Mumbles raises a din over town status

A VILLAGE that became a town has returned to its original status after just five weeks following a backlash by furious residents.

Councillors in Mumbles, south Wales, changed their minds after voting themselves to become a town so they could have a mayor. Residents of the small fishing community branded the decision a “disgrace” and accused the authority of “vanity”.

The village, previously dubbed the Monaco of Wales, is home to Catherine Zeta-jones, the actress, who owns a £2 million mansion there with Michael Douglas, her actor husband.

Councillors voted for the change on Oct 10, without consulting public opinion. They then reversed the decision on Nov 14 after public outcry.

Brian Arthur, 71, a former councillor and retired engineer, said: “It is a disgrace. It was the way that they had done it, without consulting the people. There was a strong feeling of anger throughout the whole community. Many of the people are third or fourth-generation families.

“It is an act of vanity from the council, who wanted the tag of mayor, but we have served all these years being a community council, so why change it? Once a village, always a village.”

The population of Mumbles is about 3,000.

Sue Eastment, 70, who has lived in the village since she was born, said: “It is a very friendly place. It did not seem right for it to become a town. It doesn’t have that feeling. It is a nice little village community.”

Cllr William Thomas, who proposed the plans, said his idea had not gone down well with the community.

He said: “People like the quaintness of the village and a lot of the arguments were that to have a mayor was going to cost people money.

“I thought a mayor would be good for us, as we are a tourist destination, it would bring in a fun angle for tourists to meet the mayor at town twinning events and large local events and help to raise the profile of Mumbles.”