Saturday, 26 May 2018
Thursday, 24 May 2018
St John's Day Centre
It is in this spirit that the day centre has started to develop a community garden, which is also accessible to residents of the nearby home. This is being put together with the help of volunteers, many of them from the Principality Building Society, who have also donated several thousand pounds to help construct and stock the garden.
On my visit I met a number of the volunteers, spoke to staff and to a number of the clients. The garden is a fantastic facility and a credit to all those who have helped to build it.
I will be back there a week tomorrow in my capacity as a ward councillor, when local children have been invited to help design and produce a banner for the centre's fence. This is a school holiday activity being organised by a new group in the area which calls itself Cwmbwrla Community Events, and which I have helped to set up.
Wednesday, 23 May 2018
An inspirational evening at Gowerton School
My first engagement as Deputy Lord Mayor was in Gowerton School judging presentations from year nine pupils on their charity fundraising work.
The evening was arranged by a charity called First Give, which was set up to help young people give their time and talent to improve their community.
Each class was asked to choose a charity, learn about their work and raise as much money as possible for them. They were then asked to come to tonight's final and make a presentation about what they had done.
I was one of five judges who had the impossible task of deciding which group would win an additional £1,000 for their chosen charity.
The six charities concerned were Gofal Cymru, Golau Cancer Foundation, Make a Wish Foundation, Lawrence's Roundabout Well Appeal, Paul Popham Fund and Swansea Mind. Between them the pupils had raised over £3,000 for these six charities through a variety of events.
The presentations were of a very high standard, making use of videos and other media. The pupils were a credit to themselves and their school, articulate, socially aware, emotionally and intellectually engaged with and committed to their causes.
In the end we chose the Golau Cancer Foundation as the recipient for the £1,000 donation but it could have been any one of them, the presentations were that good.
It was an outstanding start to what could be an eventful year.
Saturday, 19 May 2018
Friday, 18 May 2018
Inauguration
It was not the most auspicious of starts. I have an ear infection and as a result had hardly slept for the last three nights. It is just as well that I did not have to drive to the Guildhall. I was still in pain and discomfort during the ceremony despite the medication I have been prescribed for the condition. And I have gone deaf in my right ear.
Given my state of tiredness I was also grateful that my role in today's ceremony was as a bit-player. It is next year that I will have to give speeches and play host to the assembled throng. Today was David Phillip's day as Lord Mayor, I was installed as his deputy.
As you can see the robes are fairly traditional. There are in fact two sets of robes for the Deputy Lord Mayor. The older set are lined with ermine. The ones I will be using are lined with artificial fur. The bauble around my neck is the Gower chain, one of seventeen held by the various successor councils in the former West Glamorgan area.
We had a rehearsal last night. All the speeches are reserved for and by the incoming Lord Mayor and outgoing Lord Mayor. I just have to be formally proposed and seconded. After that I left the Council chamber to be robed and then took the oath of office. The robes are quite warm and nobody had warned me that I would have to wear them throughout the reception afterwards.
Nevertheless I enjoyed the day and was pleased that I was able to share the day with some of my friends and neighbours, all of whom seemed to enjoy it.
Nevertheless I enjoyed the day and was pleased that I was able to share the day with some of my friends and neighbours, all of whom seemed to enjoy it.
My first engagement as Deputy Lord Mayor is on Wednesday in Gowerton School. The Lord Mayor starts official life on Monday when he will be receiving a party of Norwegian Druids. Who said the job isn't varied?
Wednesday, 11 April 2018
Preparing for the big day
Strictly speaking, Friday 18th May is not my big day. That belongs to Councillor David Phillips who is to become Swansea's Lord Mayor on that date. My role will be as his deputy for a year, during which I will learn the ropes and fill in at events and functions he is not able to attend.
So whereas, he will have a starring role in the Mayor-making ceremony, my bit-part is to be nominated as Deputy Lord Mayor, be kitted in the robes and to go through the swearing in. Despite that there is a lot to learn both about that day and the subsequent year, so David and I went up to the Mansion House yesterday to be briefed.
