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COUNCILLOR LANCE DOWSON

MAYORAL ACCEPTANCE SPEECH - 21St MAY 2002

COLLEAGUES, FRIENDS AND FAMILY---------GOOD EVENING.

MAY I START BY THANKING THE COUNCIL FOR THE GREAT HONOUR THAT YOU HAVE BESTOWED UPON ME BY ELECTING ME MAYOR OF THE BOROUGH AND CHAIR OF THE COUNCIL ESPECIALLY IN THIS OUR QUEENS JUBILEE YEAR.

I HAVE TO ADMIT THAT I AM ALSO VERY RELIEVED TO HAVE ACTUALLY ARRIVED AT THIS POINT WITHOUT THE NEED FOR A HEART RECONDITIONING AS HAPPENED TO THE LAST TWO MALE MAYORS AFTER THEY WERE NOMINATED!
I’M VERY GLAD TO BE ABLE TO REPORT THAT IT HAS NOT BECOME A PREREQUISITE FOR THE POSITION
ALTHOUGH, OF COURSE BEING A MERE MALE EVERY TWINGE OR TOUCH OF INDIGESTION HAD ME WONDERING!
ENLARGE - Click photo, then BACK

BUT I AM HERE AND STILL A LITTLE AMAZED TO BE SO AFTER ONLY THREE YEARS ON THE COUNCIL AND WHEN I LOOK BACK OVER THE LAST FOUR YEARS REALISING JUST WHAT AN AMAZING TIME IT HAS BEEN.
FROM THE BEGINNING WHEN LIAM ASKED ME IF I’D CONSIDER STANDING FOR THE COUNCIL IN 1999,
GETTING ELECTED TO THE BOROUGH AND NEW MILLS TOWN COUNCIL, MEETING VIV WHO ACTED AS MY CONSORT WHEN I WAS DEPUTY MAYOR IN MY SECOND YEAR AND WHILST SHE CANNOT AT THIS STAGE BE MY MAYORESS HAS AGREED TO BE MY CONSORT, THIS TIME I’M VERY PLEASED AND PROUD TO BE ABLE TO SAY, AS MY FIANCEE’.

THROUGH LAST YEAR WHEN I WAS CHAIR OF NEW MILLS TOWN COUNCIL TO TODAY AS MAYOR OF OUR BOROUGH, I AM VERY CONSCIOUS OF THE RESPONSIBILITY THAT GOES WITH THESE POSITIONS IN MAINTAINING THE HIGH STANDARDS SET BY MY PREDECESSOR’S OVER NEARLY 30 YEARS, SOME OF WHOM ARE STILL COUNCILLORS AND HERE TONIGHT NAMELY COUNCILLORS JOHN PRITCHARD, JOHN FRANCIS, DAVID LOMAX MARION WILLIAMS, DAVID BOND, JANE McGROTHER AND, OF COURSE, RON PRIESTLEY AND I ACKNOWLEDGE THE CONTRIBUTIONS MADE BY THEM.

I HAVE, HOWEVER, ONLY KNOWN 3 MAYORS. CLLR. DAVID BOND WHO I HAVE KNOWN LONGER THAN I’M SURE, EITHER OF US WOULD CARE TO ADMIT AND WHO WHENEVER I HAVE ASKED A QUESTION OF HIM, NO MATTER HOW COMPLICATED OR COMPLEX, HAS ALWAYS ANSWERED ME SO QUICKLY WITH A SMILE AND WITH SUCH CONFIDENCE THAT RIGHT OR WRONG I JUST HAVE TO BELIEVE THAT IT IS THE RIGHT ANSWER.

CLLR. JANE McGROTHER WHO I WAS PROUD TO SERVE UNDER AS HER DEPUTY AND WHOSE ABILITIES I GREW TO RESPECT AND ADMIRE MORE AND MORE AS THE YEAR PROGRESSED BUT WHO DEFINITELY HAS MORE ENERGY THAN SOMEONE AT LEAST TWICE HER SIZE SHOULD HAVE.

AND CLLR. RON PRIESTLY WHO MUST HAVE SPENT ALL HIS LIFE DEVELOPING THE BUILD AND STATURE FITTING OF A MAYOR AND WHO I COULD NOT DESCRIBE BETTER THAN A RESIDENT OF A HOME FOR THE ELDERLY WHO DESCRIBED HIM TO ME AS “A VERY HAPPY CHAPPY”

HOPEFULLY I WILL BE ABLE TO COMBINE ALL THESE QUALITIES AND BE A SILVER-TONGUED HAPPY CHAPPY FULL OF ENERGY.

ALL MAYORS HAVE A THEME OR AN AIM RUNNING THROUGHOUT THEIR YEAR OF OFFICE.
IT IS MY AIM TO BE, VERY MUCH, A COMMUNITY MAYOR.

