Thank you Mr Mayor.
May I start by congratulating you on your appointment. I believe you will do a great job in the role and I shall be cheering you on as you do so.
May I also congratulate Cllr Morgon on his election to Leader of the Administration. Again, I shall be cheering you on and pray that you do well in the role.
Mr Mayor, during the election the HRA stated that ‘Change is coming’, and it did.
The electorate delivered a clear message. They do not trust Conservatives to run the Borough.
They also made it clear that they do not trust the HRA party to do so, nor do they trust Labour.
The public voted, more than ever, for cross party politics and I am pleased that the HRA and Labour have been able to form a Coalition.
It may not be the outcome I wanted, but I am hopeful that this Coalition Administration will serve Havering well.
Mr Mayor, I would like to specifically congratulate those in Romford Labour.
I believe that they ran the cleanest campaign and this is reflected in the Labour party’s surging in popularity.
The public rewarded Labour’s positive campaigning. Because, Mr Mayor, the public demand grown up politics.
My Conservatives colleagues and I must now take note.
But grown-up politics, Mr Mayor, is about more than being polite. It’s also about transparency and the truth. It is only when we are transparent and honest that we can win the public’s trust. It is for this reason that I rise today.
Mr Mayor, in March 2022 this chamber, I believe, voted for a 15% reduction in our top politician’s pay, thanks to a motion by the East Havering Resident’s Group.
This saw the Leader’s, Mayor’s, and other’s allowances reduced. The Leader’s allowance was reduced to just over 39 thousand pounds and yourself, Mr Mayor, are awarded just over 10 thousand pounds.
Mr Mayor, just yesterday the HRA used social media to tell me that "this was irrelevant", as it was "constitutionally null and void".
But it is not, Mr Mayor, morally null and void.
Mr Mayor, despite claims that the Coalition is reducing the Leader’s pay, it is in fact increasing this by 1 thousand pounds. Your own salary, Mr Mayor, will increase by 15 hundred pounds.
Mr Mayor, today’s proposals from the Coalition see an increase in top politicians pay.
To claim otherwise is to ignore the success of East Havering Resident’s Association in reducing allowances.
I do, however, acknowledge that there is an overall reduction in the total allowance spend.
Mr Mayor, I welcome this and I commend the Leader and his coalition for this.
I will be supportive of Coalition proposals, when they are in the best interests of my residents and Havering.
But, Mr Mayor, I cannot be supportive today.
Today’s proposals are an increase in pay for The Leaders.
They are an increase in pay for yourself, as Mayor.
Mr Mayor, today’s proposals are an increase of 63 thousand pounds on what the HRA proposed, just this March.
Mr Mayor. I want this Coalition to succeed, so that Havering succeeds. I have a hope for Havering that I believe many others in this room have.
My Mayor, they can have their new structure without increasing their pay.
END