Apologies for absence were received from Councillors Irons and Pearce.

There were no declarations of interest.

HONORARY FREEDOM OF THE BOROUGH

Council is recommended to agree to present the person named below with a certificate conferring upon them the title of Honorary Freeman of the Borough affixed with the common seal of the Council.

The motion to be duly moved and seconded is:

“That, by virtue of the power vested in it by Section 249 of the Local Government Act 1972, the Council does admit Ivor Heller as Freeman of the London Borough of Merton.

This honour is bestowed on Ivor Heller in recognition of the substantial contribution he made to the Borough including for his work for AFC Wimbledon and his continuing work within the community.”

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

The Mayor invited Councillor Alambritis to move and Councillor Stringer to second the motion.

Councillor Alambritis

Madam Mayor,

Ivor Heller played a fundamental role in the resurrection of AFC Wimbledon but also in the return to the club’s home at Plough Lane.

Furthermore, as a community figure Ivor developed the Club’s commercial and hospitality revenues through extensive relationship building in Merton over the past 20 years.

What others say about Ivor

Kris Stewart said “Everyone at Wimbledon owes Ivor a debt of gratitude. His passion kept alive the dream of getting back home to Merton.

Mick Buckley added: “Ivor is integral to the AFC Wimbledon story in so many ways. He has led from the front, combining relentless drive with his ability to tell our story and engage with Merton’s residents.

For my part I have had the pleasure of knowing Ivor for several years through many meetings. I could see first-hand the passion and dedication he has for the Club and the leading role he played in its reformation and his yearning to be in Merton.

 That passion and drive has helped provide the Club with vital commercial revenues throughout the years and has nurtured relationships with a large number of Merton’s businesses and Merton’s  stakeholders.

It has been the greatest honour of my 10 year leadership of Merton Council to have worked with Ivor and this amazing football club.

Ivor was focussed on one venue alone and that was to be back at Plough Lane and that came through loud and clear to me, to Cllrs Judge and Whelton and to our dedicated officers.

Another former leader who had a hand in making sure AFC Wimbledon are where they arte today is Tony Colman

Tony was PPS to Mo Mowlam then Northern Ireland Secretary of State in the late 1990’s during talks on the Good Friday agreement

Tony argued ohn the sidelines of those discussions to make sure Wimbledon FC did not get uprooted to either Belfast or Dublin. He won that case!

Years later, I had many meetings with Ivor and Erik Samuelson. Some starting first thing in the morning, not a pretty sight either of us!!!

Others took place last thing in the day after 6pm with Crown House empty of our superb staff and me and Ivor rattling in the building trying to get to grips with developers, financiers and architects…again not a pretty sight!!!!

Council leaders have many meetings, some better than others but meetings with Ivor were always for a purpose, for a decision, for a confirmation and all about getting the club back to Plough Lane.

The memories are many and mostly they are good ones.

 The odd tremble between me and Ivor was when I tried to explain the Section106 planning process to him!

But Ivor is not just about football.

Ivor has also been at the heart of community initiatives.

The Leyton Road Centre (formerly High Path) has been a massive part of his life and will continue to be  ...  view the full minutes text for item 3.

HONORARY FREEDOM OF THE BOROUGH

Council is recommended to agree to present the person named below with a certificate conferring upon them the title of Honorary Freeman of the Borough affixed with the common seal of the Council.

The motion to be duly moved and seconded is:

“That, by virtue of the power vested in it by Section 249 of the Local Government Act 1972, the Council does admit Anthony Colman as Freeman of the London Borough of Merton.

This honour is bestowed on Anthony Colman in recognition of the substantial contribution he made to the Borough including serving as Leader of the Council from 1991-1997.”

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

The Mayor invited Councillor Judge to move and Councillor McLean to second the motion.

