Minutes:
The Leader made the
following announcements:
(a) added his
personal congratulations to Councillor Posnett on her MBE, stating that it was
well deserved and long overdue. He also
referred to a former Member of the authority, Councillor Rob Waltham, who had
also been awarded an MBE in the recent Honours List. Councillor Waltham was now the Leader of
North Lincolnshire Council. The Leader
proposed that a letter of congratulations be sent to Councillor Waltham on
behalf of the Mayor and Members of this Council. The Council indicated its support for this
proposal;
(b) reminded Members
that the Melton Local Plan was now out for consultation. The Strategic Growth Plan for Leicester and
Leicestershire looked even further ahead to 2050. A briefing session was to be held on 1 August
to which all Members were invited;
(c) referred to an invitation that had been extended to all
Members to meet informally with the new Chief Executive on 24 August;
(d) paid tribute to
the outgoing Chief Executive and her achievements during her 12 years with the
Council. He said that Mrs Aisbett had
encouraged a culture of delivery of customer focused services for the residents
of the Borough, leading on the continual improvement and delivery of integrated
services with the Council’s partners.
Amongst other notable achievements, he said that Lynn would be known
most for leading the Council’s recovery from the office fire in 2008. This had led to where the authority was now
in terms of its location in Parkside, delivering services in partnership with
the other agencies. The Leader concluded
by referring to her modest style which was very much appreciated. However, she had also not been afraid to
challenge Members when required. Members
and officers stood to applaud Mrs Aisbett;
(e) thanked Mrs
Angela Roberts, the Head of Communications and Monitoring Officer, who was also
leaving the Council at the end of the month.
The Leader, both on behalf of Members and personally, thanked Mrs
Roberts for her support and caring manner.
As former Leader of the Council when Mrs Aisbett had been
appointed to the post of Chief Executive, Councillor Graham MBE also wished to
place on record his personal thanks to Mrs Aisbett. Councillor Graham referred to the sound
financial management of the authority under her leadership in conjunction with
the Head of Central Services, Dawn Garton.
Under her stewardship, supported by the Strategic Director, Keith
Aubrey, the Council had gained a reputation, second to none, in looking after
vulnerable people and had won numerous awards.
He wished Mrs Aisbett well in her retirement, stating that the Council
would be forever in her debt.
As a former Mayor, Councillor Illingworth thanked Mrs
Aisbett for the confidence and reassurance she had provided during his term of
office. He said he spoke on behalf of
past Mayors who had all appreciated her guidance during Council meetings.
Also as a former Leader of the Council, Councillor Posnett
paid tribute to the legacy that Mrs Aisbett would leave following her
departure. Councillor Posnett
particularly mentioned the Learning Hub which had enabled young people to move
on and achieve a better quality of life.
Melton Borough was one of the smallest authorities but it had the
biggest ideas and she would look forward to continuing that journey with the
new Chief Executive. Councillor Posnett
wished Mrs Aisbett well in the next stage of her life.
Councillors Hurrell, Chandler, Higgins, Wright, and Rhodes
also added their own thanks to Mrs Aisbett, referring to the support she had
given them personally and to the contribution her leadership had made to the
ethos of the Council and how this had driven the improvement of services for
both the inhabitants of the town and the rural areas.
Mrs Aisbett and Mrs Roberts were then presented with flowers by the Leader.