Mayors Message

I would like to thank you for voting me in as your new Mayor and Chair of Hunstanton Town Council, for the coming year, a position I feel proud and honored to accept.

I hope that I am able to fulfill the position left by Cllr Winnington who had an exceptional year and was an excellent ambassador both for the Town and Hunstanton Council.

As we left the constraints imposed on us because of the pandemic, there were several changes at the start of his term as we moved from online meetings to meeting face to face meetings after two years of restrictions all of which he dealt with in his usual confident and calm manner, and I am sure we would all like to offer our thanks to him on a successful year.

As I accept and proudly take on my new role within the Council, we are entering a very busy and exciting time and I am looking forward to working alongside the Deputy Mayor 'Cllr Ruston, all my fellow Councillor's, and our three excellent and proficient members of staff, in this coming year as we continue to do our best for the town and people of Hunstanton.

We should all join the Council to do our best for the town, residents and businesses, not for personal gain, and I place great emphasis on Teamwork and hope that by continuing to support each other and working together for the benefit of the town, whilst not losing our own personal opinions on matters that arise, this time next year we will be able to look back with pride at our combined achievements and give ourselves a small pat on the back, and say I contributed to that, and I wish all of us a very productive and successful year. .

I want to first say congratulations to Cllr Howard on her election as Mayor. She follows on from a long list of previous Mayors as listed on the boards on the wall and the links on the chain. I know that with all our support she will do a great job. The year will go very quickly, so enjoy all that it brings. Congratulations also to our new Deputy Mayor, Cllr Ruston.

Although my second term as Mayor brought fewer opportunities to get out and about than my first, there were still occasions when I was able to represent and promote the town to others in Norfolk and beyond. It was also really good to be able to meet and support so many people and events here in Hunstanton. Once again I want to thank my wife, Catherine, for accompanying me to so many of the events and also for her support throughout the year in so many ways.

I gave a long report at the Annual Town Meeting last month and so this one is going to be short.

It is perhaps not until you have been Mayor and Chairman of the Council that you realise the full importance of the Town Clerk and the range of responsibilities which she has. I have been extremely fortunate to have Jan alongside me during my mayoral year, offering me support and encouragement, and also managing the business of the Council so efficiently. Jan, together with Steve, our Property Officer, and Louise, our Administration Officer, make a great staff team and I want to thank them once again for all they have done during the last twelve months.

I also want to thank my fellow town councillors for their support and work for the town during the last year. We have an excellent council team, working together in their efforts to make Hunstanton an even better place for all its residents.