The Government has passed regulations allowing local authorities to conduct their meetings with greater flexibility, providing the option to cancel Annual General Meetings. The regulations came into force on 4th April 2020, and apply to local authority meetings, required to be held on, or before, 7th May 2021. In line with the regulations passed, it was agreed by Fylde Council’s Group Leaders to cancel its own AGM that was due to take place on 20th April.
By cancelling the AGM, a new Mayor has not been appointed. Councillor Angela Jacques will remain as Mayor at Fylde until the AGM in May 2021, after which Councillor Cheryl Little will take office. Councillor Richard Redcliffe will also continue in the role as Deputy Mayor for the forthcoming year.
Other changes involve the Leadership of the Council. Councillor Sue Fazackerley had planned not to run for re-election as Leader of the Conservative Group, and in turn allow the new appointee to become Leader of the Council. Councillor Fazackerley made the decision to resign as Leader of the Council, due to the cancellation of this year’s full Council AGM, thereby allowing her Deputy, who was appointed as Leader of the Conservative Group earlier in April, to become Acting Leader of the Council in the intervening period.
Councillor Karen Buckley, therefore, took up the position of Acting Leader of the Council, with effect from Monday 20th April 2020, with the full support of Councillor Fazackerley, who proposed her for this role. The formal appointment to the Leader of the Council will be made when the council can meet again.
Councillor Karen Buckley comments:
“Sue’s record on the Council is commendable, having served 33 years representing Central Ward in St Annes and the last 6 years as Leader. In between times, Sue has been involved with so many achievements for residents and visitors especially in the area of Tourism and Leisure which has flourished under her watch, such as the return of Lytham Proms (now Festival), the introduction of Lytham 1940s Wartime Weekend and the development of a Splash Park facility for families on the seafront in St Annes. I am privileged that she has passed the baton to me and I know my colleagues and I will all continue to benefit from her wise counsel in the future”.
Allan Oldfield, the Council’s Chief Executive adds the following:
“ I would like to take this opportunity to thank Councillor Fazackerley for her leadership over the last six years, for all the support she has provided to officers and her exemplary leadership in the community and across the wider region representing Fylde with pride and enthusiasm, I know she will be missed. Her resignation was not the planned exit but as a result of the restrictions imposed by the Coronavirus lockdown, she has done what is best for the council allowing her successor to become Acting Leader”.
