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Council - Wednesday, 27 May 2026 - 7.30 pm
May 27, 2026 at 7:30 pm Council View on council website Watch video of meeting Read transcript (Professional subscription required)Summary
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The Havering Council annual meeting saw the election of Councillor Maggie Themistocli as the new Mayor for the 2026/27 municipal year. Councillor Keith Prince was elected as the Leader of the Council for the 2026-2030 term, and subsequently announced his new cabinet.
Election of Mayor
Councillor Maggie Themistocli was elected as the Mayor of Havering for the 2026/27 municipal year, securing 41 votes. Councillor Barry Mugglestone received 11 votes, with three abstentions. Councillor Christine Vickery was appointed as Deputy Mayor. The outgoing Mayor, Councillor Sue Ospreay, was thanked for her service, during which she raised £88,770.65 for her chosen charity, the MCA Trust.
Appointment of Leader and Cabinet
Councillor Keith Prince was elected as the Leader of the Council for the 2026-2030 term, with 43 votes in favour, one against, and 11 abstentions. Following his election, Councillor Prince announced his new cabinet:
- Deputy Leader and Finance: Councillor Sue Benjamins
- Adults and Healthcare: Councillor Graham Day
- Children: Councillor Kevin Gill
- Customer Services: Councillor Sean McMahon
- Highways: Councillor Alex Sibley
- Housing Allocation: Councillor Martin Lardner
- Planning and Public Protection: Councillor Terry Brown
- Public Realm: Councillor Martynas Cekavicius
- Regeneration and Property: Councillor Robert Whitton
Committees and Scheme of Delegation
The Council agreed to appoint its committees for the 2026/27 municipal year and confirmed the scheme of delegation to officers. This included agreeing the membership sizes and political balance of each committee.
Appointment of Committee Chairmen and Vice-Chairmen
Following nominations and votes, the following members were appointed as Chairmen and Vice-Chairmen of various committees:
- Audit Committee: Councillor Luke Barry (Chairman), Councillor Geoff Burgess (Vice-Chairman)
- Governance Committee: Councillor George Harwin (Chairman), Councillor Joe Lock (Vice-Chairman)
- Licensing Committee: Councillor Christine Vickery (Chairman), with Councillors Kevin Ayres, Petru Eugen Dinsorean, and Geoff Starns as Vice-Chairmen.
- Pensions Committee: Councillor David Johnson (Chairman), Councillor Graham Edwards (Vice-Chairman)
- Planning Committee: Councillor Gary Payne (Chairman), Councillor Sathya Maddasani (Vice-Chairman)
- Strategic Planning Committee: Councillor Kevin Ayres (Chairman), Councillor Alex Donald (Vice-Chairman)
- Overview and Scrutiny Board: Councillor Barry Mugglestone (Chairman), Councillor Angelica Ola (Vice-Chairman)
- People Overview and Scrutiny Sub-Committee: Councillor Khuram Amin (Chairman), Councillor Tom Vickery (Vice-Chairman)
- Places Overview and Scrutiny Sub-Committee: Councillor Alex Donald (Chairman), Councillor Bailey Nash-Gardner (Vice-Chairman)
- Appointments Sub-Committee: Councillor Keith Prince (Chairman), Councillor Sue Benjamins (Vice-Chairman)
Appointment of Member Champions
The Council agreed to create four additional Member Champion positions: Anti-knife Crime, Disabilities, Veterans, and Wildlife. The following Member Champions were appointed:
- Anti-knife Crime: Councillor Terry Brown
- Armed Forces: Councillor Alex Donald
- Disabilities: Councillor Della Morton
- Equality & Diversity: Councillor Della Morton
- Historic Environment: Councillor Martynas Cekavicius
- Over 50s: Councillor Liz Tyler
- Veterans: Councillor Luke Barry
- Voluntary Sector: Councillor Angelica Ola
- Wildlife: Councillor Kevin Ayres
- Young People: Councillor Khuram Amin
Delegated decisions linked to this meeting
Decision summaries below are AI-generated from the council’s published record. Check the council source or the full decision page before relying on them.
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APPOINTING THE COMMITTEES OF THE COUNCIL AND THE SCHEME OF DELEGATION
Recommendations ApprovedThe Council of Havering Council decided to approve recommendations regarding the appointment of committees and the scheme of delegation on 27/05/2026. The Council agreed to appoint committees for the 2026/27 Municipal Year, confirm non-elected member appointments, and agree the delegation of non-executive functions to officers.
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APPOINTMENT OF THE LEADER OF THE COUNCIL 2026/30
Recommendations ApprovedThe Council of Havering Council decided on 27/05/2026 to approve recommendations. Councillor Keith Prince was elected as Leader of the Council for the 2026/2030 term.
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APPOINTMENT OF THE MEMBER CHAMPIONS
Recommendations ApprovedCouncil decided on 27/05/2026 to approve recommendations for the appointment of Member Champions. Councillor Terry Brown was appointed Anti-knife Crime Champion, Councillor Alex Donald was appointed Armed Forces Champion, Councillor Della Morton was appointed Disabilities Champion and Equality & Diversity Champion, Councillor Martynas Cekavicius was appointed Historic Environment Champion, Councillor Liz Tyler was appointed Over 50s Champion, Councillor Luke Barry was appointed Veterans Champion, Councillor Angelica Ola was appointed Voluntary Sector Champion, Councillor Kevin Ayres was appointed Wildlife Champion, and Councillor Khuram Amin was appointed Young People Champion.
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APPOINTMENT OF THE CHAIRMEN AND VICE-CHAIRMEN OF COMMITTEES
Recommendations ApprovedCouncil appointed members to committee chair and vice-chair positions on 27/05/2026. A motion to amend the nomination for Vice-Chairman of Governance Committee was agreed. The Council approved the appointment of Chairmen and Vice-Chairmen for various committees.
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MINUTES
Recommendations ApprovedThe Council of Havering Council approved the minutes of the meeting held on 18 March 2026. The Council also approved revised Contract Procedure Rules, changes to the Constitution, and the Pay Policy Statement 2026/27. Additionally, the Council agreed to note a report on exceptions to the scrutiny call-in procedure.
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MAYORALTY 2026/27
Recommendations ApprovedThe Council of Havering Council elected Councillor Maggie Themistocli as Mayor for the municipal year 2026/27 on 27 May 2026. Councillor Themistocli received 41 votes, Councillor Barry Mugglestone received 11 votes, and there were 3 abstentions.
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APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE
Recommendations ApprovedThe Council of Havering Council noted there were no apologies for absence on 27/05/2026.
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