A difficult year
It is a huge honour to be elected by one’s fellow councillors as mayor of Havant Borough, and I was shocked to read in the paper that some of these same councillors are now questioning the expenses of the current mayor of Havant.
Cllr Prad Baines and his mayoress have been doing an outstanding job in very difficult circumstances. They are both young, but have carried out their duties with dignity, energy and sensitivity. To have someone so young has been a refreshing change, as well as encouraging our young people, who have been through so much this year, to aspire to achieve.
I was lucky enough to be chosen as Mayor of Havant from May 2016 until May 2017 (pictured). No mayor should be prevented from taking on this onerous but rewarding office because they cannot afford it.
In my year of office, I visited many fetes and fairs, and while I paid for things I would enjoy, like delicious cakes, I was paying several pounds each week in raffle tickets at these events.
It is only right that the mayor and his mayoress should be properly dressed, as to turn up in jeans and T-shirts to a formal daytime occasion, like opening a shop, is almost an insult to those who invited him. We would not expect our wonderful queen to do this, and as her representative, whoever takes on this position might need some allowance to cover these things. Perhaps it would be better if our elected representatives examined more closely the expenditure in other areas of the council – for instance a decision was made to outsource some of the council services, several years ago, causing some distress to employees who were moved over to these companies. Then only months later, it was decided that some functions of this outsourcing were not working properly, so the council, and the other councils it was working with on this project, wanted to pull out of the contract.
This cost a substantial sum as a penalty for breaking the contract, which has never been disclosed, but puts the mayor’s allowances sound like pennies in comparison. Faith Ponsonby
Former Havant Borough councillor (2006 - 2018) and mayor (2016 - 2017)