Minutes:
Council received a report of the Director of Legal and Governance Services, which set out a proposal for A Long Service Award posthumously to Councillor John Cowan to mark his 25 years’ service to the Borough.
The Council on 18 July 1985 (Resolution 192) had agreed that the completion of 25 years’ service on the part of Members of Council should be recognised by awarding a framed, illuminated copy resolution of appreciation.
The proposal was agreed.
RESOLVED: That the following formal resolutions be adopted:
Councillor John Cowan B.Com. (Hon), F.C.A:
Recognition of Long Service
The Council of the London Borough of Harrow do hereby record their appreciation of the twenty five years’ service by Councillor John Cowan to the London Borough of Harrow.
Councillor John Cowan was first elected in May 1986 as Councillor for the Canons Ward, which he has represented continuously since then. He was serving his seventh consecutive period in office, for the life of the current Council 2010-2014. Councillor Cowan was Deputy Leader of the Conservative Group from 1997–1998 and Leader of the Group from 1999–2003.
Councillor Cowan has served on various Council Committees, including the Education Committee and the Policy and Resources Committee. He also served as a key appointee to the Harrow College Further Education Corporation Board and North London Collegiate School Board. His particular interest has, however, been with financial issues, giving rise to extended service on the Audit Committee and subsequently the Governance, Audit and Risk Committee. In that time, he held the offices of Chairman of the Audit Committee, Chairman of Governance Audit and Risk Committee and Deputy Chairman of the Policy and Resources Committee.
Councillor Cowan first served on the Policy and Resources Committee in 1988 commencing a period of service on that Committee in its various strategic guises, and additionally on the Resources Committee when this operated as a separate entity. When these arrangements were overtaken by the restructuring under the Local Government Act 2000, Councillor Cowan served as a member of the first Cabinet between 2000 and 2003. Latterly, Councillor Cowan has also served on the Standards Committee and the Licensing and General Purposes Committee. Councillor Cowan has represented the Council on numerous outside bodies including Harrow College of Further Education Corporation Board, Harrow in Business, Parochial Charities of Little Stanmore and Sir Lancelot Lake Charity.
During his Mayoral Year of 1994/95, Councillor Cowan served as First Citizen to the Borough and attended in excess of 550 engagements with personal highlights including attendance at the 50th Anniversary of the Liberation of Douai in September 1994, the Borough’s Twin Town. This was a highly memorable and moving occasion for all, with representatives from those army veterans who retook Douai also in attendance. He also served as Mayor when the Royal Air Force exercised its right to march following the granting of the Freedom of the Borough, receiving the salute of inspected troops and a “fly past” by aircraft of the Royal Air Force over the Civic Centre.
Councillor Cowan was fully supported in his personal Mayoral Year by his wife, late Councillor Janet Cowan, and reciprocally similarly aided his wife during her personal Mayoral Year of 2006.
In recognition of his twenty-five years’ of public service to Harrow, this resolution be engrossed on vellum and publicly presented posthumously to Richard and Martin Cowan by the Mayor, at the Annual Council Meeting in May 2011.”