Editor's note: Last month we reported that Wilmslow Town Council agreed to spend £12,700 purchasing chains of office for their Chairman and Vice-Chairman.
The article 'Town Council to spend £12,700 on ceremonial chains' resulted in comments from some of our readers who were not in favour of £12,700 being spent on regalia.
Cllr Trevor Jones, who represents the Lacey Green Ward, responded in an article 'Councillor defends £12,700 expenditure on civic regalia' which again resulted in a number of reader's comment - which Cllr Trevor Jones addresses here in this second piece.
There is a campaign to vilify the town council and councillors by a vociferous minority whose sense of tradition and heritage is questionable.
The main thrust of the criticism rests on the back of a credit crunch or recession with an accusation of public funds ill-spent on.. 'frivolities; bling; fancy dress; trickets; jewellery etc'. Amid baleful and disparaging comments such as,'self-centred arrogance', 'egotistical councillors', 'warped sense of priorities', 'deserve contempt', 'load of parasites' etc.etc.
The use of intemperate, inflammatory invective more redolent of a late-night bar rant, than a sober and dispassionate discourse, and casting unwarranted aspersions on the integrity of an elected 15 member council of dedicated, service to the community volunteers striving to address constituency needs.
Comparisons may be worth considering to gain perspective in this matter; for instance, in this push for savings by any means, perhaps the critics would start at the top, say,with the abolition of the Monarchy? A move that would save hundreds of millions of pounds, and might lead to the royal properties being handed to housing associations to ease the shortage of homes! Wouldn't that be applauded by the republican element?!
Secondly, the Crown Jewels could be sold and replaced with paste or plastic replicas; the House of Lords required to substitite their resplendent scarlet and ermine robes with brown dust-coats; the Trooping of the Colour regiments outfitted in blue work-overalls with matching blue trainers. Perhaps the Household Cavalry would change their gleaming cuirasses for papier mache tunics with a matt finish? Why not Olympic gold, silver and bronze medals made in compressed cardboard? and OBE/CBE and MBEs' following suit.
Moving on.. there's the Victoria Cross and the rest of the medals... Whoa, hold on!, the more enlightened citizens of this borough will see the broader picture, so ... where to draw the line? (There is a growing conviction that 'common sense is not as common as it once was'... a belief held by the most responsible sections of society in recent years...)
The pomp and ceremony celebrated in these glorious events remains the envy and admiration of the world, not least the United States, and the BBC reaps millions selling such programmes detailing our proud history and heritage to scores of countries globally.
It is enlightening to note the anti-conservative (with a small 'c') views .i.e, 'historic tradition not appropriate today'. 'past traditions resurrected', 'deserves contempt', should hang their heads in shame' .who?
Who should hang their heads in shame??... judge for yourselves.. such mindsets are out of place in a country proud of its historic traditions.
Perhaps the irascible, derogatory language adopted by respondents might meet with grudging agreement from a faction in the town, though our descendents may not remember this credit squeeze in the future.. just the small-minded, cheapjack option, passed down through the ages for our inheritors to live with, whilst attempting to understand why such an act was forced upon decision makers by the 'cost saving at any price self-righteous police'...
Consider posterity and the inheritance down the decades to our children's children and imagine, if Roman coins and artefacts had been made of leather, birch bark or even parchment, would future archaeologists, one or two millennium later, be unearthing relics of our past?
Would museums contain objects of interest to our descendants? Or would they be finding scraps of paper or plastic name-tags disintegrating after a few years leaving nothing worth registering with pride as 'heritage' or 'valued regalia' for posterity...
Our predecessors realised that, commissioning the regalia of office as assets which appreciate and increase in value over succeeding years, these must be constructed of the best materials to ensure value for money and be of benefit and worth to those who follow and serve in public office whilst 'flying the flag' for a major Cheshire town.
Important historical and archaeological artefacts recovered from the Spanish Armada wreck of the 'Girona' discovered off the Irish coast in 1967/8, and on display at the Ulster Museum in Belfast, draw a unique picture of life and times aboard a 'galleass' of the 1588 Spanish invasion fleet.
Preserved in perpetuity for generations to marvel at, and defying the fragile logic of transient modish moves in cheapening the regalia and badges of office which, in the years ahead, could prove that our contempories rose above the 'boom and bust' mindset and defied any temporary austerity by applying the mantra, 'When the going gets tough-- the tough get going!'. Thereby setting in stone their belief and investment in community background, tradition and historic recognition.
It has been mooted that the teaching of history is in jeopardy of removal from the school curriculum..... by the current rash of adverse comment received on the subject of civic insignia, an independent observer could be forgiven for assuming this possible crass act had taken effect decades ago!