The briefing was detailed and thorough, as would be expected from the small but very professional support staff. This is not an honorary position. The job is to work to represent the people and City of Swansea to visitors, local organisations and investors and it will involve many functions, visits and hosting events.
We were encouraged to learn the history of the Mayoralty and the chain in particular to better enlighten the curious, especially the many school children we will encounter. Swansea, I am told, has seventeen chains, collected from the various bodies that have merged over many years to form the unitary authority we are now. Some of these chains are with Neath Port Talbot. All of them are valuable and irreplaceable.
There is a very small clothing allowance, to help us dress for the occasion, but the overall budget for the Mayoralty has been cut and officers find themselves having to stretch out what resources they are given to deliver the best possible service for the City.
Afterwards, David and I had a tour of the Mansion House. Previously, I have only seen the downstairs reception rooms. There are offices on the ground floor in what presumably used to be servant quarters and a three bedroomed flat on the first floor, which is available to the Lord Mayor if he or she wishes to use it.
The house used to be made available to judges when they visited Swansea, at which point the Lord Mayor would have to vacate the building to make room for them. However, that stopped some years ago when more permanent judges' lodgings were acquired.
The top floor is derelict and in need of some refurbishment, however resources are scarce and that is unlikely to happen in the near future. There has been an ambition for some time to turn the Mansion House into a more commercial venture, possibly hiring it out for weddings and corporate events.
Some of that does happen but to do it properly the council would need to offer accommodation as well and that means a substantial investment in refurbishing the whole building and perhaps evicting the Lord Mayor. Perhaps if a business case can be made in the near future it will happen.
In the meantime, we continue to make do. I have submitted my list of guests for the Mayor-making, mostly neighbours and supporters from my community, and am in the process of writing a biography for the official blurb. Just over five weeks to go now.
So whereas, he will have a starring role in the Mayor-making ceremony, my bit-part is to be nominated as Deputy Lord Mayor, be kitted in the robes and to go through the swearing in. Despite that there is a lot to learn both about that day and the subsequent year, so David and I went up to the Mansion House yesterday to be briefed.
The briefing was detailed and thorough, as would be expected from the small but very professional support staff. This is not an honorary position. The job is to work to represent the people and City of Swansea to visitors, local organisations and investors and it will involve many functions, visits and hosting events.
There is a very small clothing allowance, to help us dress for the occasion, but the overall budget for the Mayoralty has been cut and officers find themselves having to stretch out what resources they are given to deliver the best possible service for the City.
Afterwards, David and I had a tour of the Mansion House. Previously, I have only seen the downstairs reception rooms. There are offices on the ground floor in what presumably used to be servant quarters and a three bedroomed flat on the first floor, which is available to the Lord Mayor if he or she wishes to use it.
The house used to be made available to judges when they visited Swansea, at which point the Lord Mayor would have to vacate the building to make room for them. However, that stopped some years ago when more permanent judges' lodgings were acquired.
The top floor is derelict and in need of some refurbishment, however resources are scarce and that is unlikely to happen in the near future. There has been an ambition for some time to turn the Mansion House into a more commercial venture, possibly hiring it out for weddings and corporate events.
Some of that does happen but to do it properly the council would need to offer accommodation as well and that means a substantial investment in refurbishing the whole building and perhaps evicting the Lord Mayor. Perhaps if a business case can be made in the near future it will happen.
In the meantime, we continue to make do. I have submitted my list of guests for the Mayor-making, mostly neighbours and supporters from my community, and am in the process of writing a biography for the official blurb. Just over five weeks to go now.
Thursday, 8 March 2018
Chains of office
At the Council meeting on Tuesday 6th March I was formally nominated as Deputy Lord Mayor Elect for the municipal year 2018-19. I will be serving with Castle Ward Councillor, David Phillips, who was nominated as Lord Mayor Elect. The official ceremony to inaugurate us into those posts will take place on Friday 18th May at 2pm in Swansea Guildhall. It is my intention to keep a public record of the next two years on this blog so that people can see what the Swansea Mayoralty involves and also as a memento for myself.
