Close to one hundred local residents turned up at Widcombe Baptist Church on the evening of Wednesday 10th February to hear arguments for and against the proposition that BANES should have an elected mayor, in anticipation of voting in the referendum on March 10th 2016. Speaking for the motion “This house would like to see an elected mayor for BANES” were Philip Raby (chairman of the Elected Mayor for BANES Campaign and founder of Bath Film Festival) and Stephen Taylor (a director of Bath Bridge, an organisation promoting cultural and economic innovation in Bath) and speaking against were Paul Crossley (Lib Dem councillor for Southdown and former leader of the Council) and Henry Brown (former chairman of the Federation of Bath Residents’ Associations). The debate was chaired by Paddy Doyle, former chairman of the Widcombe Association.
A show of hands both before the debate revealed that the house was narrowly in favour of an elected mayor, and this situation remained unchanged afterwards, but the vote revealed that the persuasiveness of speakers on both sides had led to a noteworthy reduction in the number of ‘Don’t Knows’. Chris Rogers who organised the debate on behalf of the Widcombe Association was very pleased with the attendance: “It confirms that there is great interest in this issue which represents a significant potential change to the way we are governed at a local level. I feel sure the arguments aired have helped us make up our minds on how to vote in the referendum, and we are indebted to everyone on the panel for their contribution to the debate.”
Photo shows (L to R) Paul Crossley, Henry Brown, Paddy Doyle, Chris Rogers, Stephen Taylor, Philip Raby
