MEET THE MAYOR – JANE SMITH
Jane Smith is two thirds through her one year term as Sherborne’s Mayor. She has been a town councillor for nearly 8 years and was elected by her fellow councillor colleagues to take on this role, acting as the official representative of the town as well as the Chairman of the Town Council.
In brief: Jane moved to Sherborne from London over 12 years ago and loves the look and feel of what she considers to be a very special town. She takes great pride in representing the town and especially enjoys talking to residents about their views on how the town is developing. She is hoping that Sherborne will be a pilot town in the government’s efforts to devolve more planning to a local level. Jane loves the huge variety of activities that go on in Sherborne, she loves going for walks around the town and considers it to be a “hidden gem”.
Read the full interview with the Mayor below:
Q: What have been the highlights of your mayoral year so far?
JS: The role is really divided between having someone to represent the town and someone to chair the Town Council; probably the role is weighted slightly more towards the latter and there is a need to get involved in quite some detail, especially on the working committees on which you sit. I also enjoy talking to people in the town and finding out what they think the most important issues are.
JS: Any of the ceremonial aspects of representing the town have been very special – taking part in the Remembrance Sunday commemorations was a notable occasion and reading the lesson in the Abbey Carol Service was a most enjoyable and uplifting event. At the end of June, Armed Forces Day for Dorset was celebrated in Sherborne, with a parade down to the Abbey including a civic contingent of most of the mayors in Dorset preceded by the town band; leading them was a very happy occasion. There were a few surprises as well, such as having to choose a new Town Clerk.
Q: What would you like your main legacy to be?
JS: Well I was really keen that the town should engage more with young people and luckily my term coincided with the introduction of youth advisors into the council. They are already members of the Gryphon School Council so are used to representing their peers and I must say it is very useful to be able to capture their views. One other thing I hope will happen whilst I am still Mayor is for the Manor House to be registered as a venue for civil weddings – I think this will provide a useful addition to the existing possibilities.
Q: Do you think that the town council should be invested with greater powers, especially planning powers, so that the townspeople can have a greater say in what goes on?
JS: As you know, the government is keen to try and give local people more of a say in how their communities are run and developed. West Dorset has been designated as a pilot area to see how this works and we are hoping that Sherborne will be chosen as the pilot town in West Dorset. This would allow much greater consultation with the townspeople with regards to how the town is developed and I think it would be a wonderful opportunity to have Sherborne as a key player in seeing how this might work.
Q: What attracted you to Sherborne in the first place?
JS: In the late 1990s my partner and I decided to move out of London but it had to be somewhere on the railway line. When we got to Sherborne we loved the look and feel of the place and just fell in love with it. We moved down the same year.
Q: How have you seen it change?
JS: Well it’s got bigger – primarily through Foster’s Fields and now it seems that Barton Farm will go ahead. There is a lot more traffic than there was, in fact, we now have more traffic lights. There is still a good range of independent shops but there has also been an influx of national chains.
Q: What do you feel Sherborne residents should be proud of?
JS: They should be proud of everything the town has to offer and all of the activities that go on in it. It makes life really interesting. There are good schools, very good sporting facilities and a variety of interesting places, including green spaces such as the Quarr. The jewel in the crown is of course our beautiful Abbey.
Q: How would you describe Sherborne to someone who has never been here?
JS: I would definitely describe it as a hidden gem.
Q: What are your favourite pursuits in Sherborne?
JS: Well, I love walking around the town, going into the Abbey, walking around the castle grounds, just taking in the atmosphere our lovely town.
Q: Describe a typical day in the life of the mayor at the moment.
JS: Recent activities have involved the induction of the new parish priest at the Roman Catholic Church, a celebration in a local business, attending carol services, and representing the town at a civic day elsewhere in Dorset. A typical day will probably mean attending a meeting or two, and there’ll definitely be lots of emailing. It certainly keeps you busy but it’s a great pleasure to be doing it.
Q: What do you consider to be the main role of town mayor?