Have a drink. Have a drive. Go out and see what you can find. That’s how Mungo Jerry celebrated summer back in the good old days. And so it is that Wymondham’s own drunken car crash of a column returns this summer, covering the last 3 months of non-stop intrigue at the Town Council.

But are the wheels staying on at Wymondham Town Council?

Praying the bills

They say never mix politics and religion. And regular readers will know TCW always steers away from controversy. But in March, the Town Council voted to remove a longstanding rule preventing them from funding religious groups.

The Damascene conversion came at a finance committee in February, where grant rules were amended to allow religious groups to apply, as long as the request ‘wasn’t for religious purposes’.

Pass me my worm can opener please.

Only Cllr Alex Perry (Lab) raised doubts about the public “not being comfortable spending taxpayer money on something they don’t believe in.”

But Cllr Julian Fulcher (Lib Dem) gave an example of funding a sign for a herb garden at Wymondham Abbey, saying: “I personally can’t see why that wouldn’t be ok”.

The new rules were approved by a majority vote. So religious groups, here’s a TCW top tip: if you need some new bibles, use the money from your park bench fund to buy them, then ask the Town Council for some help buying some park benches.

Hallelujah. Pennies from heaven!

Sign Me Up

TCW woke up to the crestfallingly sad news in March that he no longer lives in Wymondham.

New ‘Welcome To Wymondham’ signs funded by Norfolk County Council have been placed at various locations around the edge of the town centre, leaving the majority of the town outside.

The move leaves thousands of Greater Wymondhamers displaced and contemplating the bleak reality that we may now in fact live in Hethersett.

No news yet either on TCW’s campaign, nay crusade, to get our Wymondham twinned with Wymondham, Leicestershire.

Put that on the signs:

“Welcome to Wymondham. Twinned with Wymondham.”

And that’s the way we like it.

Spin Doctor

Now here’s a TCW teaser for you. What do you do if you’re a local authority with a bit of an image problem? Spend money improving the local area? Get out of your bunker and go talk to residents and businesses? In April, the Town Council gave their answer: spend ca. £30,000 a year on a new spin doctor to ‘create a positive image’ of the Town Council.

A foolproof way to attract positive coverage and get people on your side.

The new 28-hour week permanent role replaces an existing contract position, who was tasked with boosting town centre footfall and tourism, known as 'The Town Coordinator'.

As well as creating a positive image of the council, the new job listing also cites “the proactive publication and promotion of the Town Council news to local media” as one of its main responsibilities.

Hang on a minute. Intimate knowledge of Town Council activities? Superb public reach via the local press? This is sounding like the ideal job for good old TCW. The CV’s in the post...

The previous Town Coordinator, Corinna Pharaoh, had many commendable achievements under her belt. Launching a well-used Visit Wymondham website and social media accounts, amassing thousands of followers and email subscribers, new tourism signage around town, and teaching local businesses how to attract customers using social media. The new role will manage these too.

TCW wishes the successful applicant all the luck in the world.

Tune Change

Screeching u-turn news now and TCW notes the Town Council (annual spend just shy of £700,000) voted to stop streaming their sessions on YouTube in April, due to “negative coverage” of their undertakings in the press affecting councillors’ “wellbeing”.

You just want to reach out and give them all a big snugly cuddle don’t you?

Cllrs Suzanne Nuri-Nixon and Annette James (Lib Dem) first proposed YouTube streaming back when they were in opposition in 2023.

But since taking over the running of the Town Council, it looks like their enthusiasm for transparency has melted faster than your kids’ Calippos in the back of the car.

A quick rummage in TCW’s drawer marked “Ironic Quotes” from when the pair first proposed spending £3,000 on streaming equipment reveals this absolute corker:

“As councillors wishing to be as open and transparent as possible about how we conduct Council matters, I hope we can agree to have the technology costed and installed for our residents to watch our meetings on YouTube.”

Whoopsie. Must be the wrong type of openness and transparency now they’re the ones making the decisions.

Adios Amigos

March saw the resignation of central ward councillor Joe Barrett (Green) after two years in the post.

The detail-oriented member could often be relied upon to offer up previously unconsidered perspectives and will count the council’s ‘Climate Emergency’ declaration as one of his main achievements.

Giving CO2 the red card, so to speak.

Speaking of solving the world’s impending thermal doom, TCW notes that the carbon busting community interest company, Sustainable Wymondham, set up by Town Councillors, is shedding directors faster than a Maine Coon on its summer holidays. Two left in March.

As yet, it’s unclear if the exits are because the ensemble have successfully cracked global warming and can now be wound down.

TCW certainly hopes so.

Stealth Election

Having splashed out £500 on a troupe of dancing elves in December, £3,000 on now-mothballed YouTube streaming equipment and £30,000 odd a year on a new spin doctor, the Town Council decided it was time for some belt tightening in May.

So what unnecessary fat was ready for the chop? The democratic service of providing poll cards to tell residents that a Town Council by-election was coming up, of course.

With TCW estimating the cost of printing and mailing poll cards at around 4 - 5 troupes of dancing elves (or ca £2,500 if that’s your preferred unit of currency), senior town councillors revealed online they had decided the expense could not be justified.

What price democracy dear reader?

But the move prompted a social media backlash from residents complaining they had not been informed an election was happening:

“It makes a mockery of democracy,” said one. “How will the older generation get on if you need a mobile to find out where to vote?” asked another. “Makes me feel there is a hidden agenda.”

Perish the thought.

Cllr Michael Rosen (Lab) revealed his exasperation at the decision, saying it was essential people were able to “exercise their democratic rights”.

Now, if the Town Council’s hope was to avoid the by-election becoming a well-publicised chance for a referendum on their performance in office, the fearsome Wymondham electorate were typically merciless in their response:

Conservative Jonathan Purle romped home with over 55% of votes cast. The standee from the not-exactly-at-peak-popularity party received four and a half times as many votes as the candidate from the Liberal Democrats, who control the Town Council by majority.

Yeesh. That new positivity spin doctor’s going to have to put in some serious overtime.

As for Mr Purle, some internet research about his previous exploits as a councillor down in Kent suggests your beloved columnist won’t exactly be scratching around for material in the months and years ahead.

TCW will drink to that.

Words Vs Deeds

With the Town Council signing off a disability-friendly pledge last February promising to promote accessibility needs around town, TCW can’t help but wonder if they should be calling themselves in for a ticking off.

The charge sheet is adding up:

Cancelling accessible YouTube streaming of their sessions.

Refusing to print poll cards, potentially excluding vulnerable people from knowing that there’s a democratic election coming up.

TCW’s even heard a rumour that senior figures at the council want to stop the Tourist Information moving to the level-access Becket’s Chapel.

Tsk. The a-political Wymondham Access Group, chaired by Liberal Democrat mayor Dave Roberts, must be on the blower to the council 24/7...