Archive for May, 2009

Doing the continental

Saturday, May 30th, 2009
Celebrating 50 years of town twinning between Boulogne and Zweibrucken

Celebrating 50 years of town twinning between Boulogne and Zweibrucken

Today I’m meeting over 200 French and Germans who are celebrating 50 years of town twinning between Boulogne and Zweibrucken by visiting Canterbury and Folkestone.  This time it’s John who brings the chain and I inspect the ribbons.  Now I look at them closely, I see they are all rather grubby and fraying.  Today we use some grey ribbons from my workbasket and I take all the existing ribbons from John in order to give them a good wash and trim.

En route to Folkestone Harbour we pick up Councillor Anthony Dunning.  I’ve asked Anthony to come with me today as, like me, he speaks both French and German.  We greet everyone and then join them for lunch at the Burstin.  Our visitors are fascinated by the chain and want to know how local government is run in England.  I’m elected by my fellow councillors and serve just one year whereas our German equivalents are directly elected for eight years and receive a salary at a civil service pay scale and pension and in France the term of office is six years.  Our German visitors tell us that every town in Germany is in enormous debt because their Government sets the amount of social payments at a level that can’t be covered by local taxes. 

The deputy mayor of Zweibrucken presents me with an engraved glass plate from his town and I begin to understand why the chairman’s parlour is so full of things.

After lunch there’s time for photos by the harbour.

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Making a Mayor

Friday, May 22nd, 2009
The new Mayor with the Chairman of Shepway

The new Mayor with the Chairman of Shepway

My first official engagement as chairman is the mayor making at Hythe.  Martin arrives with the chain and, unlike the quick handover at the Annual Meeting, we have time to get the chain just right.  There’s a selection of ribbons to choose from and I ask Martin if the colours have any significance.  ‘Not really’ he says, ‘Except you’re not supposed to wear your party colours during an election campaign’.  Whoops.  I unwittingly broke that protocol the first time I wore the chain.  Today I’m wearing blue and I choose the red ribbons.

Chain of Office

Chain of Office

We also have time to take a photo of the chain for the blog.

The mayor making in Hythe is in the town hall with the list of the former mayors stretching back to the Middle Ages.  It’s done with great ceremony and all the councillors wear gowns.  I enjoy being in the audience this time and watch Keren Belcourt elected mayor with David Owen (yes, my new vice chairman who is also a Hythe town councillor) elected deputy mayor. 

The mayor of Folkestone is wearing pink ribbons with her chain.  She leans across to me and says, ‘I’m not being nasty but your ribbons aren’t very nice.’  She advises me to buy some new ones and that 1 ¼ metres of ribbon is the right length for two bows. 

At the reception after the mayor making I notice several people have badges to mark that they have served in various roles with Hythe and the Cinque ports and I resolve to try to record these on the blog sometime.

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Red Nose Day

Thursday, May 21st, 2009

Both The Herald and the Kentish Express have a photo and a story about my election as chairman.  In The Herald my cheeks and nose are a match for my red suit and I look as though I’ve been at the port.  But it’s a much better photo than I normally see of myself and the chain looks very fine.

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Thank you letters

Saturday, May 16th, 2009

I receive several thank you letters from people who attended the Annual Meeting and reception including one from Brigadier James who was particularly appreciative of the remembrance made of the Armed Forces both formally at the start of the meeting when we stood in silence to honour the recently fallen and also Councillor Copping’s ‘kind, impromptu, words’ about the troops during the debate.

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Won’t you come into my parlour…

Friday, May 15th, 2009
The chain of office

The chain of office

I go into the Civic Centre to have my photo taken with the chain of office.  It’s my first chance to inspect the chairman’s office which is called the parlour.  It is quite spacious with a desk, a sofa and its own loo!  The walls and cabinets are full of official certificates, symbols, dolls in national dress and regalia.  I tidy things and leave a card and flowers for the new mayor of Folkestone, Janet Andrews, who is borrowing my parlour for her mayor making that evening – an event I am unable to attend.

I choose the photo I like best for the press and refuse to reveal my age to the reporter who wants to know.  My age isn’t a secret but I hate the way the papers so often put the age after a person’s name as though that’s the most relevant fact about them.

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A birthday and a beginning

Wednesday, May 13th, 2009

Tonight is the Annual Meeting of Shepway District Council.  It is also my birthday.  My mother rings to ask if I’ll be doing anything special this evening.  ‘I’m hoping to be elected chairman of Shepway District Council,’ I tell her.

Every year at the Annual Meeting the 46 Shepway District Councillors elect one of their number as chairman to chair the full council meetings and undertake the ceremonial side of our civic life.  This year, somewhat to my own surprise, that person is me. 

Normally the Annual Meeting has a light agenda with the election of chairman, leader of the council, appointment of the cabinet and the allocation of places on committees.  But this year we also have some important pieces of business to do with our constitution and shared services.  The outgoing chairman makes his farewells and calls for nominations for chairman.  I am proposed and seconded, there are no further nominations and my proposer, Jenny Hollingsbee and seconder, Robert Bliss say kind things about me.  They are rather like the speeches you get at funerals with details of my life and little anecdotes except of course that I’m there to enjoy them!  A vote is called and I have unanimous support.  A great start.

I am then taken away to be ‘chained up’ in the adjoining chairman’s parlour.  I’m asked what colour ribbons I want and say blue as I am wearing a red suit.  The chain is heavy and needs anchoring with safety pins.  I return to the chamber and take over the running of the meeting.  David Owen, a councillor from Hythe, is elected vice chairman.  The meeting continues with further elections and appointments and with speeches and amendments to the items of business.  Sooner than I expected we are finished and there’s the reception for councillors and guests including the Mayor of Lydd who I note has a much finer chain than the Shepway one.  I resolve to find out more about the chains in the year ahead to put on this blog.

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