A FORMER mayor has apologised for Cirencester Town Council's 'embarrassment' after the current mayor failed to turn up to receive the Australian High Commissioner at a friendship event last month.

Cllr Mark Harris apologised to colleagues during a town council meeting last Tuesday, November 14 for giving the impression that the town council supported a friendship with Bathurst city in Australia.

Prior to the meeting last Tuesday, the town council had never voted to support the friendship initiative, so it did not hold an opinion on it.

To remedy the situation, a motion was put forward by Cllr Harris. The motion, approved by councillors, asked the council to support the Cirencester and City of Bathurst Friendship initiative “with encouragement and representation”.

While discussing the motion, Cllr Robbins said: “I had no prior warning. I was surprised when I realised I had to make a speech. I was very concerned that I was submitting the town council to something we had not committed.

Wilts and Gloucestershire Standard:

(Cllr Mark Harris, Joanna Walker, Aura Care Living's Peter Lloyd and Lord Bathurst at a launch event on October 18)

“So I express my personal interest and support for it but not that of the town council’s. That’s why I felt I could not take part. But now, we are trying put the cart before the horse.

“It would have been better if this motion had come to us a year ago.

“I think it would have saved an awful lot of embarrassment on the part of Earl Bathurst, myself and the town council, and probably Mark himself.”

Explaining how the town council had come to be placed in the ‘embarrassing’ situation, former mayor Cllr Harris said: “I do apologise if prior to today, I have given the impression the town council supports creating a friendship with a city with local connections who approached us to do that.

“The mayor cannot on his own make decisions or statements that represent the view of the council unless the council has voted on it or discussed it, and that is probably what I did, in assuming that we would go forward with this friendship.

“I’d like the town council to encourage community based-initiatives.”

Funding of the initiative lies with the steering group and is not expected to incur significant expenses to the town council.

Cllr Stuart Tarr was against the initiative: “My view is that it is an entirely personal, private initiative. It is badly timed against the Chesterton outline planning application.

“The only link that I can see with Bathurst and Australia is a family ancestral link.

“In the early 19th century, Lord Bathurst’s forebears, whilst secretary of state, had a city in Australia named after him. I cannot see any social, cultural or economic links to support this initiative.”

Mayor Cllr Robbins also expressed concerns that supporting the friendship initiative may signify an association between the town council and Lord Bathurst.

Cllr Harris however said: “There is no connection and the interesting thing is that the community doesn’t see a connection.

“I think it is wrong to over-conflate this motion with the Earl himself. This is to support the activities of the community. The connection is through the name, the historical side of it.

“I am not asking you to join me and come along and meet regularly with the Earl to discuss how we might consider this one on one. The reason I withdrew (from the Chesterton decision meeting) is because people asked me what I was talking about with the Earl.

“In communities, we get involved in all sorts of things, and all these things cross over.

“Cllr Coleman hasn’t stepped down from male voice choir because Lord Bathurst is the president, not does Mark Pratley of Save Our Cirencester.

Nine councillors voted in favour of supporting the friendship, one was against it and two abstained from the vote.

The usual procedure for the town council would have been to vote on the motion after its corporate group considers the motion in March next year. But standing orders were suspended and the town council decided to vote on a simplified motion.