Cadets given town hall tour by Mayor

A GROUP of Army cadets learnt about the history of Henley with a tour of the town hall.

The 14 teenagers were invited by Mayor Sarah Miller and shown around with help from her fellow councillor Ken Arlett, who has been mayor three times, including during the two years before her.

The tour took in the mayor’s parlour, which has artworks by John Piper, who lived at Fawley Bottom, and Lucy Cooper, who painted 23 watercolours of Henley from 1888 to 1925.

Cllr Miller said she loved the room, even though she works at home a lot of the time when not attending meetings or on official engagements.

She showed the cadets her red ceremonial robes, or “party outfit”, which she wears on civic occasions, and allowed them to pass around the mayoral chain.

Cllr Arlett explained that the chain had been separated into two pieces because it was very heavy and too much for female mayors. The unused piece is in a frame on the wall.

The cadets then looked at the list of all the former mayors and their portraits.

Cllr Arlett pointed out that he had two portraits on display, one from his period as Mayor from 2019 to May this year and the other from when he first held the position in 1991.

He said many of the early mayors had been local business people, adding that it had only been in the past 30 years that ordinary working class people had got on to the council.

It was also only relatively recently that women had made up a significant number of mayors.

Asked about why mayors usually only held the role for a year, Cllr Arlett said this was to try to give all the councillors the opportunity and he had only had two consecutive years because of the coronavirus pandemic.

He agreed with Cllr Miller that the role was tiring and said he had spent a week in Cyprus on holiday after his first term ended in 1992. He said the mayor carries out about 350 engagements a year.

The cadets were then shown the council chamber, an oak panelled room with a fireplace and chandeliers where meetings of the town council are held. Cpl Grace Iveson, the Mayor’s cadet, was allowed to sit on the mayoral chair and wear the chain of office, which she remarked was surprisingly heavy.

Cllr Miller then led a mock council meeting with the cadets, which descended into chaos as the teenagers were unable to agree on who should be elected Deputy Mayor.

The Mayor then took part in a question and answer session. She said the role was “fun”, adding: “It is work but you meet people who do things for the community but often fly under the radar. It’s not all about getting your ugly mug in the paper every week.”

Doing council business online during the coronavirus lockdowns had been challenging.

“We really enjoy face-to-face meetings so we can scream and shout and put our ideas forward but on Zoom it’s a bit different,” said Cllr Miller.

In response to a question from Cpl Iveson, she explained that mayors were elected by their fellow councillors before the formal mayor-making ceremony.

She said: “I was selected by a unanimous vote, which was very nice. It’s a huge honour and I didn’t become a councillor thinking that one day I would be mayor.”

Asked if she was paid, Cllr Miller said being a councillor was a voluntary position but that she also worked part-time.

She continued: “Most mayors have been retired because it is like a full-time job. But I have a great personal assistant, who manages my diary and makes sure I have time for everything, and I’ve got a great deputy.

“Covid’s still out there and people are a bit apprehensive about going out, so there have been fewer engagements for me than for other mayors.”

The cadets were then shown the Queen Elizabeth II Hall, a large room at the top of the town hall which has a rounded blue ceiling and a stage, before being served refreshments in the mayor’s parlour.

Cadet Sgt Charlie James-Collier said: “It’s a very interesting experience coming into the town hall and having a nosy around.

“It was interesting hearing about the history of the place and the sentimental value and to see the place where important decisions are made.”

The teenagers are from the Henley detachment of the Army Cadets who meet weekly at the drill hall in Friday Street.