Arun council meeting called off as mark of respect for Queen

Arun District Council’s full meeting was due to take place on Wednesday but councillors resolved to adjourn it to a later date following the death of the Queen.

Council chair Samantha-Jayne Staniforth (Con, Orchard) explained that the summons and agenda had already been published, meaning that the meeting could not be cancelled.

She added that, whilst the council was obliged to open the meeting, members could vote to adjourn it until after the national period of mourning.

Councillors were set to discuss the district’s levelling up projects as well as declaring a cost of living emergency.

Instead, members were invited to pay tribute to the Queen.

Councillor David Edwards (Con, Felpham East) spoke on behalf of the Conservative group.

“Throughout my life, there have been very few constants: my parents, Cliff Richard, and Her Majesty the Queen,” he said.

“Her Majesty was revered throughout the world as a lady who took her call to duty very seriously.

“And for 70 years she ensured the Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, the Commonwealth, and all other British interests throughout the world, were ruled by a kind, thoughtful, clever, and fair monarch.

“She will forever be Queen Elizabeth the Second, and she will forever be my queen.

“In 1981, I swore allegiance to Her Majesty, her heirs, and successors, to serve this country.

“I did it for her and I did it for the country.

“It’s sad for me to say, but the Queen is dead, long live the King.”

Leader of the main opposition, James Walsh (LDem, Beach), also paid tribute to the late Queen.

“We live in momentous times,” he said, “Although we’ve been expecting the possible death of the sovereign, the speed of its happening and the way it happened, came as a complete shock to most of us and has left us all in a bit of a stunned state.

“For nearly 30 years, Her Majesty the Queen was effectively my boss because I was a member of the Royal Navy and the Royal Naval Reserve which is why I’m wearing her medals tonight.

“I was at primary school when the Queen came to the throne; I well remember the solemn announcement on BBC radio.

“Hardly anybody had television in 1952 – We certainly didn’t .

“I watched the coronation the following year on the only television set in our road with about 20 or 30, possibly 40 other people huddled round a screen with a very fuzzy black and white picture.

“She has been an extraordinary monarch.

“She helped to lead this country from the breakup of empire into the creation, mostly peacefully, of a Commonwealth of Nations, which will be her lasting legacy.

“She has brought a quiet dignity to public life and parliamentary life.

“She’s earned the admiration of people around the world.

“I was particularly touched by the French president Macron’s tribute the other evening.

“The simple bit I remember was that ‘To you, the British, she was your queen. To us, and the rest of the world, she was The Queen’.

“May she rest in peace, and rise again in glory.”

Claire Needs (LDem, Aldwick West) delivered an emotional tribute.

“I would like to thank our Majesty the Queen for her service to our country,” she said.

“But I would also like to thank members of her family for their continued contribution to our society.

“The Princess Royal has always made a point of making a difference to people from all walks of life.

“And she is actually patron of Livability and I’ve had the privilege of meeting her twice.

“One of the times that I will never forget was when I got called into the manager’s office one day because, at this stage, I was the face of Livability and they said to me ‘you’ve been invited to the VIP Livability awards where you will be meeting our patron Princess Anne’.

“For the first time in my life for ten minutes in the office, I was absolutely speechless.

“In her speech that she gave at the awards in London, she said that ‘anyone, from any walk of life, can achieve anything’, and she actually personally said to me ‘I think you’re going to achieve great things’.

“I am honoured to to be able to show the Queen, and her royal family, that anyone, from any walk of life, can be in local government.”

Tony Dixon (Ind, Aldwick East) said the Queen was ‘simply the greatest diplomat the world has ever seen’.

He added: “In a world where division is all too common, Her Majesty the Queen was an ambassador for unity in the UK, the Commonwealth and across the world. That is why she was so special. She was simply the greatest diplomat the world has ever seen.

“Thank you, Your Majesty. As we lay our great Queen to rest, so a new king is created.

“I pledge my allegiance to King Charles and I know that at a time of renewal, he will provide continuity and uphold the principles that underpin his mother, the Queen’s, great legacy. God save the King.”

Isabel Thurston (Green, Barnham) said the Queen ‘saw herself as a servant and not a ruler’ and had qualities ‘for us all to aspire to’.

“The real world is becoming more worrying and the UK’s place in it is far from secure,” she said.

“I believe King Charles has the knowledge, passion, and vision to lead us forward into the future.”

A new date for the full council meeting will be announced in due course.