SHOULD EPPING FOREST BE GOVERNED BY A MAYOR?

Epping Forest District Council has launched a public consultation to gather views on how the executive governance of the Council should be structured in the future posing the question: ‘Should EFDC be run by a Leader of a Mayor’.

Under the Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act 2007 all Councils with a Leader and Cabinet have to consult on executive arrangements. Although the new Coalition Government has said it intends to repeal this law at some point (letter here from Rt. Hon. Grant Shapps MP), Councils still need to comply with the current Act and carry out this consultation.

Ian Willett, Assistant to the Chief Executive at Epping Forest District Council, said: "The main difference in the options is how the head of the Council is elected. Under the current system of Leader and Cabinet, the Leader is appointed by Councillors. A Mayor would be directly elected by residents of the district. Councillors are able to remove the Leader from Office whereas a Mayor could only be removed by residents at elections every four years, unless they resign or become disqualified."

The options are:
Option 1 - Leader and Cabinet: The leader is elected by the District Councillors. They serve up to four years unless they cease to be a Councillor or are removed as leader by a resolution of the Council. The Leader appoints up to nine Councillors to the Cabinet. He or she decides which areas of responsibility (portfolios) each member of the Cabinet will hold. The Leader can sack members of the Cabinet or change their portfolios at any time. The Leader can delegate some or all of their powers to the Cabinet, Committees, individual Councillors or Council Officers.

Option 2 - Elected Mayor and Cabinet: Residents vote to decide who should be elected as Mayor to run the Council. The Mayor is elected for four years unless they resign or become disqualified. Candidates do not need to be Councillors but if a serving District Councillor is elected as Mayor their seat on the Council automatically becomes vacant. The Mayor holds a range of powers (except for those reserved to the Council by its constitution). She or he can appoint between two and nine Councillors to a Cabinet and decides what, if any, executive powers they will exercise. The Mayor can sack any member of the Cabinet at any time and appoint a replacement. The Mayor appoints one member of the Cabinet as Deputy Mayor. That person exercise the powers of the Mayor in his or her absence or if he or she no longer holds Office. The Mayor drafts the Council budget which can only be overturned by a two thirds majority of the Council.

The online consultation is a quick and easy way for you to tell EFDC your views. Paper questionnaires are also available as they want to encourage as many residents as possible to take part. If you live or work in the Epping Forest district, you can complete the consultation online here or alternatively, click here to download a paper copy of the response form.

OLIVE DUNSEATH SELECTED EPPING TOWN MAYOR

Sitting Town Councillor, Miss Olive Dunseath has been elected as the new Mayor of Epping with Councillor Mrs. Mari-Louise Whitbread, the wife of District Councillor and Cabinet Portfolio Holder Chris Whitbread being elected Deputy Town Mayor.

Miss. Dunseith (pictured with Janet Hedges and I) has sat on the Town Council for 11 years and has fought hard to ensure Epping retains it’s traditional character and appearance. She described herself as “a back room worker” who finds the “thrust to the forefront as a figurehead somewhat daunting”, but explained: “I want to help improve the look of the High Street and focus on the things which the local populace are concerned with.” Cllr. Miss Dunseath will serve in this role for a period of 12 months.

EPPING PREPARES TO ELECT ITS NEW MAYOR

Epping Town Council are due to hold their Annual Meeting on Tuesday 4th May at 8.15pm at Epping Hall, St. John’s Road, Epping, CM16 5JU, to which all members of the public are invited to attend.

At this meeting, the first item of the agenda is for sitting elected Councillors in Epping to nominate and vote to elect a new Town Mayor for a period of 12 months. The current Mayor of Epping, Councillors Mrs. Janet Hedges will hand over her the town’s gold Chains of Office, her seat as Chairman of Council proceedings and relinquish all duties associated with being the ‘First Citizen’ of Epping before joining the ranks of Former Mayors.

At one of my own final events as Mayor of Epping, I met with 11 Former Mayor’s, the photograph from which I have attached showing, from left-to-right: Dennis Favre, Ken Avey, Susan Perry, Richard Brady, myself, Letitia Berry, Daphne Jenkins, Hugh Pegrum, Ralph Dulwich, Alan Smith and Peter Burns.

REVIEW OF REMEMBRANCE SUNDAY IN EPPING

Once again this year, Epping saw record numbers of residents turn-out at the town’s War Memorial to show their respects for those remarkable young men who have given their tomorrows for our today.

