Cheques and chain handovers will conclude the mayoral term at a poignant meeting of Bradley Stoke Council this week. The outgoing mayor Councillor Tony Griffiths will end his term on Wednesday May 17 at the meeting held at 7:00pm, by presenting cheques to representatives from his selected mayoral charities, the Great Western Air Ambulance Charity and St Peter's Hospice.
The sum of £9,289.88 has been raised over the past year through various events, including the town's Community Festival, the annual Scarecrow Trail, and the firework display.
Cllr Griffiths said: “It has been an honour to serve as Mayor. I’m delighted with the total amount raised and very grateful to everyone who has donated. It has been a fantastic opportunity for these charities to get involved in local activities and I am gratified to help them to raise funds. It’s good to know so many people will benefit. My thanks go to the volunteers who helped with the collections and supported Council’s events in the past year. Let me also pass my immense gratitude to all councillors who supported, especially Cllr Tom Aditya, Cllr Franklin Owusu-Antwi, Cllr Roger Avenin, Cllr John Ashe, Cllr Keith Cranney, Cllr Terri Cullen, and Cllr Dr Edward He.”
Bradley Stoke Town Council consists of fifteen councillors elected from five different wards. While five councillors from the previous term were re-elected, ten new councillors, including six from the Labour Party, two from the Conservative Party, one from the Green Party, and one from the Liberal Democrats, emerged victorious in the town council elections held on May 4. The Labour Party secured the most seats with seven, followed by the Conservatives with six, while the Green Party and Liberal Democrats each secured one seat. This marks the first time in history that Labour has become the largest political group on the Bradley Stoke Town Council. Although the council is now under "no overall control," Labour has the option to form alliances with other parties.
Notable among the newly elected councillors is Miss Aleena Aditya, who has become the youngest councillor ever elected to represent Bradley Stoke Town Council, closely followed by another teenage councillor Mr James Nelson.
The remaining newly elected councillors are David Addison, John Bradbury, Frederic Contenot, Natalie Field, Jenny James, Brian Mead, Kulwinder Singh Sappal, and Alderman Jon Williams. Among the re-elected councillors are former Mayors Cllr Tom Aditya, Cllr Roger Avenin, and Cllr Ben Randles, as well as Cllr Terri Cullen and Cllr Dayley Lawrence.
The recent elections saw the loss of seats in the town council by the two South Gloucestershire councillors, Cllr Franklin Owusu-Antwi and Cllr Keith Cranney, who represent Bradley Stoke. The elections also saw the retirement of former Mayor John Ashe, the longest-serving councillor who has served on the Bradley Stoke Town Council since 2004.
Following the presentation of the cheques to the charities by the mayor, the formal proceedings of the Annual Town Council meeting will commence. The meeting will begin with the election of the chair of the council (mayor) and the vice chair (deputy mayor) for the upcoming year, accompanied by the ceremonial handover of the chains of office. Additionally, various committees of the council, spokespersons, council representatives for external bodies, and signatories of the council's bank accounts will be elected during the annual town council meeting.
The Annual Town Council meeting of the Bradley Stoke Town Council will take place at the Jubilee Centre, located at Savages Wood Road, BS32 8HL on Wednesday, May 17, 2023, at 7pm.
