Decision details

Discussion:

This report sought Council’s support for a bid for City Status for Medway to be submitted once the competition was announced as part of the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee celebrations in 2012.

The Leader, supported by Councillor Jarrett, proposed the recommendations set out in the report.

Councillor Griffiths, supported by Councillor Godwin, moved an amendment to the recommendations as follows:

“This Council:

1. Supports a bid for city status for Medway being made once the competition is announced;
   
   
2. agrees that corporate sponsorship should be sought to both demonstrate support for the bid from business and to avoid additional council expenditure in these austere times;
   
   
3. believes that the current re-branding as a city, and the comments of the Deputy Leader of the Council that “we can call ourselves what we like” are likely to undermine a successful campaign, and therefore calls on officers to explore what can be done to mitigate these ‘own goals’.

Following the debate and with the agreement of the Council, Councillor Griffiths agreed to alter the wording of his amendment to remove paragraph 3 and add the word “seek” in paragraph 2.

Decision:

The Council agreed:

(a)       to support a bid for city status for Medway being made once the competition is announced;

(b)       that corporate sponsorship should be sought to both demonstrate support for the bid from business and seek to avoid additional council expenditure in these austere times.