Councillor Judge:

Thank you Madam Mayor it’s a pleasure to move this motion. Tony Colman was Leader of Merton Council from 1991 to 1997 before becoming MP for Putney. He’d originally stood in Durnsford against Theresa May before being elected in 1990 for Lavender ward. He’d only been elected a year earlier but it was a measure of his quality that he became Leader of the Council so quickly.

He had been a director of the Burton group for more than twenty years and played a part in starting TopShop. As such, he brought business and managerial experience into the office. The Labour administration needed a new leader and Tony more than fitted the bill. It was soon apparent that he was completely on top of the business of the Council and demonstrated a sure touch and this was also the first administration Madam Mayor that operated in this Civic Centre.

The Council under his leadership carried through service improvements including being the first Council to introduce free nursery education. Learning disability services became state of the art and the capital headroom of the Council was prioritised for new housing. It was a time of considerable achievement and during his time the Council also had strong partnerships with the voluntary sector.

Tony was and is a strong environmentalist and attended the UN summit at Rio de Janeiro in 1992. An important appointment Tony made was Dame Heather Rabbatts, then our youngest Chief Executive who made a powerful impression and helped put Merton on the map. His next appointment was also a woman - Sue Charteris.

Tony started a monthly local Council newspaper – the Merton messenger to communicate with residents. Tony’s deputies were Maria Louise DeVilliers and then Sheila Knight who was also chair of education. Siobhain McDonagh who is with us this evening, now the MP for Mitcham and Morden, was chair of housing. Linda Kirby was chair of social services, Mike Brunt chair of the environment, Paul Harper chair of leisure, Kingsley Abrams chair of finance and Joe Abrams equalities.

Tony instituted weekly 7.30am Leader’s Strategy meetings to keep everyone on their toes, buoyed by compensatory bacon sandwiches. And not least of Tony’s contributions were the efforts he made to influence, persuade and sometimes to cajole his Councillor colleagues. The Council then operated through a hierarchy of Committees, political management required a close knowledge of all reports but also the personalities and views of committee chairs. Budgets in particular were a difficult process with continuing cuts due to reductions in government funding. The Labour group had a culture of democratic decision making and the whole group was involved in budget votes, item by item. Tony would go out of his way to discuss details with committee chairs, Linda tells me he once visited her at the school where she was teaching in Wandsworth to discuss the impending social services budget. There is  ...  view the full minutes text for item 4.

HONORARY FREEDOM OF THE BOROUGH

Council is recommended to agree to present the person named below with a certificate conferring upon them the title of Honorary Freeman of the Borough affixed with the common seal of the Council.

The motion to be duly moved and seconded is:

“That, by virtue of the power vested in it by Section 249 of the Local Government Act 1972, the Council does admit Harry Cowd as Freeman of the London Borough of Merton.

This honour is bestowed on Harry Cowd in recognition of the substantial contribution he made to the Borough including serving as Leader from 1980-1988.”

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

The Mayor invited Councillor McLean to move and Councillor Garrod to second the motion.

Councillor McLean:

Madam Mayor, Deputy Lieutenant, I am delighted to propose Harry Cowd to be admitted as a Freeman of the London Borough of Merton.

Harry was a former Leader of this council serving from 1980-1988 and Deputy Mayor in 1982/83 and helped to welcome his Holiness Pope John Paul II to Merton.

Harry was first elected in May 1974 for West Barnes ward, where he has always lived. He was deputy Mayor in 1978/9 and served on the Education, General Purposes, Planning and Housing committees. He was later the Chair of Planning and also of Housing.

Harry helped to develop the conservation areas and the information plaques, as well as leaving his mark on Merton by promoting the development of Wimbledon Town Centre, Savacentre and M and S at Colliers Wood and regenerating Merton Abbey Mills. He worked closely with the MP for Mitcham on the rebuild of Phipps Bridge Estate and worked with the private sector to develop light industrial and retail estates to boost employment in Merton, and supported Cannizaro House and Wimbledon Theatre as they moved from council to commercial ownership, as well as moving the council to our current civic centre.

