Burgess Hill Town Council Elects A New Mayor & Deputy
4th May 2021 | By Peter Chapman
Burgess Hill Town Council elected a new Mayor at the annual meeting of the council with Cllr Anne Eves becoming the first ever councillor from the Green Party to hold the position.
Mayor Anne Eves (Green) and Deputy Mayor Janice Henwood (Lib Dem)
Anne was
selected to take over from Roger Cartwright who served as the Mayor from 2019-21 - although his appointment diary was rather quiet in year 2!
Speaking to Burgess Hill Uncovered about her appointment, Anne had the following to say:
"I am very honoured indeed to be selected for this role. I am particularly grateful to our Liberal Democrat councillors for placing their trust in me, which is no small thing.
It's quite a responsibility, especially as the town re-emerges from its lockdown 'slumber'.
"Being Deputy Mayor has been pretty quiet over the last couple of years so I am really looking forward to getting out there, meeting people and attending lots of events. All within safety guidelines, of course.
"My predecessor, Roger Cartwright, is a hard act to follow: he's given a great deal of his time, always spoken so well and managed to strike the right tone to represent the town. He's earned a rest.
"I'm thrilled to have my long-time friend, Janice, backing me up as Deputy Mayor. We are really hands-on people: we've worked on the phone box restorations together, the repair cafe, and now the community wildflower verges. I'm sure we'll have a lot of fun.
"What kind of mayor will I be? Well, I'll be continuing with all these practical projects to make the town a better place to live in, as well as attending events, so I suppose the one thing I can say is I'll be busy! I'll also be a cycling mayor, which could be a first for Burgess Hill."
Anne's vacant Deputy-Mayor position has been filled by long-serving councillor Janice Henwood who between 2015-2019 was the sole opposition to the Conservatives before the famous 2019 town-wide rejection of the former incumbents.
The newly appointed Deputy-Mayor of Burgess Hill had this to say:
"I am very pleased that we have a Town Council working across all political parties. In my previous time as a Town Councillor, being the only opposition member, I did not even have opportunities to put forward motions and question the direction the then Town Council was taking. (To submit a motion requires a proposer and a seconder)
"It has been very positive working with all members of the council, regardless of their political persuasion. Local concerns should transcend party politics.
"Our new major, Anne, is involved in our community and very much an innovator.
It has been very positive to support her in securing our iconic red telephones boxes into book exchangers and seed swaps;
in opening a Repair Cafe; in initiating the wild flower grass verge scheme, and promoting the painting of the grey Virgin boxes with local scenes. What will the next two years bring??
Anne conducts meetings with decorum and fairness and is receptive to new and old suggestions.
We both share the same concern about our environment (supported the installation of photovoltaic panels on the
roof of the Help Point) I look forward to assisting our new Major in working with the community.
Also at the annual meeting of the town Council, its leader, Robert Eggleston, was confirmed to steer the ship for another year with Joseph Foster remaining as the Deputy Leader.
The chairs of the Planning Committee and the Key Area Groups remained the same, apart from the Strategic Development Key Area Group which will now be chaired by Cllr Joseph Foster and the Community Engagement Group which will now be chaired by Cllr Chapman - whoever he is!
| Spread the word! Anne Eves has been chosen as the next Mayor of Burgess Hill
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