The regrettable, near-hysterical outpouring of short-termism, bounded by the fleeting financial atmosphere, and utilising intemperate phraseology, pressing for 'cheap as chips' plastic name badges 'bought over the internet' discloses the limited imagination of such opinion and, envisaging future historians researching 21st century attitudes from a vantage point of light years ahead.
It springs to mind that the judgement of those far-off custodians of our heritage could well be that "Those miserable burghers of Wilmslow have passed down to us nothing of intrinsic or historic value... just a few mouldering scraps of material used as temporary badges of office now preserved as curiosities of a bygone age for all to wonder at..."
To stiffen the backbone of the Luddites in our midst and for the curiosity of the remainder, it is recommended to access the website www.thelancashiremagazine.co.uk and seek the May 2013 back issue, turning to the article 'Town on a Mission', page 156 for a breath of fresh air and an optimistic 'bottle half-full' view of Wilmslow, from the perspective of an outside observer.
The final paragraph reads '... And with so many lovely events in the diary, businesses working together and a determined bunch of locals, passionate to make their town stand out (my italics), it shouldn't be too long before Wilmslow is back on top.' Oh for the sound of similar upbeat attitudes amongst the populace here to counter the banal chunterings of the misanthropes and malcontents mired in mediocrity and muddled thinking witnessed in the media over recent weeks.
A clarion call to the silent majority; Cry havoc, citizens! you have nothing to lose but your chains (of office)!...together with ,of course, your future reputation in sustaining our traditions and ensuring conservation and continuity of our important heritage.
My intention in writing this conviction statement has been driven by the somewhat incoherent and occasionally gratuitous insult of a personal nature directed at me and published on-line and in the local press. I trust not to have offended any individual whose democratic right to free speech I would defend and support, however, with that right comes responsibility and my belief is that certain persons have abused such right in print, and therefore, I make no apology for taking them to task in also defending myself.
Note: Must hold fast to the wartime mantra 'Keep Calm and Carry On' 'cos good sense will, and should, prevail'.
Member post by Councillor Trevor Jones.
Updated 2.30pm : Editor's note: I have just received the agenda for next week's Town Council meeting. One of the items on it is "To consider a special motion, to rescind the decision taken at the Council meeting dated 17 June regarding the purchase of Civic Regalia and review the topic at a later date (special motion requested by Cllrs Brooks, McNulty, Glover, G Barton and P Barton)." Full details of the meeting (on Monday 15th July) are in our events calendar.
Comments
Here's what readers have had to say so far. Why not add your thoughts below.
His outpourings reflect badly on the Town Council which, to some of us, seems to have some very odd priorities and a general lack of direction..
There is the impression among many Wilmslow people that the Town Council has collected money from us and is very short of sensible ideas on how to spend it. Some initiatives have been excellent: the "Welcome to Wilmslow", the recent Party in the Carrs, and the flower planters around the town, for example. But £12.5k on regalia really is absurd, and Cllr Jones should allow us to say so.
Doubtless Cllr Jones will put me firmly in my place.
You bemoan the lack of a sense of tradition and history, let me add some for your benefit.
Councillors are elected to represent their constituencies/ward, the original UDC of Wilmslow prefered to see themselves as the servants of their Wilmslow electorate and were happy to receive the scrutiny, contributions and criticism of their voters. They certainly would have been horrified at your disrepect for your voters.
The UDC are also the ones that in cooperation with the voters developed the Wilmslow you see today. They helped to bring universal Gas supply and later Electricity to the town, they found the money and the engineers to develop a water supply and the sewage system, which finally put an end to the recurrent Scarlet fever epidemics in the town. They oversaw the creation of the public schools out of the fee paying parish schools. They developed Wilmslow into a thriving business community, amongst others by keeping a keen eye on the traffic flow and the state of the roads. They also organised a lot of fun days for little money and much public participation.
Any 18 months old reinvented town council should be aware of this tradition and their sense of heritage should make them proud to be seen to wear the chain of the Wilmslow UDC, as they are a very hard act to follow.
But, perhaps you are right, you really are not worthy of this chain, if you think that window dressing is more important than getting the roads in order and listening to the needs of electorate. You should be ashamed that so much of what makes Wilmslow such a vibrant town today (the market, the Wilmslow show, the Scarecrow festival to name but a few) are really organised without you, rather than you leading from the front, but that you are happy to claim their successes as your own . The Chain of the UDC chairman was 'temporarily mislaid' when it was transfered to the Macclesfield Borough Council. My sense of history suggests, that that is your chain, when you earned it - you can start by finding out, who and how such a valuable piece of Wilmslow's heritage and traditions was lost by its successor...
