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Posted by: Andy Capp May 20 2016, 11:59 PM

Yep. It's true! As witnessed by an audience of carefully selected sycophants!

Posted by: On the edge May 21 2016, 06:38 AM

Its a shame the fancy dress show wasn't more publicised. We all could have arranged to turn up in old fashioned costume! Being a market town, I'd have gone as an agricultural worker; smock, pitchfork and a bucket of dung.

Posted by: Simon Kirby May 21 2016, 07:17 AM

That's no way to talk about Newbury's self-proclaimed "first citizen". Money well spent I say, £2,000 to anoint Swift-Hook in this public ceremony is piffling small change when you think about how much the people of Newbury get back from their ceremonial mayor, and I don't begrudge a penny of the £2,500 mayoral allowance or the extra £1,000 for 'civic robe replacement’ and that extra £500 this year for ‘regalia and uniforms so that our wonderful councillors can look their best as they pay homage to Julian.

Posted by: Andy Capp May 21 2016, 08:37 AM

But think of the history and all the other slap-backers; 6 grand is small change to keep this vital service going. What else would these failed councillors do with their time! Perhaps it is a big thank you for the lovely big Greenham depot, or services to open government, or the Greenham elepha... I mean, control tower, not to mention Newbury's thriving chartered and Christmas markets!

Posted by: Turin Machine May 21 2016, 10:31 AM

Youse all jus jeluz! Fink abaht all dat furry stuff on youse colla n dat, is well wicked.

Fink on it
Jules.

Posted by: On the edge May 21 2016, 12:25 PM

http://www.libdemvoice.org/opinion-what-is-the-matter-with-these-people-32062.html

Is our new Mayor just a 'ceremonial' Liberal Democrat?

Posted by: motormad May 21 2016, 02:14 PM

Intriguing.

I met him once. He wanted some business from me.

Posted by: Cognosco May 21 2016, 05:19 PM

Do you really think the plebs would be allowed in to such a function?

Plebs are unable to bow and scrape properly!

You have to be a member of the exclusive Newbury Elite Club to attend such functions.

Posted by: On the edge May 22 2016, 12:16 PM

Thanks C, in the heat of the moment I forgot that our only role was just to pay for it!

Posted by: Simon Kirby May 22 2016, 01:24 PM

In all seriousness though I'm disgusted with Swift-Hook and the rest of our elected councillors, indulging their vanity with furred robes, ceremonial chains of authority, Gothic offices, and lavish investitures, while public services to the vulnerable and disadvantaged are slashed for the lack of public money.

Posted by: Cognosco May 22 2016, 04:43 PM

Come on Simon be fair.......just because Newbury is going to the dogs through lack of our councils mismanagement, services are being decimated, especially for the most vulnerable, roads at a gridlock even without all the new development even being started yet, public owned land being given away to developers with largess, standards must be maintained to give the impression that all is well with the world!
I mean what is the point of all this do gooding if there is nothing in it for the elite?
Yes the show must go on......the plebs will just have to tighten their belts a tad more eh what? You know it makes sense?
Even when the Titanic was sinking the band played on supposedly!

Posted by: On the edge May 22 2016, 07:56 PM

Sadly, the punters seem to love it, apparently because it encapsulates 'Time honoured British tradition'. Trouble is, that it is as bogus as an insurance scam! For instance, the Mayor's chain isn't that old, traditionally the Mayor of Newbury didn't wear one. It was only when he went to a conference in the 1880s that he noticed and so purchased one himself. Real honouring tradition would mean keeping the uniqueness of no chain surely? Similarly, it's even doubtful that NTC are the real successors of the office and other trappings. These were originally vested in Newbury District Council, who by statute became WBC. So the tradition is as British as Heinz Baked Beans.

Anyway, there are some practical issues, it's not all plain sailing. The Council only pay for the robes, so do the lads feel embarrassed about buying the tights they must have to wear under them? Equally, the robes are hardly flattering, certainly accentuating 'the seat of power' so to speak; so could they be putting some off even trying for local politics?