Harry was also a trustee and chair of the POLKA theatre and Merton Vision and was the chair of Merton and Sutton – later Merton and Wandsworth Health Authority for 17 years. Outside of the council Harry was Headteacher at Chesterton Junior and then later Chesterton Primary School for 30 years as well as being the Scout Leader for the 22^nd Wimbledon Scout Group.

His colleagues and follow councillors always spoke highly of Harry and his enduring qualities of hard work and kindness.

Madam Mayor and Deputy Lieutenant, I am delighted to propose Harry Cowd as freeman of the London Borough of Merton, in recognition of his years of service to the borough.

Councillor Garrod:

Thank you, Madam Mayor.

It is an honour to be able to second the motion to grant Freedom of the Borough to someone who has given so much to the place we all here call home.

Not only during his long stint as Leader of the Council – the second longest serving Leader in the history of the London borough of Merton - but as someone who has dedicated their life to helping make things better for people in our community.

Although not born in the borough – we’ll forgive him for that fact - he was raised here in Merton. He went to school here, he was a scout here, and he was a Chorister here too. And he also served the good people of West Barnes, years before his time as a councillor in his duties as a paper a boy.

Harry joined Merton Council in 1974 representing the ward where he grew up. After serving on various committees, including education, general purposes, planning and housing he went on to become Leader  ...  view the full minutes text for item 5.

HONORARY FREEDOM OF THE BOROUGH

Council is recommended to agree to present the person named below with a certificate conferring upon them the title of Honorary Freeman of the Borough affixed with the common seal of the Council.

The motion to be duly moved and seconded is:

“That, by virtue of the power vested in it by Section 249 of the Local Government Act 1972, the Council does admit the late Vincent Talbot as Freeman of the London Borough of Merton.

This honour is bestowed on the late Vincent Talbot in recognition of the substantial contribution he made to the Borough as the first Council Leader of the then newly former Borough of Merton.

Mr. Talbot was first elected in 1949 as a councillor for the then Merton and Morden Urban District Council, a position he held for 16 years. He then served as a councillor for the London Borough of Merton from 1964 to 1982 and was elected Mayor of Merton for the civic year 1981/1982.

When Merton was formed in 1965, Honorary Alderman Talbot held the influential position of the first Council Leader until 1971. Mr. Talbot returned to the role of Council Leader for a further year from 1974 to 1975. He was then made an Honorary Alderman for his long service to the Council in 1990.”

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

The Mayor invited Councillor McLean to move and Councillor Whelton to second the motion.

Councillor McLean:

Madam Mayor, Deputy Lieutenant, I am delighted to propose the late Vincent Talbot as Freeman of the London Borough of Merton.

Vincent was known by his nickname of ‘Tolly’. He worked as a stockbroker and was born on 14^th March 1916.

Tolly served twice as Leader of the council. He was the first ever Leader of Merton Council following the reorganisation of local government, first serving from 1965-71, he later returned to be Leader of the Council in 1974-75. He was the Mayor of Merton in 1981-82 before standing down at the 1982 elections.

Prior to 1965 Tolly was the Chairman of the Merton & Morden Urban District, this is listed on the board in the corridor beside the Council Chamber. He was always intrigued to wonder if, one day, someone would link the two mentions on the honour boards together. Perhaps this is an idea whose time has now come!

In addition to his service to Merton as a councillor Tolly served for many years on the Aldermanic Bench, until its abolition. He served as a JP in Wimbledon for many years before retiring to Sutton and then to the Sussex coast.

Madam Mayor and Deputy Lieutenant, I am delighted to propose the late Vincent Talbot as freeman of the London Borough of Merton, in recognition of his years of service to the borough.

