Inaugral Speech at my Mayor-Making on 14 May 2014

It’s an honour to be elected as Mayor of Hebden Royd. Before I say something about the coming year and my charities, I’d like to note my thanks to two people. The first is Karl Boggis, the outgoing Mayor, who has done an excellent job over the last year. His genuine love of meeting and getting to know others, his enthusiasm for the voluntary sector and his good humour as chair of the council has set a benchmark for us all. The second is Cllr Nigel Yorke, without whom I would not be standing here. Nigel, who is one of the most quietly effective members of council, decided that the mayoralty was not for him, and suggested that I might like to do it instead, basically because he doesn’t like showing off, and, as he implied, I do.

One day I hope Nigel changes his mind and becomes mayor. I think he will be great. It is because of volunteers like Nigel that Hebden Royd offers so much to the people who live within it, and I could not imagine a better or more fitting public representative for the area.

Turning to my year in office: the biggest event is obviously going to be the Tour de France, and I shall be doing my utmost to ensure that the town council supports the efforts of local people who wish to use the race to promote Mytholmroyd, Hebden Bridge and Cragg Vale. But to my mind, the most significant event will be the first world war commemoration. Both my grandfathers fought in that war, one of them died just before I was born partly of injuries sustained during active service. For me, WW1 is still a personal matter.

 Unlike some cabinet ministers, I persist with the view that WW1 was the product of an unjust system of international relations. Those who opposed it – dismissed as ‘cranks’ by Jeremy Paxman  in his recent BBC series – have over time been vindicated. Today’s forms of international governance were imagined by the opponents of war back in1914 and 15, including people from Hebden Royd. Free trade – which was another of their key demands – is now the economic status quo in the world at least in theory.

Both my charities are in some way related to issues that derive from that and other wars. The St Augustine Centre, a Halifax based charity, supported by Churches Together, supports refugees and asylum seekers.-, all of whom will have been displaced by terrible events, including war. Many awful things have been said about asylum seekers and refugees over the last decade or so because of the explosion of numbers, caused by climate change, globalisation and because we are still a world at war, with ourselves. Compassion, as the greatest refugee of them all, Jesus, showed, is sometimes the greatest challenge both to authority and to ourselves. The most difficult thing in the world can be to love others. Supporting St Augustines is an opportunity to express our love.

Combat Stress is one of the main charities that deals with armed forces personnel coming back from active service. Up to one in five have post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). This too is a personal matter for me. My father served in the Royal Navy on Arctic convoys in 1942/3 and clearly suffered from PTSD for many years. I am also a PTSD sufferer, and it has taken me a long time to rebuild my life after the events that caused it. I cannot begin to tell you how unsympathetic people can be to those who have to start out again. How difficult it is to keep on going in the face of disbelief. And how much utterly useless counselling you may encounter when you have PTSD. I shall never forget being offered Freudian counselling through the NHS for my issues. Combat Stress offers the right sort of counselling to those with the condition, so they can stay near the ones they love and rebuild their lives. 

The charity was set up – under a different name - after WW1 because of huge numbers who had gone back into civilian life deeply traumatised. Last year, the charity saw a 57% increase in the number of referrals requiring treatment. Because of the nature of PTSD, and our many recent wars, the numbers are expected to rise dramatically over the next few years.

We should remember how lucky we are to live in Hebden Royd, particularly now when the hills and valleys are so beautiful. Let's ensure that others have the chance to share in our good fortune and celebrate the achievements of this council, whose councillors are all unpaid volunteers working on behalf of the community.

Finally, I would also like to record my thanks to my wife, Aeisha, a very private person, who has approached the prospect of being the mayor’s consort and chauffeur with fortitude and humour. I depend on her a great deal. And she didn’t ask for this role. I think we should all thank her for her forbearance. Thank you.