Richard with the two teams and supporters

On 16 August Richard, in his capacity as the Mayor of Sutton, together with the chief of Sutton’s police service, Chief Superintendent Stringer, gave enthusiastic support to the teams from Sutton police and the local Muslim community who met for their annual cricket match at Purley cricket ground.

Richard with Chief Superintendent Stringer

Amna addressing the Sutton Liberal Democrat Group

Amna Ahmad has been selected overwhelmingly as the Liberal Democrat parliamentary candidate for Sutton and Cheam, ready to fight the seat if a snap election is called in the autumn. The Liberal Democrats are now ready to fight a General Election, having selected candidates in areas with a proud liberal tradition, such as Sutton and Cheam.

This follows reports that the new Prime Minister might go to the country early, before a possible recession and to take advantage of Labour in-fighting.

As the former London Assembly candidate for Sutton, Amna has a strong record of fighting for people, having campaigned for better trains, half price fares and more affordable housing for local residents.

Amna Ahmad said: “I am really proud to have been selected. It would be a huge honour to represent this wonderful area.

“I am well aware that Sutton, Cheam & Worcester Park does have its challenges. As such my three campaign priorities will be to improve train services, provide more school places for local families and protect local health services. 

“Nationally the country is in crisis. Both the Conservatives and Labour are focused entirely on in-fighting while the economy worsens, threatening jobs, public services and our efforts to build the houses Britain so badly needs.

“The Liberal Democrats are well placed to fight a general election whenever it is held and I am raring to build on our local tradition of delivering for local people. Since the referendum we have signed more than 17,500 new members nationally including a large number in Sutton.

“The Conservatives have destroyed their reputation for economic competence, with investment plummeting, putting Sutton jobs at risk. Their vicious cuts to local government are putting a strain on our community services. Labour has given up even trying to speak to the British people, and is engaged in a vicious fight with itself. We, meanwhile, are selecting candidates in key seats.

“Only the Liberal Democrats are an open, optimistic and united party committed to spreading opportunity for the next generation and focus on re-building the British economy to protect jobs and services.”

Amna with Trish and Richard

On 20 July we attended the Sutton South Hello annual garden party, held in the garden of Nancy, in Chalgrove Road. About 50 residents attended. There was good weather and music, and a good time was had by all.

Sutton South Hello, a social club for the elderly and those seeking friendship, is the result of collaboration between local Councillors, associations, residents, churches, our Sutton South Safer Neighbourhood police team and voluntary organisations like Age UK Sutton and SKILL (Sutton Centre for Independent Living). Heather Honour, former Liberal Democrat Councillor, chairs the Board and has worked hard to involve all aspects of the community in the project. Richard is a trustee of Hello, sits on the committee and was amongst those who helped found it.

It was launched at Christchurch, in Christchurch Park, on 9 May 2012 by the then Care Minister, Liberal Democrat MP Norman Lamb, and was the pilot for similar initiatives elsewhere in the Borough.

The weekend of June 11 and 12 was incredibly full for Richard and Gloria, in their roles as Mayor and Mayoress.  On Saturday Richard and Gloria attended the Carshalton Carnival, the picture showing them with the Carnival Queen and her attendants. Richard then opened the St Helier Festival, after which he played the trumpet with the Phoenix Concert Band at a concert during the afternoon tea for senior citizens at the Friends’ Meeting House in Cedar Road.

Opening the St Helier Festival

On Sunday there were many street parties, including one in Cumnor Road, to celebrate the Queen’s birthday.

[ Further and regular updates on Richard and Gloria’s Mayoral activities can be found on “Richard’s Blog” – go back to the top to find the link to click on. ]

In Cumnor Road

On 12 June Richard, as Mayor attended many local street parties

At the South Sutton, Cheam and Belmont Local Committee on 9 June some interesting and encouraging statistics were presented on our part of Sutton, drawn from the latest independent survey of the views of Sutton residents.

They showed that 83% of our residents are satisfied with how the Council runs things. More than half agreed that Sutton Council provides value for money in the services it provides. Some 83% of residents said they were satisfied with the area as a place to live.

Local residents feel fairly well informed about about the services and benefits provided by Sutton Council, with 79% agreeing that they were well informed. 75% feel informed about how their Council tax is spent and 76% believe they can influence Council-run services in their area. In each case these figures are significantly above the figures in Sutton as a whole (the comparative figures being 64%, 65%, 51%).

Local residents have significantly lower levels of worry about crime in the area, for every category of crime. Almost all feel safe walking alone in the neighbourhood by day and thre quarters feel safe walking alone in the neighbourhood after dark.

Our residents are great volunteers – over one in three regularly volunteer, compared to 19% in Sutton as a whole.

MY FIRST DAY AS MAYOR

Richard writes “I was very touched by the confidence shown in me by fellow Councillors in choosing to elect me Mayor. My first day as Mayor, following my election, involved two contrasting events that I attended with my wife Gloria, the Mayoress. I am told that in the course of my year as Mayor I may well attend over 300 events, and I hope they are all as stimulating as those on day one.

First, I had to cut the ribbon at the start of the “Cloverleaf” cycle ride commencing in the town centre. These evening rides are into their twentieth season and involve a ride of a couple of hours one evening a week during the summer months. A crowd of about thirty cyclists assembled. I was able to tell them that I am a cyclist, owner of a Dawes Galaxy bike, and twice completed the annual London to Brighton bike ride, as well as cycling across France to Chartres ten years ago to visit the cathedral there. Some of the cyclists are collecting sponsorship money so I offered that if they collect sponsorship for the Mayor’s charity appeal, supporting Sutton Shopmobility and the Altzheimer’s Society, I would invite them into the Mayor’s Parlour for a chat and a photo.

