Issue - meetings

To elect the Mayor for the Municipal Year 2025/26.

The Mayor presented two Long Service Awards to Councillor Richard Henry and Councillor Simon Speller in recognition of their 30 years of service to the Town and the Council.

The Mayor then welcomed all Members, and he recounted some of the highlights of his year, which included the Multi Faith Gathering at the Grace Church, Sargam Stevenage Onam Festival (Kerala), his indoor garden party, the Mayor’s Charity Ball and Ceilidh, and a number of Park Run events.

The Mayor then thanked his Mayoress, Penny Schenkel, his PA Tracey Frost and Member Services Officer Sheila Scrivens for their support throughout the year along with Hilary Spiers from the Arts Guild for her contribution to a number of his Mayoral events. 

The Mayor then asked for nominations for the Office of Mayor for 2025/26.

Councillor Richard Henry firstly thanked the Mayor and Mayoress for their successful year in Office.  He then nominated Councillor Nazmin Chowdhury for the Office of Mayor.  In nominating Councillor Chowdhury, Councillor Henry informed the Council that as well as being one of the younger Members of Council and having represented the Bedwell Ward since 2022, she also represented the Bangladeshi Muslim community, reflecting the diversity of the town.  Since her election, Nazmin had been involved in community development, collaborating with many organisations including the Stevenage World Forum.

The nomination was seconded by Councillor Ellie Plater who was pleased to nominate her fellow Bedwell Ward Councillor as someone who truly embodied the spirit of Stevenage and was a valued member of the community, helping people navigate challenges, standing up for fairness and ensuring that voices were heard.

There being no other nominations, a vote was taken and it was RESOLVED that Councillor Nazmin Chowdhury be elected as Mayor for the 2025/26 Municipal Year.

Councillor Nazmin Chowdhury then made the statutory declaration of office.

The Mayor then announced that Kier Williams would be the Mayor’s Consort for 2025/26.

The Mayor thanked the Council for her election and all his guests for their attendance at the meeting.  She thanked the outgoing Mayor Councillor Jim Brown for his representation of the Town and also as a support and friend in her role as Deputy Mayor for the past year. 

The Mayor thanked her fellow councillors, her family, friends and the people of Stevenage for the trust placed in her.  She then gave an inaugural speech, including the announcement that her theme for the year was ‘Growing Together, Building a Kinder Future’ and that her chosen charities for the year were the Young Carers Crew and the Rotary of Stevenage Grange.

The Mayor advised Council that she would continue to promote equity, compssion and community partnership and looked forward to working with charities, schools, faith groups and businesses to make Stevenage stronger, fairer and more connected.

To elect the Mayor for the Municipal Year 2024/25.

The Mayor presented a Long Service Award to Councillor Robin Parker in recognition of his 40 years of service to the Town and the Council.

The Mayor then welcomed all Members, in particular the newly elected Members, to the meeting.  She then gave a speech thanking the Council for a wonderful year in office, during the 50th anniversary year for the Council.  She informed Council that it had been a great honour to have been able to serve the Town as its Mayor and she recounted some of the highlights of her year, which included Chairing the Council meetings

The Mayor then thanked her son John Arceno who had been her Consort for the year, her husband Joseph for his support along with work colleagues from the NHS and the many community groups she had dealt with during the course of the year.  The Mayor then thanked colleagues across the Council and the Council Officers who had helped her throughout her year in office, particularly the Mayor’s PA Tracey Frost and Members’ Services officer Sheila Scrivens.  The Mayor reminded Council that she had undertaken 366 engagements during the course of the year and had raised £11,500 for her charities.  The Mayor was pleased to advise that she would continue to be a Dementia Champion for the Council and ensure Stevenage remained a dementia friendly Town.

The Mayor then asked for nominations for the Office of Mayor for 2024/25.

Councillor Richard Henry nominated Councillor Jim Brown for the Office of Mayor.  In nominating Councillor Brown, Councillor Henry informed the Council that Cllr Brown was a keen runner and cyclist and had run more than 60 marathons.  He was also a board member of Cycling UK and had been a Governor at Marriotts School for almost thirty years.

The nomination was seconded by Councillor Simon Speller.

There being no other nominations, a vote was taken and it was RESOLVED that Councillor Jim Brown be elected as Mayor for the 2024/25 Municipal Year.

Councillor Jim Brown then made the statutory declaration of office.

The Mayor then announced that Penny Schenkel would be the Mayoress for 2024/25.

The Mayor thanked the Council for his election and all his guests for their attendance at the meeting.  He particularly mentioned the diverse make-up of the Council following the recent elections.  He then gave an inaugural speech, including the announcement that his chosen charities for the year were about sport and active recreation; the arts and music; and social inclusion:

·         Stevenage Arts Guild;

·         Hertfordshire Sports Partnership and

·         People for People.