23/07/2026
๐ ๐ฎ๐๐ผ๐ฟ'๐ ๐ฃ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐๐ผ๐ป๐ฎ๐น ๐ฆ๐๐ฎ๐๐ฒ๐บ๐ฒ๐ป๐. ๐ฃ๐น๐ฒ๐ฎ๐๐ฒ ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฑ. ๐ง๐ต๐ฎ๐ป๐ธ ๐๐ผ๐.
Being Mayor is a privilege and an honour โ a role that should not be taken lightly and carries many responsibilities.
However, every Mayor is different. We all have our own ideas and ways of doing things. We are also all different people, with differing views, attitudes and personalities.
I also believe we live in very different times from those of the past. Traditionally, Mayors would chair a few meetings, attend events, have a few photographs taken and then disappear until the next time they were needed. Today, we live in an โInstagram societyโ, where people want answers โ often quickly โ and where we are held to account much more directly through social media.
I am different from many of my predecessors.
I believe that both I, as Mayor, and the Council should be approachable, friendly, helpful and accessible. Councils should get back to their grassroots and start fighting for, and being part of, the communities they serve.
Personally, I am aware that some people do not particularly like me. Fair enough.
There have also been complaints that some people find my sense of humour offensive or misjudged. For that, I apologise. I would never deliberately upset anyone with a joke.
However, that is me. I am a normal, everyday person. I try to be a happy, friendly and approachable Mayor. It is part of my personality.
I will continue to tell jokes in public and on Facebook, while also trying to carry out the responsibilities of the Mayoral role properly. If I occasionally get it wrong, I apologise.
I will also continue to express my own personal opinions and views on issues. I will not, in my personal view, be unreasonably silenced simply because I am Mayor.
There is a real issue here.
Do you want to go back to the โperfect First Citizenโ of the town? Someone who turns up, smiles, says very little and disappears again. Someone who never says anything controversial or risky, pays little attention to what happens behind the scenes, and does not necessarily listen to what the community actually wants?
Or would you rather have me?
A normal, everyday person who cares passionately about the community where I live.
Someone with a proven track record of improvements and changes since joining the Council.
Someone who will fight tooth and nail against anyone to defend and improve our town for everyone.
Someone who is prepared to take the bull by the horns โ even if, in doing so, I occasionally upset some people.
I believe there is a desperate need for change within our Town Council: in the way we work, in policies and procedures that often go back many, many years, and in what can sometimes be an outdated mindset.
Of course, change must be tempered with common sense, and some traditions are also a good thing.
So, to sum up:
I am sorry if my humour upsets you. They are typically terrible โdad jokesโ.
I am sorry if you do not like my personal comments or views.
But that is me. That is my personality, and I will not change or remain silent simply because I am Mayor.
That is absolutely no reflection on our Town Council or my fellow councillors. It is a reflection of me as a person.
For those who believe a Mayor must always be solemn and upright, that is absolutely fine โ but you may possibly have to wait another nine months for that.
I hope to be posting a video very shortly with updates on the changes and improvements that have taken place behind the scenes over the last few months, as well as those that have been, or will be, introduced.
Please judge me by those โ and not by my pathetic, occasionally ill-judged dad jokes.