The second event was at All Saints church, Hackbridge and Beddington Corner, where the Reverend Susan Lynn Billin was licensed as priest-in-charge by the Bishop of Croydon. This was a moving service in a parish that has been without a priest-in-charge for about a year but that clearly has a big and enthusiastic congregation. I joined the MP Tom Brake in wishing Lynn the very best in taking on these responsibilities.”

[Further information on Richard’s day-by-day activities as Mayor are on his blog. Scroll back to the top of the page and find Richard’s Blog.]

At the meeting of Sutton Council on 23 May, when the new Mayor is elected and the membership of committees are changed, Trish and Richard took on new responsibilities. Trish continues a s a member of the Housing, Economy and Business Committee, is elected to the Standards Committee, and will sit on the Merton and Sutton Joint Cemetery Board. Richard stands down as chair of Planning Committee and is elected Mayor for the next year.

Here is the text of Richard’s acceptance speech.

“I have during the six years that I have been a member of this Council served under five Mayors, three of whom are currently members of the Council. All of them did the job with great distinction. Gloria and I will do our best to continue in that tradition.

I have many people to thank, but can I particularly thank our musicians. My good friends John, George, Rachel, Stephen and Andrew. When I was first elected to the Council there was a tradition of having some music during the natural interval that occurs in the middle of these annual meetings. It somehow lapsed but I was determined to revive it with – of course – brass musical instruments.

Last year there was a review of the functions of the Mayor. The review report noted the long tradition in the cities, towns and boroughs of our country of the office of a Mayor, and in London the history can be traced back to 1189. But the report included proposals to bring the Mayor of Sutton into the 21^st. century by promoting the Mayor through, and I quote the report, “twitter, facebook and a Mayoral blog on the Council’s website.” I hope this will become required reading for all of you and I will try to find something interesting or amusing to say each week, and you can give me marks out of ten.

Of course, these different Mayors, stretching back to 1189, had a wide variety of ceremonial and policy functions. The promotion of charities to aid those less fortunate in life is however a recurring theme throughout, and a role of the Mayor that continues, which brings me to the subject of charities. I am pleased to be able to tell you of the two charities I propose we support this year.

These are Sutton Shopmobility and the Altzheimer’s Society. The Altzheimer’s society has a strong presence in Sutton and the Council has worked hard on the theme of being a dementia friendly organisation. I have a personal interest as both of my late parents had severe dementia late in life and were cared for by family members who were greatly helped by the society. And it is the families and carers who often most need most support.

Shopmobility is probably thought of by many of you as a provider of mobility scooters to help people shop in the town centre, but the organisation has a much wider role and outreach to help all those with mobility problems, and there are many in the borough who would be completely housebound without this help. And we have Councillor Patel’s mobility scooter here to show us how important it is. In the audience tonight are some representatives of the charities and I hope Councillors will want to discuss the work of these charities with them later thisevening.

I would also like to appeal to all Councillors and indeed to everyone in this room to make a resolution to support the Mayor’s charitable appeal, and support at least one of the Mayor’s charity events this year, to support these worthy organisations.

Now, finally, I am advised that the Mayor may appoint a Chaplin and I am delighted that the Reverend Justine Middlemiss has agreed to be my Chaplin. Justine covers a number of churches in Sutton including the splendid Victorian church, Christchurch, in my Ward, which has splendid acoustics – as I know from playing the trumpet, a small part in a big band, in the church.

Now, Justine asked me a very pertinent question when I spoke to her about being the Mayor’s Chaplin. She asked me what do I want a Chaplin for? Well, part of the job description is to give the Mayor spiritual guidance and spiritual uplift. And being as human as everyone else, there are moments I feel a bit down and in need of spiritual uplift. Whether or not I need much spiritual uplift in the next year may depend a bit on you – I am talking to the Councillors now – and on whether you are well behaved and orderly when I come to chair these meetings.

But I have an advantage. For the last two years of my life I have chaired Planning Committee. And if there is any one member of the Council who sometimes needs a bit of spiritual uplift it is the chair of Planning Committee. So can I say how delighted I am that a Councillor of the calibre of Councillor Bourne is succeeding me in taking on this portfolio. She will do the job much better than I did. And Sam, if you find, as I did, that from time to time you need a bit of spiritual uplift – I will loan you Justine.

Now in a moment, if I can dispose of the rest of the agenda with dispatch, and I know Councillors will want to help me do this, we are going to enjoy the traditional reception put on by the incoming Mayor at these annual meetings. This is not a celebration of me, Councillor Patel and Councillor Cooke moving into these positions. It is a celebration we have once a year of the civic traditions of Sutton and our shared commitment to public service to the benefit of our residents. We know that there are sometimes pointed exchanges across the floor of the Council but there is much more that unites all of us in this room than that divides us. It is a mutual respect and a mutual belief that we all share in the virtues of public service, we would not be Councillors unless we had that shared belief, and tonight I would like you to share with me a celebration of these virtues.

That concludes my remarks under item 5, except to say it is a great honour to be elected Mayor of the borough. I am deeply touched. Gloria and I will do everything to repay the trust you have shown in us. It will be a great year for all of us, and I sincerely thank you.”