00:00Shabina, congratulations on becoming the new leader.
00:03Thank you so much.
00:04How does it feel to become the first female leader of the council in quite a while?
00:08It feels very surreal. It's been 27 years since we had a female leader in ex-councillor Kathy Weaver, who was elected in 1996.
00:18It is a humbling moment. It's been a very difficult week because of business stopping at the council,
00:25but I'm incredibly humbled by the fact that members have put their faith into me and there is a real task ahead and it's about taking everybody forward.
00:34I completely resonate with what the leader of the Conservative Party said, Councillor Wayne Fitzgerald, about having a collaborative approach and truly collaborative approach.
00:44I respect all my members across the council.
00:47I know that in politics we have to work really hard and it's a privilege to be elected in the positions that we're in.
00:55So I'm very humbled and I really hope that we start a new era of positivity moving ahead because that's what my theme is going to be.
01:04Yeah, and it's been obviously quite a turbulent few years in the council.
01:08How do you plan to bring that stability and guide this council forward?
01:11Well, we are looking at or we have thought about a coalition.
01:18More will be revealed, though, after the break and we'll be happy to talk to you about the thought process and some of the discussions behind that.
01:26But if I put my money where my mouth is, then it is going to be about taking everybody forward.
01:32And often an element of good leadership is doing exactly that.
01:37Take everybody with you together.
01:38It's not about just leading from the front, but it's standing shoulder to shoulder with the people that have got a job to do.
01:44So let's get on and do it.
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