Agenda item

Resolved Unanimously:- That ,the sincere congratulations of the Court be offered to former Lord Mayor, ALDERMAN NICHOLAS LYONS, for his recent Knighthood awarded in His Majesty the King’s Birthday Honours in recognition of services to the Financial Sector, the Growth Economy and to Financial Literacy.

Resolved Unanimously:- That, the sincere congratulations of the Court also be offered to ALDERMAN ALISON GOWMAN who was also recognised in His Majesty the King’s Birthday Honours, receiving a CBE for Public Voluntary Services and Sustainability.

Resolved Unanimously:- That, on the occasion of her retirement, Members of this Court take great pleasure in conveying to:

Alderwoman Susan Jane Pearson

its most sincere appreciation of the service that she has given to the City Corporation and, in particular, to this Court, over the past two years.

Her service with the Corporation began when she was first elected to the Court of Common Council for the Ward of Cripplegate in 2017. Subsequently, in 2022, she was admitted to this Court as Alderman for that same Ward. In this role, she has provided leadership to the eight councillors in her Ward, with whom she has forged an effective alliance to collectively work for the good of their constituents.

An architect by trade, for the last 20 years of her professional career she specialised in airport planning and design and was the first woman board member of the British Aviation Group.

Sue settled as a resident in Cripplegate in 2006 and quickly became well-known amongst her neighbours here as a very proactive member of the community, particularly during the pandemic lockdown periods where, amongst other things, she was instrumental in the running of the Square Mile Foodbank and supporting elderly and vulnerable residents. When first standing for election as a Common Councillor in the Ward, Sue polled 558 votes – a clear reflection of the high esteem in which she was held by her Ward electors. In the words of the serving Lord Mayor at the time, her ‘comprehensive’ victory at the Aldermanic election five years later where she went on to poll even higher still only served to further underline this.

Sue’s tenure as Alderwoman began with a notable ‘first’. Being sworn in to the Court of Aldermen in October 2022, she was the first to swear an Oath to His Majesty King Charles III.  In taking up her place as Alderwoman, Sue made it clear from the outset that her priorities were to ensure that the views of residents were heard and acted upon. Residents knew they were able to rely on Sue to follow up on complaints and queries on their behalf, no matter how small.

Sue did not forgo her various committee responsibilities whilst on the Court of Aldermen and regularly attended meetings thereby keeping her finger firmly on the pulse of the wider Court. Most notably, she served on the Planning and Transportation Committee, Community and Children's Services and the Barbican Residential Committee In these forums and others Sue fought for funding to provide decent homes for the City’s social estates and spoke out against those developments that she felt would cause harm to people’s lives, the environment and our heritage. I know that Sue was also particularly proud to have been associated with the repeal of section 618 of the Housing Act 1985 which concerned the rights of resident Councillors to vote on housing matters.

Externally, she served as a governor of The Cripplegate Foundation, Trustee of Mitchell, City of London and an Observer on Age UK City of London Board. Much closer to home, Sue’s feet have always been firmly planted in the Cripplegate community where, amongst other things, she organises the local knit and natter group, supports the Sir Ralph Perring mature residents group, co-ordinates the community cafe, children's Christmas party, summer fetes, harvest festival and market days. She plays proud and active roles in the Golden Lane Baggers allotments, Imagine Golden Lane Climate Action Group Project and the Golden Lane Estate Residents Association (GLERA).

On taking their leave of Sue, her colleagues on this Court take pleasure in expressing to her their very best wishes for her future health and happiness with the hope that she will long retain happy memories of her civic life and all they she contributed to the City”