Minutes:
It was proposed and seconded that Councillor Giles McNeill be appointed as the Leader of the Council.
There were no further nominations
RESOLVED that Councillor Giles McNeill be elected Leader of the Council for the 2019/20 civic year.
Councillor McNeill addressed Council and expressed his thanks at having been appointed and made the following address to Council: -
“I am enormously proud to be taking on this responsibility. I know that I have a great team of councillors who will progress our ambition to build a bright future for everyone in West Lindsey.
I will work hard to build consensus, both within our Conservative Group, and with the opposition parties - the Liberal Democrats, Lincolnshire Independents, Gainsborough Independents and unaffiliated independent councillor. While I am sure that there will remain areas of disagreement, I am confident that there are many areas where we share common aspirations. On these, I hope to build a constructive working relationship.
The motto of West Lindsey District Council is 'Strive for the gain of all'.
Some years ago, as a teenager, I went to Outward Bound Ullswater. I am proud that I have an Outward Bound badge, inscribed on the back are words from a poem by that great Lincolnshire poet Tennyson:
"To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield."
It is the final line of his poem 'Ulysses'.
As we celebrate the Mayflower400 it reminds us that the courage of our convictions can be a powerful motivator to shape and re-shape our world.
In the last century, fifty years ago, we raced with outstretched hands - us the most fragile of creatures - to fling ourselves and our machines, on wings of fire and steel, into the vastness of space, to land on the moon.
Our ambitions today must be no less than those who undertook that challenge. By the time of the next elections to this council NASA plan to be one year away from the permanent return of mankind to the moon, in preparation for our exploration of Mars and the worlds beyond.
In fact, with tomorrow fast approaching, now is the moment to commit heart and soul, body and mind, to dream bigger and bolder than we have thus far.
The challenges we face - climate change, an ever-growing population, the scarcity of resources, the blight of poverty on people's lives - must all be fought.
I will not yield in my efforts to seek and find solutions to the challenges we face, regardless of how insurmountable they may seem. I will strive for the gain of all without fear or favour, speaking truth to power.
Together we can achieve great things. Our ambition for West Lindsey must be limitless. Our aspiration for the people we serve unbounded by political gravity.
My hope is that my time as Leader of West Lindsey, whether it be long or short, shall be devoted to your service, the service of our whole district and its people.”
Other Councillors took the opportunity to thank Councillor Summers for his leadership over previous years.