Posted by: blackdog May 23 2016, 06:09 AM

Not so - the Mayor was a function of Newbury Borough Council. This was absorbed by Newbury District Council in 1974, but they did not take on the Mayoral role - which was continued by a body known as the Charter Trustees - which in turn was absorbed by Newbury Town Council when it was formed in the 1990s. The District Council (now WBC) took all the valuable assets of the Borough Council (eg the land they habitually give away to developers) but not the ceremonial aspects - after all they already had a ceremonial head in their Chairman.

Posted by: Simon Kirby May 23 2016, 06:46 AM

Blackdog is correct in that the Chater Trustees provided the statutory continuity of the ceremonial function of the abolished Borough Council which was then assumed by the newly created parish council, but the point remains that there is no reason to maintain what is a wholey ceremonial custom. The 'mayor' is nothing more than the chairman of the parish council and the town council can drop that ceremonial honorific any time it likes, but they don't because they like spending public money on themselves and parading round in fancy dress calling themselves Newbury's 'first citixen' and lording it over the schlubs and having a good laugh at the poor proles who could really do with some public support right now but are losing their essential public services for lack of funding.

Posted by: On the edge May 23 2016, 07:57 AM

In other words, it's an even bigger joke when expanded. I was simply trying to simplify the mechanics for the uninitiated. Oh yes, those of us of a certain age must remember the 'Charter Trustees' about as legitimate and effective as non executive directors! I'd love to know who dreams up these expensive nonsenses, presumably just as mechanisms designed to retain power with the elite.

To my mind, it also means that legally there is no direct historic connect between the former Mayor of Newbury and the invented role today.

Posted by: On the edge May 23 2016, 08:07 AM

At the end of the day, the Charter Trustee caper was simply bunkum. It was all done under the aegis of the then District Council. District Councillors who represented town centre wards were automatically charter trustees. Independent, oh yes! In reality, it was a convenient sink for expenditure the District Council couldn't waft past the parishes; hence then Town precept was markedly higher than the similar parishes like Thatcham and Hungerford.

Posted by: spartacus May 23 2016, 04:14 PM

I remember the ceremonial procession from a few years back wending it's way through Market Place and 'Big Sean' with his Reading scarf and baseball cap just tagged onto the end and followed them all into the Town Hall. I'm not sure how far he got in, or whether he is counted as a pleb, but there was much consternation from the shuffling line of higher mortals in their ceremonial finery that he was spoiling their big day out.. Trouble was none of them had the bottle to push him out the line....

Posted by: Simon Kirby May 23 2016, 05:11 PM

Nice.

Posted by: Simon Kirby May 23 2016, 05:32 PM

http://www.newburytoday.co.uk/news/news/18193/More-council-cuts-on-the-way.html today: WBC slash yet more essential public services, while at the the town hall they're tapping up the public to pay for the ceremonial enthronement of Newbury's "first citizen" - and that £6grand on mayoral adoration with its robes, hats, and chains is nothing compared to the £several hundred thousand that the council spend annually on its total ceremonial civic budget and the ludicrously expensive town hall along with a mountain of administrative busy-work and redundant services such as allotments and market that could self-manage but for the town council's need for empire.

Posted by: Biker1 May 23 2016, 07:07 PM

haven't seen (or heard!!) of him for ages.
Is he still around / OK?
I remember once a few years ago he was on the station because he enjoyed watching trains but he was scared of the fast HST's.
One came through and he ran out through the booking hall straight into a "city gent" who was just entering the station.
He went flying and had to be helped to his feet.
Sean had disappeared!!
Gentle giant.

Posted by: Andy Capp May 25 2016, 11:15 AM

I saw His Majesty on Newbury station platform today!

Posted by: Simon Kirby May 25 2016, 04:58 PM

Public transport, for Newbury's "first citizen"? The old grey mayor, he ain't what he used to be.

Posted by: On the edge May 25 2016, 08:17 PM

It probably means we'll be hearing about a branch line to Greenham anytime soon.

Posted by: Andy Capp May 25 2016, 09:02 PM

He's a lot smaller in real life without his crown!