There was a Meeting of Abingdon-on-Thames Town Council this evening.

One councillor did ask why the front page for the meeting did not say Abingdon-on-Thames yet, and another councillor asked why a letter sent out by the council had just Abingdon on the letter head. The Town Clerk explained that the idea was NOT to incur cost as part of the name change and old stationary supplies are still being used up.

Anyway here are a few things picked up from the meeting and the meeting papers …

The Mayor will be hosting a charity Big Brew on 12th October.  

Of the £5K set aside for the olympics only £2K got spent so the remaining £3K will go into the grants pot. It is hoped sports organisations will apply and so increase community involvement in sport, possibly disabled sport.

The Union Jack flags that have graced the town this year will be coming down next week as the Paralympics are over, and some flags are looking a little ragged. They do need to be down before the Fair in any case.

£200 will be used to purchase purse bells to counter purse thefts. The town council PCSO will be asked to distribute these purse bells – they ring when anybody tries to steal your purse.

The £150 request for a grant from the  Church in Abingdon Twinning Group had been referred to full Town Council. The Grants Committee felt the grant application did not give enough detail how the money would be used, but others wanted it looked at again and so it got a second chance. The application was intended to help finance a recent visit of 15 people from our twin town Schongau. After a long discussion during which almost every councilor spoke it was referred back to the Grants committee – asking for them to find out what it would be used for – then decide.

There has been quite a lot of negative comments about the lack of lift to the museum upper floors so a statement will be made available explaining the lengths the Town Council made to try to make this happen.

Income from roof visits is good.

A resident in the Brewery Development is worried about some leaning trees in the Ock Valley Walk, and so further inspection of leaning trees will be undertaken.

It looks as if the Town Council will be financing community notice boards in central locations such as one at the Peachcroft shops.

The new stone lockers for cremated remains in the Spring Gardens cemetery will cost people £1,000 for 10 years, and £1,500 for 20 years. This is the average price for such a service.

Regarding the Guildhall, a manager has just been appointed. A budget has also been allocated for improving the Roysse Court Gardens.

Money has also been set aside to try to investigate widening the corridor between the Guildhall Reception and the Mayor’s Parlour.

The Council are starting the process of looking for an architect to develop ideas put forward for the newer part of the Guildhall. This is to develop a flexible studio arts facility including a cinema. But a lot more else needs doing in the detailed design brief – such as improving access and rehousing the Town Council Information service.

Councillors were worried about a document issued by Central Government called “Localising Support for Council Tax”.  It could benefit principal authorities like County and District but not town and parish councils in its present form. The Town Council will write a letter asking for the status quo in terms of council tax raising powers for town and parishes to be maintained.

Congratulations to Monica Lovatt the new Mayor of Abingdon-on-Thames. It was a tight contest. Ten councillors voted for Monica, and ten voted for the other candidate, Sam Bowring.  But the outgoing Mayor used his casting vote for Monica.

Congratulations also to Andrew Todd, the new Deputy Mayor.

Angela Lawrence who had been nominated as a candidate for Deputy Mayor,  and who then left her party to become an independent,  said she would bow out of the contest in favour of Sam Bowring who was next in line.

The vote was then ten for Andrew Todd, and ten for Sam Bowring. The new Mayor used her casting vote for Andrew.

We all got to shake hands with the new Mayor and Deputy. The occasion was not as exciting as last year, where the room was packed, and where a couple of people shouted “Shame!”.

But one lady I canvassed afterwards said that it was wonderful, seeing democracy at work, not just the boring old way where everything was settled beforehand.

Outgoing Mayor Mike Badcock was the last Mayor of Abingdon, and the first ever Mayor of Abingdon-on-Thames. He also inaugurated the World Bun Throwing Championships.

(Just corrected the date. I was looking at the wrong year on the TC Calendar)

Out of 21 town councillors, each year, one is elected Mayor and one Deputy Mayor. From as far back as most people remember it has been the next one in line gets elected. But last year there was a shock result when Abingdon returned 11 Conservatives 9 Lib-Dems and 1 Labour councillor to the town council.  The Conservatives, with such a small majority, thought that the Mayor’s casting vote was more important than the tradition of next in line.

This year the make up of the council has changed slightly. We do not know if Peter Jones, the current Deputy Mayor, will be able to get there. Peter is well liked by both sides and would have made a very good Mayor – but sadly suffered a stroke.

I have also just read that one Lib-Dem has decided they can no longer remain a Lib-Dem because of the Coalition. So this year there are likely to be 10 Conservatives 8 Lib-Dems 1 Labour and 1 Independent.

The Candidates for Mayor are Monica Lovatt and Samantha Bowring. As individuals they both have done a lot for the town. I would guess it will be 10-10 and then the current Mayor will use his casting vote for Monica.

Then we come to the Deputy Mayor. Again two candidates: Cllr Andrew Todd for the Conservatives, and  Cllr Angela Lawrence the ex Lib-Dem Independent. Again it is likely to be 10:10 and will rest on the new Mayor’s casting vote.

Who would have thought Mayor Making would become such a drama. It happens on Wed 9 May. If just one councillor did not get there for whatever reason everything could change.

Our Prime minister took the decision to use the veto against a new EU treaty which would have meant greater fiscal union. The treaty was driven by the leaders of Germany and France – their aim was to keep the Euro alive.

The sign you see on Abingdon Bridge tells of Abingdon’s close relationships with other European towns. The twinning society is one of our most popular societies.

Walking over Abingdon Bridge, just past the entry sign, a man suggested I took a picture of the view from the bridge up Bridge Street. He said it was so wonderfully English with the flag flying – a beautiful sight.

I suspect we would like to have it both ways. We would like to continue to be an influential voice in Europe, but also keep our own tax making powers. But if the rest of Europe do move closer together without us,  that veto could be a defining moment in our relationship: not just with continental Europe, but also with our northern neighbour, Scotland – represented by the blue on the flag, who were not consulted about the veto, and who are pushing ever closer to a referendum on independence within the greater Europe.