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| A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE COUNCIL West Mersea Council, under various titles, is one of the oldest insitutions on the island. THE PARISH COUNCIL The Parish Council of West Mersea begun on the evening of December 4th 1894 when a large gathering of men met at the newly built School in Barfield Road to hold the very first Parish Council elections. No women were present - it would be another thirty years before they were even given the right to vote The first item on the Agenda - to select a Clerk and Mr. Thorpe - the School Headmaster - was duly proposed and appointed. Mr. Thorpe then asked for nominations for the office of Parish Councillors. Twenty four nominations were handed in and after careful scrutiny - it was decided that twenty were valid and four were not. These twenty men were duly voted in by a show of hands and the following people became Parish Councillors for West Mersea:- Alfred Mussett - Frederick Mussett - Isaac Pullen - John Willoughby Bean - Edwin Cooke - Samuel Dixon - George Smith and William Traveller. All was going well until the Clerk decided that he had better follow proper procedures and declared that any elector could, if he wished, demand a Public Poll. And would you believe it - one man did - a Mr. Goldsmith (bless him!) A proper Poll (election) was subsequently held and the same men were chosen except for Samuel Dixon who lost his place to John Brand. The first Parish Council meeting was held on the 4th January 1895 at the School when Mr. Willoughby Bean was elected Chairman and Mr. Thomas Gilbert Vice Chairman. Mr. Thorpe continued as Clerk as well as Councillor (which was allowed then). The Council at that time was totally separate from Colchester Borough and came under the authority of Lexden and Winstree District Council. The handwritten Minute Books show that for the next thirty years the "City Fathers" carried out their duties diligently - with the best interests of the people at heart. Often trying (by various adventurous schemes) to bring prosperity to what was a very poor fishing and farming community. One of their more pioneering ideas was to turn Mersea into a proper seaside resort by bringing a railway to the island. Not just the railway - but a pier and a ferry and a hotel and a statue of Queen Victoria to boot. Plans were made to create a rail and river link from Colchester to Southend via Bradwell and Burnham. The Council discussed this subject for ten years finally gaining government permission to go ahead. But it was not to be - the 1914 - 18 War made sure that the best laid plans of mice and Mersea men hit the buffers. The list of Chairman during this period indicates that most were local landowners:- John Willoughby Bean - Daniel Cock - Samuel and George French - Harry Pearl Cross. It was usual for the Vicar to be a member of the Council - the most prominent one for many years, was, of course, the Reverend Pierrepont Edwards. WEST MERSEA URBAN DISTRICT COUNCIL - THE WMUDC The Council chugged along smoothly until 1926 when, due to a new local Government Act, the Parish Council became the Urban District Council. Still with just nine Councillors the new Urban District remained completely autonomous from Colchester making its own policy decisions - though overall jurisdiction was held by Essex County Council. In 1926 the Offices of the Clerk to the Council are given as in a house in Beach Road (probably a room at his home address). For the next forty years West Mersea UDC became quite powerful - controlling the Sewers, the Water Supply, the Roads, the Beach Huts, the local Council Houses, the Greensward, the Open Spaces and Cemeteries etc. When the Council Offices moved to the present Melrose Road building there were three full time Secretaries plus Mersea's own Surveyor who worked from his own Planning Office in a building next door (now the Montessori Nursery). Some say it was better run then - we can only guess! But before too long the powers that be in Whitehall decided to change it all yet again. |
| THE TOWN COUNCIL TAKES CONTROL - THE WMTC In 1972, under a new Government Reform Act - West Mersea Urban District Council was no more! The Chairman, dry witted, local Grocer, Cllr Clem Smith, had the last word at the last meeting - paying tribute to his fellow Councillors. The new Council, still with nine Councillors, would be titled the West Mersea "Town" Council and along with Wivenhoe and Tiptree came under the auspices of Colchester Borough Council. Essex County Council retained control of Education - Highways and Libraries. Planning powers were removed from the new Town Councils and authority given to Colchester with Town Councils having mere powers of recommendation. Colchester had now become an all powerful "Borough" its ancient charters covering the whole of the North Essex region. As a compensation for loss of power Town Councils had the right, if they wished, to elect their own Mayor - a dignity hitherto only associated with Chartered Boroughs. Some (e.g. Tiptree) chose not to do this - mainly on grounds of extra costs - but most did and we still have our "pocket" Mayors to this day. West Mersea Town Council constitution does not officially allow for a Mayoress - although in recent years it has adopted this as a courtesy title. Spouses and partners whether Mayoresses or not provide much needed moral support to our Mayors when carrying out their official duties. The first Mayor of the new West Mersea Town Council (in 1974) was 57 year old Archie Smith - a Local Shopkeeper. F.CASS 1955-56 F.CASS 1956-57 G.A.COCK 1957-58 G.A.COCK 1958-59 C.A.MUSSETT 1959-60 W.H.HARRISON 1961-62 A.S.ALDOUS 1962-63 G.A.COCK 1963-64 E.A.VINCE 1964-65 A.S.ALDOUS 1965-66 Mrs. E.I. COX 1966-67 MRS. E.I.COX 1967-68 MRS.D.V.HALL 1968-69 MRS.D.V.HALL 1969-70 A.A.EWBANK 1970-71 A.A.EWBANK 1971-72 A.M.GRAY 1972-73 A.M.GRAY 1973-74 LIST OF MAYORS - WEST MERSEA TOWN COUNCIL ARCHIE SMITH 1974-75 ERNIE VINCE 1975-76 A.M.GRAY 1976-77 FRANK OSBORN 1977-78 FRANK OSBORN 1978-79 MRS.P.WILLIAMS 1979-80 DAVID COOPER 1980-81 DAVID COOPER 1981-82 REG D'WIT 1982-83 LEN BROADHURST 1983-84 TONY BERMINGHAM 1986-87 DAVID COOPER 1987-88 LEN BROADHURST 1988-89 LEN BROADHURST 1989-90 JOHN JOWERS 1990-91 REG D'WIT 1991-92 MRS. PATRICIA STEWART 1992-93 SIMON BANKS 1993-94 MRS MARY HARGREAVES 1996-97 MRS PATRICIA STEWART 1997-98 SIMON BANKS 1998-99 SYLVIA WARGENT 1999-2000 ERIC STRAUGHAN 2000-2001 DIANA NORMAN 2001-2002 DOUGLAS STOKER 2002-2003 DOUGLAS STOKER 2003-2004 ALAN MOGRIDGE 2004-2005 PETER CLEMENTS 2005-2006 ALAN MOGRIDGE 2006-2007 ALAN MOGRIDGE 2008 - 2009 PETER CLEMENTS 2009 - 2010 JOHN MAY 2010 - 2011 JOHN MAY 2011 - 2012 |
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Mrs.D.Hall was Chairman of the Council from 1968 to 1970 |