‘Sniffing’ mayor turns nose up at car which fails to match his status
A MAYOR who was filmed snorting a substance in a public lavatory has demanded a bigger official car, and said that his current Toyota should be replaced with a model which reflects the “prestige and status” of his role.
Neil Rix, the mayor of Dover, is “subject to discomfort” because of the size of his current civic car, a Toyota Prius, according to a council document.
The town sergeant, who also uses the car, is said to similarly suffer discomfort when driving the vehicle because he is “above average height for a British man” and with the seat at its lowest position his head touches the roof.
The mayor and the town sergeant have suggested that the Prius is replaced with a Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV, a Skoda Superb Hatchback SE L Executive or a Volvo S90 hybrid T8 Twin. The town council’s finance and general purposes committee agenda notes that the mayor has said that “the make of vehicle should reflect the prestige and status of the mayoralty’’.
The council has agreed to the request, and the mayor’s car lease budget is to increase from £3,590 a year to £5,000 a year. Last August a video was uploaded to Youtube showing Mr Rix, 55, who runs a scaffolding firm, snorting an unknown substance off a lavatory cistern.
Mr Rix said that the incident was from around six years previously and that the footage was used to blackmail him. He said at the time that “someone had put drugs in to my beer. I don’t know what it was I was putting up my nose. It could have been sherbet for all I know.” No subsequent police action was taken.
Peter Wallace, a fellow Dover town councillor, has criticised Mr Rix’s car request, saying that the planned upgrade is “inappropriate at a time of austerity”.
“People like nurses do a really important job and they don’t have a car, but the mayor just goes about meeting people and eating sandwiches,” Mr Wallace said.
A council spokesman said “It has been agreed to replace the civic car, which is used by councillors, officers and the mayor for council business.
“Environmental factors and economical running costs will be taken into account when selecting the civic car – no decision on a model has been made.
“Councillors also agreed that leasing the civic car up to £5,000 per year is the most cost-effective option.”