Yours sincerely,
Birgitta Hoffmann,
Historian and Archaeologist and lest you forget it, as voter, a person you owe a reckoning of your behaviour and achievements to.
I particularly loved his comments about us: "whose sense of tradition and heritage is questionable". I am a professional historian of thirty years standing. As I am on TV in that capacity from time to time, it seems not unreasonable to assume that someone with his claimed sense of history might knows this. Furthermore, I see that three other recognised historians have also commented adversely on the Council's plans: One is a renowned expert on the Victorian history of this area, one an internationally respected expert on the Roman Empire and the other, amongst other things, one of the leaders of Wilmslow's Archaeology Society. Was his remark just ignorant, or was it intended as a pointed comment aimed at us? If the latter, I would strongly urge him not to make any further libellous comments on Wilmslow.co.uk where we quite rightly expect a certain standard of behaviour.
I think it is probably best to draw a discrete veil over his bizarre comparisons with military medals, and the monarchy, or that somehow we are buying civic regalia so that our great grandchildren can dig it up some day. Frankly I would be very happy if we would stop stripping our national defence. I am a regular helper with the Poppy Appeal. My father-in-law is a (now retired) air force officer, and I think we should do more, not less, for our servicemen. I am also a great believer in the monarchy, although I think that there would be comments if we were planning to buy her a new crown just at present. But this is a small provincial council, not the Queen of both England and most of the former British Empire. We already have a chain. We seem to have lost another. We don't need a third. We don't want to pay for a third, and if that makes us "Luddites" (now who is being insulting?), then so be it. And if we are just a "vociferous minority", where are all the positive comments please? I have yet to see a single one. Come on people, if you are of the hitherto silent majority and believe in what the Council are doing on this issue, leap to their defence ......... Anybody?
One of the items on the agenda is "To consider a special motion, to rescind the decision taken at the Council meeting dated 17 June regarding the purchase of Civic Regalia and review the topic at a later date (special motion requested by Cllrs Brooks, McNulty, Glover, G Barton and P Barton)."
This meeting is open to members of the public. Details of the meeting and the full agenda is available in our events calendar http://bit.ly/10KKWaS
I would be delighted to hear that WTC members have taken up Dr. Hoffmann's suggestion that they find the "lost" Wilmslow Urban District Council regalia ... now that would be a REAL result!
The item being mislaid reminds me of the story in Dewsbury, about the Museum there, which was going to be demolished by the Council. It was discovered that many pictures and other items were "missing",, and, typically, it was found out, that the Council did not own the Museum, in the first place!
But plenty of publicity, showing up the Council. surprisingly, everything reappeared
I am both a Conservative with a capital C and an avid monarchist who loves our traditions but cannot support this crass use of taxpayers money.
Our town council is only 2 years old, already has a gold chain of note and nobody from around the world is going to flock here to see our Councillors wearing it. I like many others think this is a "tradition" we could easily do without, if if we could afford it (which we can't).
I also have an MBA and am aware that this is neither an asset nor an investment as Councillor Jones would have us believe either. I am happy to canvass opinion on this matter with Councillor Jones in Wilmslow town center though. Let's stop people at random and see if they think this is a valid use of our money and we will quickly see who has the general public support.
Meanwhile, back on planet earth, the toilets in the town center have been closed due to "lack of funds". Perhaps we should ask for gold taps for them and herald the great tradition of public conveniences in order to get them reopened?
Does a rescue lack the interest of a new spend? I don't think that is true, if you are really interested in tradition then you would surely be more enthusiastic about recovering the old regalia. And, after all, if you want to involve the Monarchy, they are still wearing on that old crown of Edward III's.
Surely, too, Cheshire East Council, having taken on the care of the original valuable regalia, should have some responsibility for explaining their apparent carelessness. Why don't you ask your namesake, Councillor M Jones, where his officers might have put the Wilmslow stash, Councillor T Jones?
Councillor,
Clearly you hold your views with conviction that it is wise to spend £12,700 on replacement regalia. That should be a worthwhile characteristic to have, but is it not more worthwhile to recognize the extent of the opposition to these views of yours and admit you are wrong?
When we the electorate were sold the idea of a Town Council we were told that one of its benefits would be to carry out services more cost effectively than CEC. The example of grass cutting in Poynton was frequently used to illustrate the point whereby a WTC could save money. Where has it all gone so wrong that we find we are getting hot under the collar about throwing money away on regalia and not on what sort of mower to buy?
