I AM a massive fan of the ancient office of the mayoralty in High Wycombe, but sadly the tradition appears to be lost on the electorate. Both the current mayor and the mayor-elect lost their seats on Wycombe District Council in the May 5 elections, plunging the mayoralty into temporary chaos.
It meant there was no one initially to take the seat on May 21 for the traditional weighing-in ceremony. A fresh mayor-elect had to be found at the last moment. A similar mayoral apocalypse happened in Chesham at the same time as the current first citizen and her predecessor lost their seats.
On the surface, this is inexplicable because we know the public love their mayors. They are always called on to preside at events, and their popularity is immense. So why do they then get booted unceremoniously off councils?
Voters are not to blame though because it’s the fault of a ridiculously complicated system of local government which compromises our democracy.
Most voters are confused by the three tiers of local government and don’t understand that mayors have to first be voted in as councillors. I suspect the majority of the electorate vote on national lines, so the beaten mayors should not take their defeats personally.
What they should do instead is to campaign for a reform of the system whereby our mayors are voted in directly by the public every four years. That will enhance their status and ensure there is never again a repeat of this night-mayor.
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