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 from 1980 - 1988.

Now many people have remarked on how young I am to be leading the Council, but Harry was even younger than me when he started out. But his youth did not stop him from leaving a lasting impact in our borough.

He led the Council during the re-development of Wimbledon Town Centre, brought Council staff here into one building in the civic centre, kickstarted a wave of house building and refurbishing of council housing stock, helped keep Merton as the home of tennis, and was a fierce defender of the arts and culture in the borough. I know that Harry is especially proud of the twinning of Merton with Irving, Texas and that he is still in touch with a number of those involved at the time of when he was Leader.

An impressive political operator, Harry as Leader was formidable but thoughtful, tough but kind, and was driven by a clear vision for how he was going to lead Merton to achieve the best chances in life for the people who lived and worked here.

After being Leader of the Council, Harry gave his time to local causes and institutions – from the Polka Theatre to Merton Vision, and Chairing the Merton, Sutton and Wandsworth Health Authority for 17 years where he also held onto local NHS lands standing up to government ministers to protect them for the future healthcare support for the people of Merton - some are still waiting to be redeveloped but that’s another story!

A lifetime of service committed to Merton and this award is long overdue.

I want to if I can also congratulate Ivor Heller, Tony Colman, Janice Howard, and the family of Vincent Talbot for the recognition they are so deservedly receiving tonight and thank you for all you have done for Merton over the years.

It hasn’t gone unnoticed that tonight the chamber is full of former leaders, not just those that we are celebrating at this meeting but the three that sit on these benches with me. I’m incredibly grateful to be able to turn to Cllrs Brunt, Judge and Alambritis, but also to be able to seek the sage guidance of leaders who stood for other parties than my own but are still generous in their advice and time.

Harry, congratulations and thank you for your unyielding commitment to this borough – the place where you grew up and led.

Madam Mayor, I second the motion.

The Mayor then called for a vote and the vote was carried, unanimously. Harry Cowd was invited to receive a certificate conferring upon him the title of Honorary Freeman of the Borough affixed with the common seal of the Council.

The substantive resolution was agreed.

RESOLVED:

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