Councillor Olly Rose begins official duties as Oswestry Town Mayor for 2023/24 civic year.
Last night Councillor Olly Rose began her duties as Oswestry Town Mayor during the ceremonial handover meeting and outlined some of her priorities for the upcoming civic year. Mike Isherwood was also appointed Deputy Mayor during the ceremony.
Councillor Rose was elected in 2017 and has lived in Shropshire for more than 30 years and grew to know Oswestry through her work and chose it as her home 7 years ago. Olly worked with charity ‘Age UK’ for 20 years and Oswestry formed part of her patch throughout this time.
Through the experience of her clients, Olly saw that Oswestry had many clubs and activities for older people and there was a great neighbourly spirit. Since being a Councillor, she has witnessed that same sense of community in the many charities and groups active in Oswestry.
Olly noted that Oswestry has under average vacant shops, an award-winning market, lovely open spaces, some great independent businesses and lots of community events.
“There is of course room for improvement, however I can see a lots of positives in our town. In recent years, I’ve attended market stalls to hear the views of local people and I hope to engage more in this way during my civic year and be where people find it easy to get to.“
“The role of Mayor is a ceremonial position that represents the Council and community at formal events and expresses the views and decisions made by the Council. The Mayor is one of eighteen councillors and any Councillor can bring forward a proposal and if they gain the confidence of the majority of the Council, their proposal will be acted upon. The Mayor has no more power than any other Councillor, apart from having a casting vote if there is a tied decision. Councillors are volunteers and all want to make a positive difference to our town. We do our best to help Oswestry be an attractive place to set up a business, live and visit. It’s good that we come from a range of backgrounds and with differing views to reflect the community.“
“The town has seen a number of improvements in recent years, with many more plans in the pipeline. This year will see the refurbishment of one of our oldest listed buildings, Llwyd Mansion. We hope to see Cambrian building lose its scaffolding and the heritage railway continue its tremendous progress. A number of shopfronts and passageways have been improved across town, a new business plans to move into the old Morrison‘s building and the long awaited ‘Changing Places‘ toilets will be installed. We are excited to be in this summer’s Britain in Bloom finals, we’re continuing to provide free loft insulation and a free Saturday town bus service and there are many more projects on the way.“
Olly has chosen Oswestry Foodbank and Osnosh as her Mayor’s charities for the year. “This was a hard decision, however with the ongoing cost of living crisis, these two organisations help people with the most basic need to feed themselves and their families. The Council has provided financial support to both these groups and I have been extremely impressed how well they have made the most of the money they received.“
“Councillor Duncan Kerr has agreed to be my Consort and he will be helping to fundraise for the Mayor’s charities with a number of challenges including a climb up two of the hardest peaks of the ‘Tour de France‘, each being twice the height of Snowdon.“
“I would like to raise the profile of many groups and charities doing amazing work in our town and help them to find more volunteers. It is hard to recruit volunteers as people work longer hours and retire later, however there are many benefits to volunteering. Volunteers feel a boost from being involved in the community. It can be fun, you will make friends, receive training and work experience. We’re currently looking for volunteers at our Ukrainian Support Hub (half a day, once a fortnight) and Oswestry in Bloom have many gardening slots if anyone can spare an hour or two.“
“We will be continuing Councillor Jay Moore’s quarterly community awards, which recognise people who go the extra mile for our community. If you know someone who fits the bill, please get in touch. It doesn’t have to be fundraiser or a volunteer, just someone who has been really helpful to people in our local community. I am introducing a new award at the end of the year for a person who has done the most to tackle the twin crises of climate change and biodiversity loss in our community.“
“I’m really looking forward to my year as Mayor. I want to hear from people and help in any way I can, so please do contact me. My details are on the Council’s website and I am happy to arrange to meet you or speak on the phone. You are welcome to attend our Council meetings either in person or by our zoom link.“
“I would like to take this opportunity to thank the outgoing Mayor, Councillor Jay Moore, for his contribution to the community over the last year. Jay has brought a fresh style to the role, has been incredibly active throughout the year and proved to be an excellent Mayor for our town“.
