So here we are then…
Deputy lord lieutenant, past and current Mayors, Freeman, Councillors, community leaders, Family
and friends.
If 5 years ago you had told me I would be a town councillor let alone a the Mayor of Faversham
then I probably wouldn’t have believed you, as I said last year I’m proud to have gone from being
a young guy pulling pints and making cups of coffee to being able to taking on this role, it is an
incredible feeling.
We will be doing a more formal vote of thanks shortly for Trevor but I just wanted to say
thank you you have served the town greatly over the past 2 years, you have represented the town
so well I know its been tough at times but the work you have done promoting the town at over
150 events this past year alone is so greatly appreciated by so many, and also been greatly
helpful to me guiding me through the past year as deputy mayor always being on hand with
advice. I hope my time as mayor is eventful but maybe not as eventful ehh Mr Baron.
As many of you know I do very much like music, and recently as I was walking to work a song
came on and made me think, that song was Stormzy and the song is called crown.
Now if you’re not familiar with it there is line “heavy is the head that wears the crown”
When we are in the Guildhall for meetings I often look up on the walls and see the names of those
that came before me and the way they shaped Faversham, so for me to wear this chain as the
youngest mayor in Faversham town council history please believe me when I say heavy in the
neck that wears the chain.
With that In mind I want to say I will be a community facing Mayor, one that is stuck in helping
where I can, we live in a great town with so may great organisations here with so many people
working or volunteering to make this town a better place and that is why faversham is special.
I will be the first mayor since Alison Reynolds in 2019 who will see a general election, and quite
possibly the first mayor since Nigel Kay to see a change of government, and the reason I bring this
up is simple Faversham is a wonderful place a special place but we have an active food bank that
is very well used, we have hundreds of hidden homeless, people sofa surfing or the like. Planning
frame work at a national level lets down the people of Faversham time and time again with the
needs of truly affordable homes.
As the Mayor of Faversham I will work with this council to help combat these issues and put
pressure on who ever the MP for faversham is to work with us to make this amazing town even
better.
Thank you all for coming this is a great honour and I hope I live up what this office expects, it may
be different to whats happened before, but I can promise its going to be fun
So thank you all so much for coming enjoy the rest of your evening.
The Worshipful, the Mayor of Faversham, Cllr Josh Rowlands