Does WTC have a plan for the next two to three years? Will it be continuing in the same vein,i.e. taking money in from its precept and then giving it out again? Or, will it start to manage some services and generating savings.
If WTC were able to demonstrate through its judicious management it had saved £12,700, the response to your proposal might have been less negative Councillor.
throwing money on regalia
It's an easy comparison to make.
(Where's Charles Saatchi when you need him?)
Indeed it is a powerful argument for the electorate to intervene and end this wasteful mindset once and for all.
What the people were doing was exercising their democratic right to have an opinion other than yours or that of the elected body. Please remember that in a democracy we are - more often than not - ruled by the minority!
You are elected to represent us and by the way you have gone about belittling any view that isn't yours is surely proof that you are not fit for purpose.
You mention 'republicans' as if they are something you stand in; some of those republicans will have voted or you and simply wishing to have a discussion on the role of the Monarchy in the UK of this century does not make them bad people. THIS IS A DEMOCRACY AND THIS IS DEMOCRACY IN ACTION!
Don't like it, get another job - it looks like there are many willing to help you 'clear your desk'.
You sought popularity councillor... for whatever reason.. military comparisons are not yours to make... your rant through history is equally condescending.
Yet it is you that wishes to parade a badge of office, not a badge of honour.
Are you for one instance suggesting you also have a valued place in history??
Your mark on the community has been made... your priorities cast.
Have you ever heard of humility councillor ?
WTC has always (to date) had 15 Cons Cllrs, but there is now a casual vacancy in the Dean Row Ward and hopefully 10 Dean Row electors will call for an election (their first opportunity to actually vote for a Ward Councillor). Perhaps a single independent (Wilmslow First?) candidate can be found, to contest the seat, and oppose the expected local Cons nomination.
Perhaps from Residents of Wilmlsow (RoW), so as not to dilute the WTC declared position of safeguarding the greenbelt?
However, while it may be easy to scoff at Councillor Jones' extraordinary outburst, we should note that several councillors voted for this expenditure. I have looked for the minutes of the meeting on the Town Council website and they appear to be missing. I have found the agenda and the papers submitted but nothing else. Can we please have a record of the meeting before the issue is discussed again next week?
It will be interesting to hear the views of the other Councillors who voted in favour of buying us some new gold-plated 'heritage' and 'tradition'.
If Councillor Jones has the courage of his convictions, perhaps WTC could ask the people of Wilmslow if there are any other more urgent areas in which the money ought to be spent before wasting £12,700 of our money on costume jewellery.
I am also fascinated by his view that these comments represent a campaign of some sort, He appears to be suggesting that there is a conspiracy involved. Conspiracy can be a very serious criminal offence, and I can assure Cllr Jones that nothing of the kind is happening here. Speaking for myself, I know about 3 or 4 of the other people who have made comments and have absolutely no knowledge of any of the others beyond their remarks on this forum. I suggest that applies to most of those who have submitted comments.
If this forum was indeed being taken over by a minority, I would suggest that by now there would have been postings in favour of Cllr Jones and his like-minded councillors. To date, there has nor been a single comment in favour of buying regalia.
Could I point out that people could reduce the perceived 'need' for regalia by not inviting the chairman or any other representatives of the council to the sort of events where this kind of thing is worn? Such action might also reduce the amount of money claimable in expenses, thereby freeing up even more cash to spend on things Wilmslow needs.
Cllr Jones mentioned - more than once - the topic of museums and the importance of history. Of course, Wilmslow has no museum. There was a proposal once, many decades ago. to start one, but it came to nothing. Is he suggesting that acquiring a piece of regalia would be as important to the town as having a facility like a museum?
I'm sure Cllr Jones will correct me if I am wrong, but I don't ever remember being introduced to him at any of the history based events which have taken place in the town over the past few years.
We should all have a chain of office. Think how good it would look on holiday when you're laying on the beach.
You could be sunning yourself in Rio and people would still know you were from Wilmslow.
It's a brilliant concept. Instant recognition, which is after all what Wilmslow Town Council crave.
Job done, I'd say!
Job done!
According to the draft minutes of the June 17th Town Council meeting those who opposed the decision were councillors Trevor Jones (author of the above article), Don Glover, Christopher Dodson and Ellie Brooks.
By the way, apropos of nothing in particular, but the missing chain that has been mislaid, mis-filed, stolen or otherwise lost - was it insured?
I have been asking about the lost regalia and its potential insurance for a while now, but no-one at the council seems willing to seek an answer from Cheshire East Council. Or perhaps they have, but Cheshire East Council won't answer. After all, they undertook to take care of the regalia and can hardly expect to escape untarnished by what seems like a pretty serious piece of carelessness.