Rutland County Council's Annual General Meeting (AGM) took place under a cloud this year, with the recent relegation of Luton Town Football Club casting a long shadow, for the leader Gale Waller (Lib Dem)
Rutland County Council's Annual General Meeting (AGM) took place under a cloud this year, with the recent relegation of Luton Town Football Club casting a long shadow, for the leader Gale Waller (Lib Dem) The no members of the public present to witness the routine reappointment of Cllr Andrew Browne as Chairman and Cllr Samantha Harvey as Deputy Chairman.
Council Leader Gale Waller, known for his passionate speeches at previous AGMs, remained silent this year. Perhaps, the relegation had left her speechless, or perhaps a sense of decorum prevailed. Notably, no councillor dared to break the sombre mood with a mention of the fallen football team.
In a more controversial move, Gale announced the council would not be reappointing a Children's Champion for the coming year. her reasoning? All councillors should be seen as "corporate parents" taking responsibility for the well-being of Rutland's children. This decision didn't sit well with everyone, particularly Cllr Samantha Harvey, who had held the Champion role with dedication for the past four years.
On a brighter note, Cllr David Wilby was appointed as the council's Armed Forces Champion.
Additionally, the AGM saw the election of committee chairs and the appointment of councillors to various external bodies.
A final, somewhat optimistic, note was the announcement that future main council meetings will be held on Thursday evenings.
All members of the council were present
Councillor A Brown – Chairman of the Council
Councillor S Harvey – Vice-Chairman of the Council
Councillor N Begy
Councillor P Browne
Councillor T Carr
Councillor M Chatfield
Councillor G Clifton
Councillor K Corby
Councillor H Edwards
Councillor D Ellison
Councillor M Farina
Councillor K Heckels
Councillor O Hemsley
Councillor A Johnson
Councillor S Lambert
Councillor S McRobb
Councillor K Payne
Councillor R Payne
Councillor R Powell
Councillor R Ross
Councillor T Smith
Councillor L Stephenson
Councillor G Waller
Councillor A West
Councillor D Wilby
Councillor C Wise
Councillor H Zollinger-Ball
Councillor Andrew Brown, Lyddington, Independent, reappointed Chairman of Rutland County Council. Councillor Samantha Harvey, Cottesmore, Independent, reappointed Vice-Chairman of the Council
Cllr Andrew Brown, a esteemed local farmer, magistrate, part time comedian and repository of all things oak-related (he might have planted the first one in the county, no one's entirely sure), was ceremoniously reappointed chairman of Rutland County Council. He retains the gavel, a hefty thing that resembled a small tree trunk, for another year.
Cllr Andrew Brown, bless his britches, shuffled forward towards the microphone, seated in his chair, a faint moo emanating from somewhere deep within his tweed waistcoat (one never could be certain with Andrew). His acceptance speech was, as ever, a masterpiece of brevity. "Well, this is a surprise," he rumbled, gaze fixed firmly on a particularly interesting pattern in the carpet . "Didn't think anyone else fancied the job. Still got all my marbles, I suppose, most of 'em anyway."
Standing beside Cllr Andrew, a picture of youthful exuberance (by county council standards, anyway), was Cllr Samantha Harvey, the ever-enthusiastic deputy chair. At a sprightly young age, she practically effervesced with new ideas, much to Andrew's occasional bewilderment. Her reappointment was met with a smattering of applause – Samantha, bless her heart, was determined to make the County Council exciting, even if it meant introducing cheese-rolling contests and mandatory morris dancing lessons (a motion that Andrew squashed with the aforementioned gavel with surprising alacrity).
Samantha, said "adults are exhausting," was reconfirmed as his deputy with a sigh that could curdle milk. One would think she'd drawn the short straw, but rumours swirled that Samantha secretly held the real power behind the throne, keeping Andrew on the straight and narrow (or at least, out of the pub before council meetings).
Samantha, ever the diplomat, managed a thin smile and muttered something about "looking forward to another productive year." Whether she meant productive or riotously entertaining remained to be seen. One thing was certain: in the sleepy County of Rutland, the changing of the guard would have to wait. At least until Andrew finally decided sheep weren't bad conversationalists after all.
So, the unlikely duo of Andrew and Samantha would continue to preside over the Rutland County Council, a potent mix of sleepy tradition and youthful exuberance. One could only hope Andrew wouldn't mistake Samantha's motions for particularly enthusiastic cow calls during the next meeting.