Councillor Whelton:

Thank you Madam Mayor. I wish to second the nomination of Vincent Talbot. Vincent Talbot had a major part in the history of Merton. He was the first Leader of this Council in 1965. Like some subsequent Councils, it was a hung Council and he rested on the support of the residents to be the Leader. But nevertheless it was bringing three Councils together; Merton and Morden, Wimbledon and Mitcham and that was a time of great change. In that administration Merton was one of the first Councils to introduce comprehensive schools in 1968, something that I believe has significantly benefited this Borough in the past 55 years. He also started a major housebuilding programme a new Council enabled rebuilding of new homes in my ward Pollards Hill and also the Eastfields estate. He was also the first person to serve as Leader and subsequently became Mayor in 1981 to 1982, but after he stood down from the Council in 1982 he was Chair of the Mitcham Common Conservators. I am the current Chair of that body but I know we owe a huge debt of gratitude to Vincent Talbot for his contribution but also ensuring that body has stable finances from which we benefit to this day, so much so that back in 2011 a road in Pollards Hill was named after him on the meadows – Talbot Close. That is the honour of Vincent Talbot and his contribution to Mitcham.

I think in the history of Merton Vincent Talbot and Harry Cowd have two  ...  view the full minutes text for item 6.

Council is recommended to agree to present former Councillor Janice Howard with a certificate conferring on them the title of Honorary Alderwoman duly affixed with the common seal of the Council.

The motion to be moved and seconded is:

“That former Councillor Janice Howard is conferred with the title of Honorary Alderwoman 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/woman to be passed by not less than two thirds of the Members voting thereon

The Mayor invited Councillor Macauley to move and Councillor Foley to second the motion.

Councillor Macauley:

Thank you Madam Mayor. Deputy Lieutenant, Madam Mayor, distinguished guests, I am absolutely delighted to have the opportunity to propose the motion that former Councillor Janice Howard is conferred with the title of Honorary Alderwoman of the London Borough of Merton in recognition of her loyal, distinguished and exceptional service to the Council for many years.

Janice was first elected as a Wimbledon Park Councillor in May 2010 and was not re-elected in May 2022 after 12 years of active service as a Councillor. During her time as a Councillor in the Conservative group she was shadow spokesperson for environment, transport and parking as well as culture and leisure, health and wellbeing. She was also vice-chair of the General Purposes Committee and when it merged with Standards. She served on the Licensing Committee, Healthier Communities Older Persons Scrutiny Panel, Planning Committee and the now defunct Street Management advisory committee.

In May 2019 she was honoured to be elected as the first citizen of Merton and due to the pandemic she served until September 2020. She became the longest continuous serving Mayor of Merton. During her Mayoral year she raised £87,000 net, over £100,000 gross for her two charities Macmillan Merton Cancer Support and Faith in Action helping the homeless. She was able to give both of her two chosen charities the sum of £40,000 each. In addition, she made smaller donations to Merton and Morden Guild and BAME Voice for their support during her Mayoral year. Janice had great support from the Aqua ladies of David Lloyd in Raynes Park and I am delighted to see them here tonight giving her support. After her Mayoral year she was part of the Mayoral fundraising Committee and the trust board helping the Mayors office with fundraising events and also collecting raffle prizes in support of the Mayors charities.

In 2021 she was elected to the board of the London Mayors Association and still elected this year for another term. The organised events for all 32 London mayors, attending meetings, protocol training day for all new mayors in Westminster Council and also the London Mayors Civic Service in Westminster Abbey. Because of Janice’s excellent skills in charity events, she is now the champion for organising the yearly Wimbledon Theatre event for the London Mayors Association which is very popular with the chain gangs. She is also a committee member of Macmillan Merton Cancer Support and also a school governor of St Mary’s Primary School in Merton.

Janice has given so much of her time to public duties with her outstanding skill and experience and therefore she deserves the honour of Honorary Alderwoman which I have no iota or scintilla of doubt whatsoever for her services for many years to the Borough. Our sincere thanks to Janice for all her work for the communities in Merton and I propose the motion, thank you very much Madam Mayor.  ...  view the full minutes text for item 7.