Mayor today...gone tomorrow

He or she is the civic head of the town and the position is usually bestowed on people who have served on the council for a lengthy period.

But with the council facing a cash crisis the role of the mayor is to be reviewed. It cost the town £76,000 to fund the mayoral office last year. Also there is a shortage of takers for the role which can mean making more than 400 appearances a year.

In today's special report we look at whether the mayor still has a place to play in today's society and ask you for your views.

WANTED: One Mayor, immediate start, no experience needed but own transport is.

That job advert may well be needed in the future if borough councillors' worst fears are realised.

Concerns about the increasing lack of willing and able candidates - and costs - for the 500-year-old-post were raised at a council management committee meeting this week, during which a paper reviewing the mayoral service was discussed.

It appears that despite the use of a chauffeured car and an allowance of £5,197, the workload that comes from attending more than 400 engagements a year is becoming harder to manage.

Anne Thomas, chairman of the management committee, said: "It is becoming more and more difficult to find members to stand as mayor. It is largely to do with lifestyle.

"But," she said, "there appears to be a good deal of public support for continuing the mayoral function."

The earliest record of a mayor in Weymouth dates back to 1516 although the present role was created after local government reforms in 1974.

Councillors need to have served at least four years before becoming eligible for the position, which runs for one year.

They are supported by two staff - the mayor's chauffeur and the mayor's secretary, who is also the chief executive's personal assistant. Although the term chauffeur is used, the job is not just driving but also one of guidance and intermediary between the mayor and the many people he meets.

Mayoral duties - on top of the day-to-day council procedure - include organising the Christmas appeal, civic services, and twinning visits to France and Germany.

But it is the stream of invitations that come into the office that take up the bulk of the time.

Doug Hollings, who became mayor of the borough in March 2003, said it was an honour and a privilege to fill the position.

He said: "It is very important to have a non-political representative of the council but it came as a surprise to me the considerable demands upon your time - you really need to be either retired or self-employed."

Mr Hollings, who had retired from his job before becoming deputy mayor in 2002, thinks he will have to attend at least the same number of functions as his predecessor Hazel Bruce.

But he said: "I would like to see the role continue very much."

Mayors from the past also queued up to defend the role.

Councillor Howard Legg, mayor in 1998-99, said: "The position is very much valued in town. If you were to do anything with it you would have a substantial backlash. I can't think of a single occasion I went to that did not benefit from the mayor being present." Coun Legg was a teacher at Wey Valley School when he became mayor and had to reduce the hours he worked by almost half to fit in all the duties.

He said: "It's not just the visiting engagements, but also the mayor's council procedural duties such as chairing full council meetings."

Councillor Brian Ellis managed to hold down a full time job when he was mayor in 1996-97.

He said: "I had three weeks' notice to prepare for the role, not a year in advance".

But he said the mayoral role was a powerful force for good in the community.

"I look upon the role of the mayor as the one opportunity to promote the role of the local authority's work. I wouldn't like to see the role diminished," he said.

Coun Thomas said a key concern for members was the yearly cost of the figurehead.

The report revealed the total expense associated with the mayoral office during 2003-04 is budgeted at £75,893.

This includes direct costs such as the mayor's allowance, car lease expenses and regalia maintenance, and also indirect ones such as sharing secretarial help with officers.

Suggestions made by the committee to reduce the post's costs included using a taxi instead of a chauffeured car, and limiting the number of mayoral visits outside the borough.

Kay Wilcox, member for finance and resources, said: "Not all local authorities provide a car for their mayors - London boroughs seem to get by without it and they don't appear to be undignified. We shouldn't be so precious."

But Mayor Hollings said: "My own personal view is that you can't do the role of the mayor as it is expected without funding it properly. I have up to four engagements a day sometimes, at night and at weekends and you need support for that."

Coun Les Ames, himself a former mayor, raised the spectre of dignitaries being pulled over for drink-driving if they were forced to use their own cars. He said: "It is difficult being the mayor. At social events if you have two or three drinks you are over the limit. I don't have a problem with them getting taxis home."

Councillors said they were keen to explore possibility of sponsorship to help meet costs.

After the hospitality at the mayor's induction ceremony was axed earlier in the year, Weymouth and Portland Chamber of Commerce offered to fund the reception for the next three years, an offer the council gratefully took up.

Coun Thomas said: "We are keen to explore more of these sorts of arrangements. We cannot do everything ourselves, and there are many organisations and people in the borough who have a great deal of skill and expertise."