The history of the Swansea Mayoralty is set out here. It dates back to September 1835, when Swansea's old corporation, headed by the portreeve, was replaced by a new municipal corporation:
The new corporation styled itself 'the Mayor, Aldermen, and Burgesses of Swansea'. This new corporation, in contrast to the old, was to be elected by the ratepayers of the borough. The Municipal Corporation Act which instituted this change also defined the legal position of the mayor, the title for the head of municipal corporations which was to become universal in England and Wales after the passing of the Act. Subsequent local government legislation between 1835 and 1972 may have introduced slight modifications to the role of mayor, but his basic functions have changed little since 1835.
As the council website relates: In the years since 1835, there have been several changes in Swansea's size and status. The status of the mayor has also altered. In 1835, he was simply the mayor of the borough of Swansea. The Local Government Act 1888 made Swansea a county borough, while in December 1969, city status was granted.
Under the terms of the Local Government Act 1972, the former city and county borough of Swansea were replaced by the Swansea District Council. On 1 April 1974, the day on which the act came into force, the status of borough and city was bestowed upon the district, thereby granting the right for the chairman of the district council to be styled as the mayor.
On 22 March 1982, HM Queen Elizabeth II graciously granted to the city of Swansea letters patent which elevated the status of the mayor to that of Lord Mayor. The Unitary Authority of the City and County of Swansea which came into being on 1 April 1996 was successful in having both the City and Lord Mayor status re-bestowed.
In Swansea, maces have been borne before the portreeves and mayors since at least the 16th century. The present pair were made in 1753, while an earlier pair which date from 1615, are still in the council's possession but are no longer in use.
The mayoral robes and chain of office were only introduced in the second half of the nineteenth century. The robes of office worn by mayors until March 1982 consisted of a sable-furred scarlet robe and tricorne hat. They were first instituted by the antiquarian, George Grant Francis, during his mayoralty in 1853-4.
The mayoral chain of office dates from 1875, when it was presented to the corporation by Frank Ash Yeo to commemorate his own mayoralty of the preceding year. You can read more about them here.
The former mayoral robes were replaced on 25 March 1982 by the Lord Mayor's robes of ornamented black silk and cotton damask, and a tricorne hat of black velvet with black ostrich feathers. Nowadays the fur lining is artificial in keeping with modern day norms.
Traditionally, the Lord Mayor's official residence has been the Mansion House in the City's Ffynone district. It was originally called "Brooklands". The house was completed in 1863 when the owner Evan Matthew Richards, a well known local builder, made it his family home. He was in fact Mayor of Swansea in 1855 and 1862.
After his death in 1880 Brooklands was sold twice before being purchased by the then County Borough of Swansea in 1922 with the intention of making it an official residence for the Mayor. From then on it was renamed the Mansion House.
From 1923 until 1975 the house also served as lodgings for visiting judges and on such occasions the Mayor had to vacate the premises. You can read more about the Mansion House here.
Nowadays, not every Lord Mayor moves into the Mansion House, although all will use it frequently for events. The use of the building has extended so that it is now available for hire for corporate events, ranging from business breakfasts/lunches/dinners, VIP lunches/dinners and events in respect of local and national organisations.
The Lord Mayor is able to utilise the Mansion House for private functions eg coffee mornings, afternoon teas, buffet evenings or dinners. The cost of these are met by the Lord Mayor. And of course, every Lord Mayor receives requests from various charitable organisations for the use of the Mansion House for either coffee mornings or cheese and wine/buffet evenings as fund raising events. These are granted free of charge to the charities concerned (other than waitressing staff costs).
That is the background to the office, which relies greatly on tradition. However, there is much more to being Lord Mayor including acting as civic head for visiting dignitaries, promoting the city and of course working with the countless organisations and societies around Swansea. The Lord Mayor raises large amounts of money for his or her chosen charity each year, and, if they choose their theme properly can also raise the profile of key issues. It is going to be an interesting two years.
