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V27-3 : RETIRING CHAIRMAN

A vote of thanks to the retiring Chairman, Councillor Devereux was proposed by Councillor Bostock who said that Councillor Devereux, together with his wife Barbara, had carried out the duties of Chairman with dignity and with an air which commanded respect. Councillor Bostock reflected on Councillor Devereux's year as Chairman and paid tribute to Frank for carrying on the tradition of inviting Councillors and Officers to the Chairman's room after full Council enhancing the informal communications between officers and members. Councillor Bostock also highlighted a departure from previous Chairmanships when he and Barbara took part in the Christmas Day swim off Lowestoft beach. Councillor Devereux had raised a lot of money and Councillor Bostock felt that this could be a new tradition for Council Chairmen to take part in. In concluding Councillor Bostock made mention of the extremely pleasant Chairman's reception held at Parkhill this time and made special mention of the support that Councillor Devereux had obviously received from his wife Barbara in fulfilling the duties of Chairman. She felt that Councillor Devereux had served the Council well and presented him with a framed photograph to mark his service as Chairman of Waveney District Council 1998/99.

Councillor Rose, for the Conservative Group endorsed all that Councillor Bostock had said about Frank. He felt that Councillor Devereux had carried out his duties as Chairman of the Council fairly and with an air of dignity. He certainly felt that Councillor Devereux would be a hard act to follow and he had also been a splendid ambassador for the Council. He highlighted the work Councillor Devereux had achieved in visiting all the different parts of the District particularly the Parish Councils. He felt that Councillor Devereux had only one fault and that was belonging to the wrong party! In conclusion he wished Councillor Devereux and his wife Barbara well.

Councillor Crisp, for the Liberal Democrats, endorsed all that had been said about Councillor Devereux and expressed her group's pleasure at the impartial way Frank had carried out his duties. She congratulated Councillor Devereux on his year particularly his Christmas swim which she felt was a sign of his dedication and had been above and beyond the call of duty. Councillor Crisp in wishing Frank and Barbara well congratulated them for carrying out their duties so well.

In reply, Councillor Devereux congratulated Councillor Taylor on his election to the position of Chairman of the Council and expressed his appreciation for all the comments that had been made about him. He thanked Councillor Taylor and his wife for the support they gave him as Vice-Chairman of the Council.

In reflecting on his year Councillor Devereux expressed how he had enjoyed the year especially meeting all the different people of Waveney which he felt had been a great privilege. His year had led him to a great number of strange and fascinating places which meant that he had learnt so much more about the District especially about the small groups, charities and organisations which improved the life of so many people within the District. He felt that without these groups the District would be that much poorer. He highlighted the visits to the parish and community councils and reflected on how much they differed from each other and the processes of this Council. He also mentioned the satisfaction he got from visiting local businesses and made mention of the business people who gave that little extra so as to improve the District. In looking at this Council Councillor Devereux mentioned a paper which the Chief Executive had given him about the Audit Commission Performance Indicators of the 260 District Councils in the country. He felt it was remarkable that Waveney not only came top in Suffolk but was 34th in the list of the 260 District Councils and offered his congratulations to the Officers, staff and Councillors for this achievement. In his travels round the District he certainly got the feeling from a number of people that Waveney was held in high esteem.

Out of all the functions he attended two stood out. The service at Bury Cathedral which was a harvest festival in aid of the Marie Curie charity and the Armistice Day on Royal Green and particularly the two minute silence which was extremely poignant and very moving.

Councillor Devereux also made mention of how well all the outdoor functions seemed to be run by Jenny Raho and other people always seeming to be cheerful which was no doubt noticed by the public attending. These included the Airshow, the National Motor Boat Racing in Oulton Broad, Maritime Week and the 80 Dutch boats visiting the new Marina in Lowestoft. He also made special mention of the hard work being done for the Triangle Market at Lowestoft which he felt was much appreciated by the traders in that area.

Further highlights included the photograph session on the Lowestoft beach for the promotion of the Councils holiday brochure, the Caribbean night held at Ipswich, the Christmas Dip and Lowestoft in Bloom. Councillor Devereux made a special thank you to the Chief Executive, Directors and staff of the Council particularly Janet Cutts for sorting out his diary, Bobby Cooke, Mike Coleby and Peter Whybrow for chauffeuring and making sure he kept to his timetable.

He thanked his wife Barbara for her support during the year and thanked Councillors Bostock, Rose and Crisp for their tributes the courtesies and support extended to him. He thanked the Council for his photograph. In conclusion Councillor Devereux presented the Council with a gift of a painting of the harbour at Lowestoft which had been painted by his daughter who had trained at Lowestoft College and the Royal Academy.


Volume 27 Minute 3

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