Worthing’s mayoral robes reinstated

Lionel Harman laying a wreath at Worthing's war memorial on Remembrance Sunday in 2021. Picture: Derek Martin/Sussex World

Mayoral robes are to be reinstated at Worthing Borough Council almost a year after they were scrapped.

At an extraordinary full council meeting on Tuesday, May 21, members voted to reinstate the robes, which had been dropped in July as part of an attempt to ‘modernise’ the way the council worked, following claims their formality could deter people from engaging with local democracy, with some also unhappy the robes were trimmed with fur.

An amendment to the motion by the Labour administration will mean the robes will not be able to be used until an alternative set, without real furs, can be sourced.

Opposition leader Kevin Jenkins (Con, Goring), who presented the motion to the council to have the robes reinstated, said it was ‘fundamentally about choice’ for the mayor, as well as retaining the town’s traditions and culture.

He said the mayor ‘had always had the choice’ to wear the robes or not before they were scrapped, saying the tradition of the robes went back to 1890.

Mr Jenkins also said it was an ‘insult’ to Worthing’s veterans, of which there are around 9,000 across West Worthing and East Worthing and Shoreham constituencies according to the 2021 census.

Heather Mercer (Con, Salvington) said that many people in Worthing were interested in, and valued the history of, the robes, and said any alterations to them could cause some ‘serious’ damage.

Charles James (Con, Durrington) said there was a ‘concern with the time and cost’ spent on the robes, saying the issue was ‘rolling on and on, to nobody’s real benefit’, and that it should have been left as it was originally.

Leader of the Council Beccy Cooper (Lab, Marine) said the administration was willing to reinstate the robes at the ‘discretion’ of the mayor, but that it was not ‘appropriate or acceptable’ for many residents for the mayor to be wearing fur.

She said they had been ‘thinking about’ the issue over the last 12 months, and had listened to communities, councillors and residents of Worthing about the issue.

Several Conservative members described the loss of the robes as ‘historical’ or ‘cultural vandalism’, which Dawn Smith (Lab, Broadwater) described as ‘sensational’ language.

She said they were being ‘hysterical’, saying it ‘doesn’t matter’ whether the mayor wears the robes or not as it will not affect their performance in the role.

A group of Worthing veterans were also present for the meeting, led by veteran and former conservative mayor Lionel Harmen.

One of them said they asked the mayor to attend four or five events a year, including Armed Forces Day and D-Day commemorations, and it was nice to see a ‘figurehead’ and the scrapping of the robes was ‘daft’ and ‘unnecessary’.

They said if the council had to find new robes they might not be ready in time for these events this year – suggesting they may even not invite the mayor to future events if they do not wear the robes and other regalia.

This was also the first time the new Worthing Community Independents (WCI) group appeared at a meeting after splitting from Labour earlier this month.

Hillary Schan (Ind, Tarring) said it was ‘absolutely absurd’ for anyone to see this as the ‘number-one priority’ in the town, saying residents were more concerned about the cost of living crisis and other issues.

The WCI voted against the reinstating of the robes, with the Conservatives and most Labour members voting for them. The Green Party and some Labour members abstained.