Annual Council 22 May 2025
Councillors paid tribute to former chairman and district councillor, Caroline Pond, who passed away on Tuesday 13 May.
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Tributes to Caroline Pond
Caroline Pond, served as a Loughton Residents Association (LRA) district councillor for the Loughton St John’s Ward from May 2002 until 2024.
During her 22 years of service as a councillor, Caroline served as a portfolio holder and was part of many council committees, working groups and outside bodies. In May 2007 she was elected Chairman of Council, the third LRA member to hold this position.
Cllr Louise Mead gave an emotional tribute as she thanked Caroline for her encouragement to become a councillor, her kindness and patience with Cllr Mead’s daughter, Daisy-Mae and her understanding of the difficulties of juggling parenthood with a career. Cllr Mead remembered with great fondness the laughter she and Caroline shared and the advice she received over the years of their friendship.
Cllr Chris Whitbread spoke how of Caroline’s integrity and decency shone through during her time as a councillor and how she brought so much to chamber. He described Caroline as a “first class chairman” noting how much she cared about the district and its community.
Cllr Stephen Murray started by expressing what a wonderful colleague, and much-loved and respected friend Caroline was. He reflected on how she “really was a helping hand for so many within our community”, and always brought common sense, commitment, community service and consensus seeking throughout her time as a town and district councillor.
Cllr Howard Kauffman said how honoured he feels to call Cllr Chris Pond and Caroline Pond friends. He told of how the Ponds have been devoted to each other since marrying in 1973, stating that “behind every great man is a great woman, and Caroline was that great woman.”
Cllr Jon Whitehouse expressed how saddened he was to hear of Caroline’s death, noting how she has been missed in the chamber since stepping down as a district councillor last year. He described her as having such a positive presence, embracing all parts of the council. He remembers how she was able to see the humour as well as the serious side of things and was willing to ask the important, and sometimes difficult, questions.
New chairman of council
Councillor Louise Mead was selected Chairman of Epping Forest District Council.
Councillor Mead said:
It is with great honour that I accept the role of chairman.
Thank you to my proposer Cllr Chris Pond and my seconder, Cllr Stephen Murray, for their kind words and belief in me, and to all councillors for putting your trust in me. I would also like to thank the people of Fairmead Ward who have voted for me as their LRA councillor over the past 11 years. It’s a special ward and I wouldn’t be here without you. Serving you has been and will continue to be an absolute privilege.
She added how good it has been, as vice-chairman, to meet so many of the amazing people across the district and how she is very much looking forward to meeting many more during her chairmanship, as she continues to raise the profile of the district as a place to work and live.
Cllr Mead will be supporting 2 charities during her year as chairman: The Epping Forest Foodbank and The League of Friends of St Margaret’s Hospital.
The most wonderful year
During his time as chairman, Cllr Burrows attended many notable events. He participated in various religious celebrations, joined in with events for all ages, honoured residents who go above and beyond for their own community at the Civic Awards and spent time fundraising for his chosen charity, the Essex and Herts Air Ambulance Trust (EHAAT).
He said:
Being the ‘First Citizen’ of the district was not a position I ever imagined I would hold but I have been honoured to represent Epping Forest for the past year. My wife, Carol and I have really had the most wonderful year, visiting all parts of the district and meeting so many people.
Back in March we hosted the Civic Awards at The Delta by Marriot Hotel. It was a wonderful evening. There were many people who made the event a great success, but I must express my sincere gratitude to Manny Singh from Regus, who sponsored the Team of the Year Award. This very kind sponsorship allowed us to honour, just a few of those volunteers, who give their time freely in our community and help make Epping Forest a better place to live and work.
I am also delighted to let you know that this year through my charity fundraising, you have helped me raise £4,500 for this very worthy charity (EHAAT). Most of us I hope will never need this service but for those that do it really is a lifesaving service.
New vice-chairman
Cllr Alan Lion was appointed the new vice-chairman of council.
Cllr Lion thanked all the councillors for putting their trust in him, saying what a “great honour and privilege” it is and how he is looking forward to being vice-chairman.
Cabinet appointments
Leader Cllr Chris Whitbread made only 1 change to the cabinet by appointing 2 deputy leaders, Cllr Nigel Bedford and Cllr Ray Balcombe, to assist with the work ahead for Local Government Reorganisation.
- Leader – Councillor Chris Whitbread
- Deputy Leader, Housing and HGGT – Councillor Nigel Bedford
- Deputy Leader, Contracts Delivery – Councillor Ray Balcombe
- Shaping our district – Councillor Ken Williamson
- Finance and Economic Development – Councillor Holly Whitbread
- Commercial and Estates – Councillor Tim Matthews
- Transformation – Councillor Smruti Patel
- Community, Health and Wellbeing – Councillor Kaz Rizvi
- Regulatory, Technical and Community Safety Services – Councillor Paul Keska
Other key appointments at Annual Council
- Chairman Planing Committee A – Councillor Steven Heather
- Chairman Planning Committee B – Councillor Sue Jones
- Chairman Overview and Scrutiny Committee – Councillor Roger Baldwin
- Chairman Communities Scrutiny Committee – Councillor Jodie Lucas
- Chairman Place Scrutiny Committee – Councillor Joseph Parsons
- Audit and Governance – Decided at first meeting
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