What’s it like being the Mayor & Mayoress?
Dan and Julie Putty talk to the Rabbiter
The last Thursday in May saw the annual Mayor making ceremony for Basingstoke & Deane Borough Council. The Mayor is the senior citizen of Basingstoke and is second only to the Royal family and the Lord Lieutenant of the county and is above visiting members of Parliament. The new Mayor is installed by the outgoing Mayor when he hands over his chain of office. The outgoing Mayor on this occasion was one of Hatch Warren and Beggarwood’s councillors, Dan Putty.
Having now had a little time for them to come back to earth the Rabbiter went to see Dan and Julie Putty to find out what the last year has been like for them. Dan was quite clear on his view of his term of office.
Experience of a lifetime
“It was a most amazing experience meeting so many wonderful people in our town. Basingstoke’s volunteers ensure that the majority of organisations they work with are the success they are because of their dedication to helping others.”
Julie explained that the consort to the Mayor has no official role but is expected to be at Dan’s side on most of the visits they make. And there were over 350 occasions they went to various events in and around our town; sometimes up to four in a day.
“Because of time constraints the deputy Mayor undertook around fifty visits on our behalf so you can see the pressure we were under for most of the year.”
Dan had a weekly meeting with the Mayor’s co-ordinator to discuss the activity of the previous week and plan for those coming up. “I always ensured that the deputy Mayor was at those meetings so that he was in the loop and could step in at the last minute if required.”
The cost cutting measures undertaken by the council means there is no official car to transport the Mayor except for those civic duties outside of our area when an executive taxi is used. This meant that the Mayor had to drive himself to the majority of events which can bring its own difficulties. Julie explained further.
“Coming from Mauritius, Dan is very laid back and timing became an important aspect of our life. If Dan was expected to give a speech he would have to write and rehearse this the night before hand and I had to ensure we left home in ample time. It became a problem when the road work was underway on Alencon Link and we arrived late on a couple of occasions. We had to resort to using the motorway from junction 7 to 6 just to make sure we got into town without any delays.”
Being a JP, Dan still had to attend various courts in the region but took leave of absence in January. Mayoral duties had meant that sometimes he had been unable to attend all the training sessions so necessary to keep up with changes in legislation.
Political Neutrality
Dan has been a Conservative councillor for Hatch Warren and Beggarwood since 1995 but as Mayor he had to adopt a neutral position politically.
“Chairing the main council meetings I had to ensure that I acted with fairness to all sides of a debate. I was also keen to ensure that we finished by 9.30pm. Any issues within Hatch Warren and Beggarwood that I would normally have become involved with were looked after by the other two councillors from this area.”
The dress code for council meetings is normally a lounge suit or even more relaxed with some members. The impressive red robes are worn by the Mayor only on certain civic occasions during the year. However the Mayor does receive a small clothing allowance to ensure he maintains the high sartorial standards required of the first citizen at public events. This allowance doesn’t include the Mayoress who had to depend on her husband to finance her wardrobe.
Personal Development
“Initially I was a little apprehensive about going on all the visits and meeting all these strangers” Julie confessed. “ But I grew to love it and gained so much in confidence and was happy in the end to carry out some meetings on my own, make speeches and present awards. I learned so much about what goes on in Basingstoke and met so many wonderful volunteers that I wouldn’t have missed it for anything. Having said that I think that once is enough!”
Dan tried whenever possible to support local enterprise. For example he engaged the catering students at BCOT to provide the food and beverages when local groups were entertained in the Mayor’s Parlour as it gave them practical experience working in the real world.
The Mayor always nominates a charity and Dan selected Sebastian’s Action Trust that runs the Bluebells holiday home in North Waltham for families with disabled children. Julie is so taken with this group that she hopes to become a volunteer helper in due course. The other charity is quite different in that Dan wanted to establish a trust fund that uses its interest to give small amounts to embryonic local charities.
What now?
As they now try to get back to a more normal life, if such a thing exists if one is involved in local politics, what are their plans for the future? Julie outlined their initial thoughts.
“I still need to tend to the needs of my elderly parents who live in Micheldever. We didn’t have any holiday over the last two years and so in July we shall be going to Mauritius to see Dan’s mother and then in November we are going to visit our son and his family in New Zealand.”
What about Dan?
“I want to reduce the number of council committees to three that I currently am a member and in August hope to resume my duties as a magistrate. I am a servant of the people and wish to continue representing the residents of Hatch Warren and Beggarwood in any way possible.”
