Agenda item

The Speaker made the following announcements:

(1)           By-election result and Lewisham College Governor’s appointment.  Mayor Damien Egan spoke on these announcements:

·               Mayor Egan thanked Councillor Hilary Moore for representing the Council as a Governor’s appointee at the College for 9 years, and he congratulated Councillor Kim Powell as the new appointee. 

·               Mayor Egan also welcomed and congratulated Councillor Dawn Atkinson of the Deptford ward for securing the majority vote at the recent by-election, and he expressed an appreciation to those who supported her towards that victory.

(2)           On behalf of the Council, the Speaker congratulated residents who had received the King’s New Year’s Honours this year:

·               A CBE to Rosamund Adoo-Kissi Debrah - Co-Founder and Chair of the Ella Roberta Family Foundation for services to Public Health.

·               A CBE to Eve Coulter Salomon - Chair of Horniman Museum and Gardens for services to the Arts and Heritage.

·               An OBE to Benjamin Lindsay - Chief Executive Officer, of Power the Fight for services to the community in Southeast London. 

(3)           The Mayor of London Adult Learning Award Winner.  Councillor James-J Walsh spoke on this announcement.

·               Commenting on an illustrative video presented at the meeting about a young person’s journey through the Adult Learning Lewisham Programme, Councillor Walsh thanked officers who had worked with the individual as part of the Council’s integrated supported programme.to win the Mayor of London Adult Learning Award.

(4)           High Street Survey.  Councillor Kim Powell spoke on this announcement.

·            Councillor Powell thanked the Economies, Jobs and Partnership team, and the South London Business School for the second instalment of the Survey which took place across 9 busy high streets in the borough.  It was noted that statistical data from the Survey showed a continued optimism for establishing businesses in the borough.

(5)           Lewisham All-Age Autism Strategy.  Councillors Paul Bell and Laura Cunningham spoke on this announcement:

·            Councillor Bell stated that the Strategy represented the authentic voice of autistic people in the borough towards delivering a positive change, and he thanked officers and Councillor Laura Cunningham for their contributions in the development.

·            Councillor Cunningham acknowledged Councillor Bell’s leadership in the work of supporting autistic people to overcome barriers across the spectrum of challenging conditions that they face, particularly when transitioning from childhood to adulthood.  Commenting on the relevance of community involvement, Councillor Cunningham stated that the Strategy would be rolled out to users of all ages and their families for feedback with a view to make Lewisham an autistic inclusive borough. 

(6)           Lewisham in Bloom.  Councillor Walsh spoke on this announcement:

·                Councillor Walsh expressed his enthusiasm about the Lewisham in Bloom Programme and he advised that Members would be notified about its launch of green public spaces to showcase the borough as a great place to live and work.

(7)           Community Energy Fund.  Councillor Louise Krupski spoke on this announcement:

·                Councillor Krupski stated that a grant of up to £10,000 would be available to fund those community and voluntary group projects with information to demonstrate work undertaken to generate renewable energy, reduce fuel consumption and/or promote awareness about energy efficiency.