Worthing Borough Council is to hold an extraordinary meeting over the use of mayoral robes.
The meeting, which has been added to the council’s calendar, will discuss the immediate reintroduction of the use of Worthing’s mayoral robes and the provision of an animal-fur-free set of robes.
The extraordinary meeting will be held at 6pm on Tuesday, May 21, at Worthing Town Hall, just before the annual council meeting at 6.30pm, after the council resumes normal business following the elections.
All member and mayoral robes were scrapped at full council in July last year, except for the mayoral badges and chains of office.
Opposition Leader Kevin Jenkins (Con, Goring) told the Local Democracy Reporting Service he had tried to call the meeting in March but was ‘thwarted’ by the Labour administration stating it was in the pre-election period.
He said: “Conservative councillors have responded to the very loud and public outcry about the decision taken last July, 2023. After the much-disputed decision to remove the robes it attracted huge public attention and was widely condemned across many platforms.
“Mayoral robes have been worn by the mayor of our town since 1890 – that tradition, at Remembrance, was broken and the enduring bond between the council and the veterans was fractured”.
Worthing Borough Council is to hold an extraordinary meeting over the use of mayoral robes.
The meeting, which has been added to the council’s calendar, will discuss the immediate reintroduction of the use of Worthing’s mayoral robes and the provision of an animal-fur-free set of robes.
The extraordinary meeting will be held at 6pm on Tuesday, May 21, at Worthing Town Hall, just before the annual council meeting at 6.30pm, after the council resumes normal business following the elections.
All member and mayoral robes were scrapped at full council in July last year, except for the mayoral badges and chains of office.
Opposition Leader Kevin Jenkins (Con, Goring) told the Local Democracy Reporting Service he had tried to call the meeting in March but was ‘thwarted’ by the Labour administration stating it was in the pre-election period.
He said: “Conservative councillors have responded to the very loud and public outcry about the decision taken last July, 2023. After the much-disputed decision to remove the robes it attracted huge public attention and was widely condemned across many platforms.
“Mayoral robes have been worn by the mayor of our town since 1890 – that tradition, at Remembrance, was broken and the enduring bond between the council and the veterans was fractured”.