The Ambler Online

Town Council Report
It is a great honour to be elected by my Council colleagues to serve as Mayor. I must begin by thanking the retiring Town Mayor John Hedley. We all understand the reasons for John’s decision not to continue as Mayor and we wish him well. John is a very determined man and that will stand him in good stead. He deserves our warm thanks for the work he has done, not just in this last year in very difficult circumstances for him, but in the two years he served as Deputy Town Mayor when he helped to guide the Town Council through a challenging period.

As an Amble man John feels great pride in representing this town and I know how much it meant to him to serve for a second term as Town Mayor. John is not just a colleague, he is a friend and it will be good to welcome him back to our meetings once he feels well enough.

Cllr. Leslie Bilboe has been elected as Deputy Town Mayor and I look forward to working with him and my Town Council colleagues over the next year.

I am very sad to report the decision of Betty Gray to retire as a Councillor. Betty served for 14 years with energy, dedication and enthusiasm. She will be missed.
Town Councils were established as part of re-organisation in 1974. When Amble opted to have a Town Mayor one of the arguments in favour was that it would encourage civic pride. Pride in our community is needed more than ever. Some of us councillors have political loyalties, but the first loyalty we all have is to the town.

The town council needs to seize the opportunity to become a respected voice for the community, perhaps by highlighting local issues or by working in partnership. As the new Unitary Council makes clear its ambitions for councils to engage with communities, there will be opportunities and challenges for us. One example is the redevelopment of Amble Welfare, quite a significant challenge to us as we consider its future.

The Town Council has built on its relationships with our local police, and with a range of community organisations. The most recent example of that was in our St. George’s Day event which was a great success despite some disappointment and difficulties. We intend to plan a similar event for next year.

The gulf between those who hold elected office and those they purport to represent seems to grow wider by the day. Recent events have hardly helped that situation but remember that Town Councillors serve in an entirely voluntary capacity.
Parish and Town Councils should be at the very heart of a healthy democracy. It falls to us as Amble’s Town Council to do our best to make that vision a reality.

Robert Arckless
Chairman, Amble Town Council

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