Sudbury councillor reflects on most difficult year as town mayor after donating more than £3,200 to four local charities
The outgoing mayor of Sudbury has capped his most difficult term in office to date, by sharing more than £3,200 among four charities.
Jack Owen, who concluded his third spell as mayor earlier this month, handed over donations to social enterprise The Bridge Project, companionship hub The Befriending Scheme, counselling charity Kernos Centre and his own benevolent fund on Monday.
The donations were largely provided from his annual mayoral allowance, with limited opportunities for fundraising events because of the pandemic.
A cheque presentation took place outside Sudbury Town Hall, where Mr Owen was joined by Kernos clinical director Chris Boatwright, Befriending Scheme chief executive Shirley Moore and Bridge Project finance manager Lisa Townrow.
“It has been impossible to do fundraising normally,” Mr Owen told the Free Press. “I was able to raise a little bit, but it was a drop in the ocean, so what I’ve done is distribute my allowance to the charities.
“This was my third time as mayor, and this has been, from that point of view, the most difficult.
“Normally, one of the benefits of being mayor is being able to invite other mayors and dignitaries to various charity functions, like curry evenings, coffee mornings and dinner dances, and that has not been able to happen.
“From a mayoral point of view, that has very disappointing, but we had to stay safe. That was the most important thing.”
Mr Owen, who remains a town councillor, having stepped down as a county councillor, also addressed the town council’s vote to temporarily suspend parking on Market Hill until September.
He stated that, while he recognised there has been some opposition to these restrictions, he hoped people could understand why this decision had been made.
“I think the town is on the right footing,” he said. “I know we’ve had a mixed reaction about the closure of Market Hill. Some people like it, having the freedom of walking around Market Hill and, obviously, some retailers and others feel it was overkill.
“Whilst it wasn’t unanimous, the town council took the view we needed to be safe. The town council wanted people to stay safe and also allow cafés to spread out into Market Hill, which has been good during the fine weather.
“What I’d like to see in future is Market Hill, apart from the A road on the south side, being taken out of traffic control, so it becomes an area controlled by Sudbury Town Council.
“By doing that, we could, as a council, decide when we wanted to hold functions on Market Hill, without the cost of road closures.”
Mr Owen, who will remain a town councillor, having stepped down as a county councillor at the local elections this month, added: “My aim going forward is to work with the town council to help meet the aspirations of the citizens we represent.
“We still have some outstanding issues with the district council, which we want to have a continuing dialogue with, but it takes two to tango in that respect.
“I hope the town will come back more vibrant than it was before. That’s what we’re hoping for and that’s what we’re planning for.”
Read more: All the latest news from Suffolk
Read more: All the latest news from Sudbury
