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Lord Mayor's Annual Report 2003/04
LORD MAYOR’S ANNUAL REPORT 2003/04
‘MY YEAR IN OFFICE’
1.1 It has been an extremely hectic and exhilarating time serving our City for 13 months. The extension came about through the local elections being moved to June and gave me the privilege of being the longest ever serving Lord Mayor. It is a role that requires dedication and hard work and is appreciated by the majority of the public. The role of Lord Mayor is highly regarded and puts Sheffield in a very good position, sadly some council employees do not seem to have the same respect that the position brings.
1.2 My theme for the year was a friendly city and I can vouch that the visitors we received locally, nationally and internationally all left our city with a smile. It was a great honour to receive them and promote our city.
1.3 We certainly started off in a big way with a visit from the Queen within our first 24 hours. For 3½ hours I escorted Her Majesty around the city centre. We had a 3-course meal served here in the Town Hall by our own caterers, Mark Cummings and his staff. The food was of an extremely high quality. Our last engagement was to witness the status of St George’s Church in Doncaster becoming a Minster.
1.4 During our year we attended over 1,000 engagements of many varied and wonderful occasions, too many to go into detail. Should you wish further details please contact the secretaries in the Lord Mayor’s office. The fundraising was very successful where we managed to raise just over £17,000. The charity coffee mornings were also successful but very hard work. However, the charities Alzheimer’s and NSPCC have been very appreciative and helpful. Sadly, the Celebrity Charity Auction did not take off, but that has only been temporarily postponed.
1.5 The civic car played a very important part and was instantly recognised and many a remark was passed how grand it looked, it gave Sheffield status.
1.6 We also made some simple changes during our time in office, but it is amazing at the impact it made. We ceased giving pot plants for 100th birthdays and diamond and platinum wedding anniversaries, in favour of a beautiful simple engraved vase. We created Bookmarks for the children visitors. We arranged a full colour photograph to be displayed in Reception. We were also able to promote Sheffield Tartan, and I personally paid to have the first garments made after the Pipe Band. We also arranged for the Christmas tree to be in place early to make the most of the festive season. We suggested that the Civic Service be put back to its original standing of being in the morning and conducting a parade from the Town Hall. We were too late to do that, but I am pleased to say that the current Lord Mayor has started that new tradition. An agreement was made that the chauffeur’s uniform be updated to blazer and slacks with the crest during summer and an appropriate overcoat in winter. I feel that all garments in future should show the crest and not SCC embroidered on the garment.
1.7 The Lord Mayor’s Parade needs additional support. The Children’s Festival organizer, Pauline Eveleigh does a fantastic job, but is limited to the amount she can do. We managed to encourage a few extra activity groups e.g. Guides, Boys Brigade, Scouts, but we are still in need of more youth groups to celebrate and promote their good work.
1.8 The heating problem in the Parlour was resolved. However, there are still some issues I feel that need to be addressed. The catering needs to have its own budget so they can carry out a far better, bigger, more economical and professional service (so that we can promote civic dinners). The Black and Gold robes need repairing. Other authorities provide their Lord Mayors and Mayors with laptops to keep in touch with people who contact them, I feel that we should offer the same in Sheffield.
1.9 Recommendations 13.1 (d), from the report on the Review of the Lord Mayor's Service to the Management of Resources Scrutiny Board on 3rd February 2004 should be continued. The Parlour desperately needs a new carpet and the dining chairs need re-upholstering and re-varnishing. An agreement has been made that the Anti-Room will only be booked for meetings as a last resort, but this can still be a problem if groups do not know that they have to book the Anti-Room when booking the Reception Room.
1.10 We need to think of ways of displaying ALL our silverware. We are this country’s, if not the world’s, leading authority in silverware. All other authorities exhibit their treasures, we don’t.
1.11 It was noticed by others outside the authority that we were not actively involved with our Twinning Towns which did cause some embarrassment. I agree with the last Lord Mayor, Marjorie Barker that on some occasions having an attendant would have been most helpful for support to advise others on protocol. Having said this, these are areas which can be solved quickly.
1.12 Chairing Full Council was an experience in itself. I would like to thank Councillors for their co-operation and support even if I did have to instate a £5 fine for mobile phones and use the bell to keep order. The secretaries, cleaners, security, communications, front desk and chauffeurs gave 100%. They were all very supportive and helpful, which made our year truly memorable.
1.13 It was indeed a great honour to represent our city. We had an absolutely wonderful time. We were warmly greeted, well looked after and respected wherever we went. It was nice to see my husband and consort, Robert Leek, in his best ‘bib and tucker’, but be prepared for the number of personal photos you take, it gets expensive.
1.14 We were really amazed at the number of comments we received that Sheffield was this country’s “best kept secret”
1.15 In conclusion I would ask that Council notes this report and gives consideration to the issues raised.
Councillor Diane Leek
Lord Mayor 2003/04
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