Agenda item

To elect a Deputy Chairman in accordance with Standing Order no. 30.

Is RESOLVED – That in accordance with Standing Order No 30 (3(a)), Jeremy Simons be appointed Deputy Chairman for the ensuing year.

It was RESOLVED UNANIMOUSLY: THAT at the conclusion of his term of office as their Chairman, the Members of this Committee wish to extend to

Jeremy Simons

their sincere thanks and appreciation for the extremely able and competent manner in which he has presided over their deliberations and the detailed interest he has shown in all aspects of the work of the Hampstead Heath, Highgate Wood & Queen’s Park Committee.

Jeremy’s tenure as Chairman has largely coincided with the planning and implementation of the Hampstead Heath Ponds Project. The Chairman’s term started early on in the Project and he has skilfully steered the ship through these choppy waters, with skill, expertise and humour. Throughout the Project process, Jeremy has encouraged wide consultation and promoted extremely thorough community involvement in helping to design the scheme. His commitment to the project, which is now well underway, has been unerring.

Jeremy took up a monthly column called ‘View from the Heath’ for the Ham and High, for which he immediately started drafting passionate and accurate commentaries. He used the piece to full effect, keeping Heath users and local residents up to date with key milestones in the Ponds Project as well as including lighter and more informative observations on heritage and wildlife and on day to day operational issues such as the Heath Constabulary and the problems of litter.

Jeremy has given great support to Heath events, representing the City with great enthusiasm at the many events held across the Heath, Highgate Wood and Queen’s Park. He took on the Mayor of Camden at table tennis – a true clash of the Titans – with gusto. He has keenly launched events such as the Give it a Go Festival and his support for sport has been particularly welcomed. He also made a very entertaining speech at the inaugural Night of the 10,000 Personal Bests, an event that brought an extremely high standard of athletics to the Heath. He presided over a record breaking Conker Championships for which the Heath received a prestigious Guinness World Records award. Jeremy’s interest and passion for the arts drove his persistence in helping to get Jake and Dinos Chapman’s sculptures, ‘The Good, the Bad, the Ugly’, installed at Golders Hill Park.

An array of important projects have started or progressed during Jeremy’s term as Chairman. He has shown great interest in the Roman Kiln Project to return a 2,000-year-old kiln to its original home in Highgate Wood, which has received much local support. Wild About Hampstead Heath, the innovative partnership with RSPB, has also blossomed and new education facilities have appeared across the Heath; GROW London and weddings and civil ceremonies hosted at the Pergola and Hill Garden have occurred for the first time. Jeremy has also overseen a period of success at Queen’s Park, which was awarded the Green Flag in 2014, and at Golders Hill Park, which received a Gold Award and was named as category winner for London in Bloom 2014.

He represented the City at the Diamond Jubilee Festival at Golders Hill Park, attended by over 6000 party-goers and the splendid Shree Muktajeevan Pipe Band. Rain and high wind prevented the lighting of the Jubilee Beacon but Jeremy successfully unveiled the Diamond Jubilee weather-vane on top of the bandstand. In 2013, Jeremy welcomed both the Lord Mayor and the Mayor of Brent to Queen’s Park, who both jointly planted an Oak Tree to mark the 125^th year of the City’s management of the Park.

Finally, Jeremy Simons will be remembered as a Chairman possessing a sharp, analytical mind, being hugely supportive of officers, with an excellent ability to lead Committees and meetings with skill and sensitivity. Officers in the Open Spaces Department with whom Jeremy has worked so closely will miss the regular sight of him cycling to and from the Heath and Highgate Wood, particularly in one of his many panama hats! Staff are also extremely grateful for the essential support and care for staff welfare provided by Jeremy during difficult times such as severe storm events and the tragic deaths in 2013 and 2015.

The Committee now wishes to place on record its recognition of his distinguished contribution to Hampstead Heath, Highgate Wood and Queen’s Park during the past three years, and look forward to his continued contribution to the Committee during the years to come.