources, allowing them to be re-deployed to provide much needed cover during what was an exceptional hot and dry period. Following the success of deploying the helicopter SFRS are developing policies and procedures to allow us to consider its use at future wildfires.

 

Young Mayor & Youth Project Fund

 

Members you will recall, I hope, Surrey Young Mayor’s Youth Project Fund

(YMYPF). The fund was set up to support youth-led social action projects

as well as charities that benefit Surrey’s young people. Thanks to the

generous support of our Members who provided the funding, this year

Surrey’s Young Mayor, Natalie Wingfield, has been able to support several

outstanding projects and charities, including Surrey Heath Youth Council,

Blossom, Momentum, Challengers, Wheels For All and Leatherhead Youth

Projects.

 

Natalie has asked that I pass on her sincere thanks to Members and ask

for their continued support with the YMYPF - helping to inspire more youth

social action, fund more amazing youth charities and show support for the

future of the Surrey Young Mayor role.

 

If you would like further information about the Young Mayor, the Youth

Project Fund or how you could lend further support, please do contact my

Office.

 

During the summer break and the last month, I carried on Chair's business

by hosting events here at Woodhatch Place and supporting charitable

events across the county as well as visiting charitable organisations. Most

of this can be found on my social media pages.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Chair:

 

·         Led the Council in a minute’s silence of respect and reflection regarding the death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.

·         Led Members in announcing ‘God Save the King!’.

·         Led the Council in moments of reflection for former Surrey County Councillors David Ivison and Rosemary Scott.

·         Led the Council in a minute’s silence in respect of Surrey County Councillor Alison Todd (née Griffiths) who recently passed.

·         Noted that in a change to normal protocol, she had been asked by Surrey County Council’s Chief Executive if she may speak in tribute to Alison on behalf of the Council’s officers.

The Chief Executive spoke in tribute to Alison Todd, noting that she was an impressive, dedicated and ambitious councillor and brought a real insight and knowledge to her work with officers. She used her experiences to try and make the world a better place, focussing on improving mental health services, accessibility to good health care and tackling domestic violence and spoke of her ambitions for children and young people. She was an inspiration for all those who worked with her.

 

·         Noted that may Alison Todd rest in peace and on behalf of Members, sent love and best wishes to her family.

·         Noted that the rest of her announcements could be found in the Council agenda front sheet.