The events, organised by the Royal British Legion, saw Epping Forest MP Eleanor Laing, Chairman of Epping Forest District Council, Cllr. Mrs. Penny Smith and Mayor of Epping Janet Hedges all lay poppy wreaths on behalf of the town, district and parliament.

Following the wreath laying ceremony at the War Memorial, the parade, led by the Epping Forest Pipe Band and including war veterans, air and army cadets, members of the guides and scouting organisations, representatives of St. John’s School and police and fire officers, marched through Epping High Street, paying respects to local dignitaries on the way.

A Service of Remembrance then took place at St. John’s Church, led by the Rev’d Geoffrey Connor, supported by the Epping Forest Band. EFDC Chairman Penny Smith read from the bible, whilst Mayor Janet Hedges read the names of the fallen. After the service, wreaths were also laid at the Civilian Memorial outside St. John’s Church.

LORD MAYOR OF EPPINGEN COMES TO TOWN

The Lord Mayor, or Oberbürgermeister, of Eppingen in Germany, Klaus Holaschke and his wife are due to arrive in Epping tomorrow and shall be spending the week attending official functions in and around Epping Forest with the aim of strengthening links between the twin-towns.

Some of the engagements will include an Oktoberfest dinner at Copped Hall which is being held this Saturday (24th October) at 6pm. Music will be provided by the Epping Forest Band, with a wide selection of food and drink on offer. There are a small number of tickets still available at £12.50 per head. If you are interested please email me by clicking here.

On Wednesday the Mayor’s of Epping and Eppingen will meet along with members of the Epping-Eppingen Town Twinning Association and Epping Town Council at a reception at Epping Hall.

For more information about the Town Twinning Association, please click here.

CHARITY FUNDS PRESENTED TO ST CLARE HOSPICE

Today, Keeley and I have had the pleasure of visiting St. Clare Hospice in Hastingwood to present a cheque for £2,775.00 to Richard Cowie, the charity’s Chief Executive.

The funds were raised by Keeley and I during my term of office as Mayor of Epping where I pledged to support this amazing charity which desperately needs to grow and develop its facilities to cope with the overwhelming number of patients who wish to use the Hospice as their final resting place.

The money has been used to purchase new flat screen televisions for each of the 8 patients bedrooms. The previous TVs had become very out of date and took up an enormous amount of room which is often needed for bulky equipment and space for relatives to be close by.

Thank you to everyone who supported my charity and for those of you wishing to learn more about St Clare Hospice or to make a donation, please click here.

SUPPORTING HAVEN HOUSE CHILDREN’S HOSPICE

Today, Keeley and I have had the pleasure of visiting Haven House Children’s Hospice in Woodford green to present a cheque for £2,775.00 to Ian Sparks OBE, the Chairman of Trustees and Chief Executive and his colleague Christine Twomey, the Director of Care.

The funds which were presented were raised by Keeley and I during my term of office as Mayor of Epping where I pledged to support this amazing charity which has seen a financial impact from our troubled economy, but cannot afford to let the services it provides alter, because they are so very vital.

The money has been used to completely refurbish a ‘messy play’ room for the children which is accessible to all. The thought of helping children who are facing some horrific conditions and illnesses have fun brings an enormous smile to my face.

Thank you to everyone who supported my charity last year and for those of you wishing to learn more about Haven House or to make a donation, please click here.

TWIN-TOWN GROUP SEEKS NEW MEMBERS

The Epping Eppingen Town Twinning Association have recently launched a campaign to promote the work they do and to encourage local residents to join their Association.
Epping entered into a twin-town agreement with Eppingen in 1981 and since then regular visits have taken place between the people of Epping and the people of Eppingen, which is located in Southwest Germany, near to Stuttgart.
At a recent open day, a large number of visitors viewed a selection of the many photographs, leaflets and videos relating to the twinning.
At this event, I joined the Association's management team to unveil a new cabinet in Epping Hall, which displays some of the many gifts which have been presented to the people of Epping over the years. I hope this to be a very small step towards establishing a museum in Epping to catalogue and display some of the wonderful artefacts which are currents locked away in a variety of store cupboards.
I had the pleasure of visiting the Lord Mayor of Eppingen, Klaus Holaschke in November last year, having previously visited some 11 years before that. The town is a beautiful, historic, green area and I was amazed with how welcoming the people of Eppingen always make visitors from Epping feel.
The next visit to Germany will take place between Friday 24th and Sunday 26th July 2009, during which time Eppingen host their annual festival.
If you are interested in joining the Association or would like to discuss the issue further, please contact Tony Church on 01992 574680 or email him at tony@churchspires.com Alternatively, you can contact the Association's website by clicking here.