JANE AND I OFTEN DISCUSSED THE NUMBER OF OCCASIONS WHEN WE WOULD SPEND HOURS TRAVELLING TO AN ENGAGEMENT OUTSIDE THE BOROUGH THAT LASTED FOR A VERY SHORT PERIOD OF TIME AND THEN SPEND HOURS TRAVELLING BACK AGAIN WHICH ALTHOUGH OFTEN ENJOYABLE APPEARED TO HAVE NO REAL BENEFIT TO THE BOROUGH OR ITS RESIDENTS.
OBVIOUSLY IT IS IMPORTANT THAT THE MAYOR REPRESENTS THE BOROUGH AT SOME FUNCTIONS THAT ARE OUTSIDE THE BOROUGH BUT I INTEND TO BE MORE SELECTIVE IN ACCEPTING INVITATIONS OUTSIDE THE BOROUGH IN ORDER THAT I AM MORE AVAILABLE FOR EVENTS IN THE BOROUGH THAT ARE IMPORTANT TO OUR RESIDENTS SUCH AS 100 YR BIRTHDAY CELEBRATIONS, 50 YRS AND UPWARDS WEDDING ANNIVERSARIES, MEETINGS OF SMALLER VOLUNTARY/CHARITABLE ORGANISATIONS, PTA’S SCHOOLS ETC THAT MAY IN THE PAST NOT FELT ABLE TO INVITE THE MAYOR TO THEIR ACTIVITIES AND I LOOK FORWARD TO RECEIVING SUCH INVITATIONS.

I AM PLEASED THAT SOME OF THE LOCAL PRESS HAVE ALREADY TITLED ME, 'MAYOR LANCE', AND IT IS THIS APPROACH THAT, WHILST STILL RESPECTING THE DIGNITY OF THE OFFICE, I WOULD WISH TO FOSTER.

WITH THIS AIM IN MIND AND WITH A REVIEW OF THE MAYOR'S ROLE AND DUTIES THAT ENCOMPASSES THIS CONCEPT I AM PLEASED THAT PASTOR PETER BIRD OF THE CHRISTIAN REVIVAL CHURCH IN NEW MILLS, A PERSON AND AN ORGANISATION WELL KNOWN AND RESPECTED FOR WORK IN THE COMMUNITY, HAS AGREED TO BE MY CHAPLAIN.

HAVING BEEN INVITED, FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER, SO MANY OF OUR TOWN AND PARISH COUNCIL CHAIRS HAVE HONOURED ME WITH THEIR PRESENCE, SOME SAT AT THE BACK OTHERS, WHO ARE ALSO BOROUGH COUNCILLORS, SAT IN THE CHAMBER.

I HAVE BEEN ABLE TO ARRANGE FOR THE MAYORS SCHEDULE TO BE PRINTED ON THE BACK PAGE OF THE COUNCILS INFORMATION BULLETIN AND HOPE THAT IF YOU SEE THAT I AM IN YOUR AREA YOU WILL FEEL ABLE TO JOIN ME ON APPROPRIATE OCCASIONS.

FINALLY I WOULD WISH TO PAY TRIBUTE TO THE SPLENDID WORK CARRIED OUT YEAR AFTER YEAR BY THE MAYORS CHARITIES WHO WORK SO HARD RAISING FUNDS FOR THE BENEFIT OF OUR COMMUNITY AND I WILL BE SUPPORTING THEM, AS IS USUAL FOR THE MAYOR IN OFFICE TO DO.

HOWEVER, AS THEY ARE CONCENTRATED IN THE GLOSSOP AND BUXTON AREAS, AND AS OFFERS OF DONATIONS ARE ALSO MADE FOR THE CENTRAL AREA AND FOR THE WHOLE OF THE HIGH PEAK I INTEND, WITHOUT DETRACTING FROM OR COMPETING WITH THE FUND RAISING THAT USUALLY OCCURS, TO HAVE A PERSONAL CHARITY.

THIS WILL BE THE GUIDE DOGS FOR THE BLIND ASSOCIATION IN THE HOPE THAT DURING MY YEAR OF OFFICE I WILL BE ABLE TO RAISE THE THREE AND A HALF THOUSAND POUNDS NEEDED TO PROVIDE A GUIDE DOG FOR ONE OF OUR RESIDENTS IN ORDER THAT THEY MAY ENJOY AND TAKE A GREATER PART IN OUR COMMUNITY.

I AM EXTREMELY PLEASED TO BE ABLE TO ANNOUNCE THAT ALREADY A GROUP OF LOCAL COUNCIL WORKERS, RESIDENTS AND BUSINESS PEOPLE HAVE PLEDGED AN EVENT THAT SHOULD RAISE AROUND £1000 TOWARDS THIS GOAL.

SO ONCE AGAIN I THANK YOU MOST SINCERELY AND LOOK FORWARD TO A BUSY AND SUCCESSFUL YEAR.