Apologies for absence were received from Councillors John Sargeant, Marsie Skeete and Jill West.

There were no declarations of interest.

Council is recommended to agree to confer upon Maxi Martin the  title of Honorary Alderman, and to present to her family a certificate duly affixed with the common seal of the Council.

The motion to be moved and seconded is:

That Maxi Martin is conferred with the title of Honorary Alderman of the London Borough of Merton in recognition of her loyal and distinguished service to the Council over many years.

Note by Chief Executive: Section 249 of the Local Government Act 1972 requires a resolution conferring the title of Honorary Alderman to be passed by not less than two thirds of the Members voting thereon.

The Leader, Councillor Stephen Alambritis moved the motion which was seconded by Councillor Oonagh Moulton

Councillor Stephen Alambritis

It is with great joy that I move this motion to confer the title of Honorary Alderman of the London Borough of Merton in recognition of Maxi Martin’s loyal and distinguished service to this Council over many years.

The date month and year was 7 May 1998 when the immaculately dressed fashionista Maxi Martin was first elected in St Helier Ward.  She soon established herself as a new labour loyalist and ever present campaigner and a friend to all.

Not the back benches for long for our Maxi as she made it into the Cabinet within 2 years of being elected.  In 2000 she was given the portfolio she loved most: Primary education and Children’s services

Fizzing with energy, Maxi was re-elected in May 2002 again for St Helier

Her caring approach was recognised when she was made Cabinet member for Care Services that same year.

Maxi certainly knew how to be presentable on important occasions and none more so than when she became the first citizen of the borough for the Municipal year 2003/2004. Maxi was a proud Mayor of Merton coming from Northumberland.  Naturally children and young people were the focus of her mayoral year.  To this day Maxi remains the only Mayor of this borough to put on a fashion show, and yes, with a catwalk included!!   The show was the talk of the town and the local papers were brimming with pictures synonymous with Paris or Milan; clear evidence once more that Maxi had made her mark on the borough.  She was helped during that amazing year as Mayor by her son Paul who is here today and by her colleague Cllr Judy Saunders as her Deputy.

And so we come to a hat trick of election wins when Maxi was returned again in 4 May 2006 in  St Helier and Maxi is again in the Cabinet for Children’s Services a post she held till her sad passing.   

Maxi loved every one of the Boroughs 45,000 children.  Maxi was regularly visiting local schools talking to headteachers, teachers, support staff, governors and the children.  Children would recognise her from a distance and run up to her just to say hello to a very stylish lady.

She was always a dazzling figure at meetings and events. She regularly chaired with charm the Morden Area Forum.

To Maxi Domestic Violence was totally and utterly unacceptable and she made it her cause to highlight how unacceptable it was. 

Another cause Maxi adopted was one that recognised the service to this country that comes from our Armed Forces. She called every soldier a hero!  Armed Forces Day in Merton was corralled, mustered, cajoled into place each year by Maxi’s immense organisational skills.

As Mayor Maxi opened the grand Baitul Futuh Mosque in Morden.  But Maxi religiously returned to that mosque for each of their wonderful events and was a true friend of the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 3.