The Last Mayor of Allerdale

The end of the Borough and the end of the Mayor but t’jameaters will noo have nowt to twine aboot!

In the conference Suite of a Hotel in Cockermouth tonight just after 6:30pm a historic final act took place.

In a rather lacking in occasion event as part of the last ever Allerdale Borough Council annual general meeting history was made as the last ever Mayor of the Borough of Allerdale was sworn into office. The role bestowed on Councillor Alan Daniels .

From the 1st of April 2023 the local government changes in Cumbria will see along with the 5 other district and the county council, Allerdale Borough council will be scrapped and replaced by the Cumberland unitary council covering what is now Carlisle City Council, Allerdale and Copeland councils along with the county council.

The role of Mayor of Allerdale is one that is a right of the Borough whos status is granted by royal charter to local government districts in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. The status is purely honorary, and does not give any additional powers to the council or inhabitants of the district.

When the status of Borough is granted it means that:

The district becomes a borough

The district council becomes the borough council

The chairman and vice-chairman become entitled to us the style of mayor and deputy mayor of the borough.

The style of Mayor is entitled to be used except in councils that have an elected mayor under the Local Government Act 2000 such as Copeland Borough Council that has a directly elected mayor with powers to lead the council.

The Mayor of Allerdale chairs meetings of the Council during his/her term of office, and presides at civic and other ceremonial events held in the Borough.

With the changes to local government and the demise of the borough of Allerdale the rights of the borough also are lost including the role of Mayor and also rights such as Freedom of the Borough of Allerdale.

Malcolm Wilson was granted Freedom of the Borough of Allerdale on the 28th March 2018 and Ben Stokes was granted Freedom of the Borough of Allerdale on the 25th September 2019.

The term "freeman" dates back to the medieval ages. Freemen were given special privileges, such as the right to own land, earn money, vote in elections and drive their sheep through the streets.

The Honorary Freedom of Boroughs Act 1885 is an Act of UK Parliament that allows councils in England and Wales to appoint 'persons of distinction and any persons who have rendered eminent services to the borough' as 'honorary freemen' with Freedom of the Borough status.

The ancient privileges associated with the honour are now purely symbolic, demonstrating an appreciation for the individual.

The rush to push forward with the plans for Local government reorganisation by government with the approved plan that will see the scraping of Allerdale and the other districts and county council made by Allerdale and Copeland council.

With little though to the wider impacts and no provisions made to protect the various rights and roles such as that of Mayor or Freedoms of the borough granted by the councils historically.

The city of Carlisle and the town of Barrow also face the impact of the changes and the status roles of Mayor at risk along wit the risk to the very city status of Carlisle.

The rush to lay the plans and the change order by government and Allerdale and Copeland councils overlooked some vital measures in the creation of charter trusts and provisions to enable historical rights to be protected and preserved as the new unitary council takes over on the 1st of April 2023.

Its maybe fitting that the new council takes over on April fools day as the rush and lack of though to the actions and changes when making the plans appears to have made fools of many.

One of the key advocates that has pushed forward the changes was Workington MP Mark Jenkinson.

In a parliamentary commitee on the 28th February 2022 when the change order was made by the government minister Kemi Badenoch, Minister for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities. Mark Jenkinson MP said t’jameaters will noo have nowt to twine aboot!

Another key advocate and architect of the changes Allerdale and all of Cumbria is now facing was Councillor Mike Johnson Leader of Allerdale Borough Council. 

Back in November 2021 when speaking about the changes to local government in Cumbria the Leader of Allerdale Borough Council Mike Johnson said: "We don't get everything we want all the time. It is what it is, that's called being an adult and dealing with it."

As Councillor Alan Daniels is sworn in and the chains of office are placed on him tonight. He becomes the last ever Mayor of Allerdale as the Borough slips silently into the history books with the words of "dealing with it" and "nowt to twine aboot!" will become the epitaph to Allerdale and the office of Mayor of the Borough.

Photo Credit to: Gareth Cavanagh