The history of the Swansea Mayoralty is set out here. It dates back to September 1835, when Swansea's old corporation, headed by the portreeve, was replaced by a new municipal corporation:
The new corporation styled itself 'the Mayor, Aldermen, and Burgesses of Swansea'. This new corporation, in contrast to the old, was to be elected by the ratepayers of the borough. The Municipal Corporation Act which instituted this change also defined the legal position of the mayor, the title for the head of municipal corporations which was to become universal in England and Wales after the passing of the Act. Subsequent local government legislation between 1835 and 1972 may have introduced slight modifications to the role of mayor, but his basic functions have changed little since 1835.
As the council website relates: In the years since 1835, there have been several changes in Swansea's size and status. The status of the mayor has also altered. In 1835, he was simply the mayor of the borough of Swansea. The Local Government Act 1888 made Swansea a county borough, while in December 1969, city status was granted.
Under the terms of the Local Government Act 1972, the former city and county borough of Swansea were replaced by the Swansea District Council. On 1 April 1974, the day on which the act came into force, the status of borough and city was bestowed upon the district, thereby granting the right for the chairman of the district council to be styled as the mayor.
On 22 March 1982, HM Queen Elizabeth II graciously granted to the city of Swansea letters patent which elevated the status of the mayor to that of Lord Mayor. The Unitary Authority of the City and County of Swansea which came into being on 1 April 1996 was successful in having both the City and Lord Mayor status re-bestowed.
In Swansea, maces have been borne before the portreeves and mayors since at least the 16th century. The present pair were made in 1753, while an earlier pair which date from 1615, are still in the council's possession but are no longer in use.
The mayoral robes and chain of office were only introduced in the second half of the nineteenth century. The robes of office worn by mayors until March 1982 consisted of a sable-furred scarlet robe and tricorne hat. They were first instituted by the antiquarian, George Grant Francis, during his mayoralty in 1853-4.
The mayoral chain of office dates from 1875, when it was presented to the corporation by Frank Ash Yeo to commemorate his own mayoralty of the preceding year. You can read more about them here.
The former mayoral robes were replaced on 25 March 1982 by the Lord Mayor's robes of ornamented black silk and cotton damask, and a tricorne hat of black velvet with black ostrich feathers. Nowadays the fur lining is artificial in keeping with modern day norms.
Traditionally, the Lord Mayor's official residence has been the Mansion House in the City's Ffynone district. It was originally called "Brooklands". The house was completed in 1863 when the owner Evan Matthew Richards, a well known local builder, made it his family home. He was in fact Mayor of Swansea in 1855 and 1862.
After his death in 1880 Brooklands was sold twice before being purchased by the then County Borough of Swansea in 1922 with the intention of making it an official residence for the Mayor. From then on it was renamed the Mansion House.
From 1923 until 1975 the house also served as lodgings for visiting judges and on such occasions the Mayor had to vacate the premises. You can read more about the Mansion House here.
Nowadays, not every Lord Mayor moves into the Mansion House, although all will use it frequently for events. The use of the building has extended so that it is now available for hire for corporate events, ranging from business breakfasts/lunches/dinners, VIP lunches/dinners and events in respect of local and national organisations.
The Lord Mayor is able to utilise the Mansion House for private functions eg coffee mornings, afternoon teas, buffet evenings or dinners. The cost of these are met by the Lord Mayor. And of course, every Lord Mayor receives requests from various charitable organisations for the use of the Mansion House for either coffee mornings or cheese and wine/buffet evenings as fund raising events. These are granted free of charge to the charities concerned (other than waitressing staff costs).
That is the background to the office, which relies greatly on tradition. However, there is much more to being Lord Mayor including acting as civic head for visiting dignitaries, promoting the city and of course working with the countless organisations and societies around Swansea. The Lord Mayor raises large amounts of money for his or her chosen charity each year, and, if they choose their theme properly can also raise the profile of key issues. It is going to be an interesting two years.
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