Peterborough councillors spend an hour debating if Mayor should wear 'cocked hat' - and then postpone decision

The dilemma of whether the Mayor of Peterborough should wear the ceremonial ‘black cocked hat’ and frilly collar at outdoor civic functions has left councillors scratching their heads.

For up to an hour, councillors of Peterborough City Council’s constitution and ethics committee debated whether there should be a change to its constitution to force the authority’s mayors to wear the full ceremonial dress and regalia that goes with the privilege of being the city’s ‘first citizen’.

But, to cap it all, members not only voted to postpone making a decision but promptly agreed that the same issue should head up their next meeting in November.

But just eight months ago, the same committee considered allowing the Mayor discretion as to what items of civic regalia and insignia was used for each occasion, and after considerable debate had agreed to keep the civic protocol requirements as they were.

The new move has been prompted by concerns from council leader Councillor Wayne Fitzgerald that action needs to be taken to protect and strengthen the role of the mayor – and that means wearing the full ceremonial dress at civic events outdoors.

He wants a review of the declaration of acceptance of office for all future mayors that would require them to abide by the civic protocol that demands that ‘Mayors in Peterborough wear a robe of office, together with a chain of office on all formal ceremonial occasions.

‘If the ceremony is out of doors, the Mayor will wear a hat, which in the case of a man is a black cocked hat and for a lady a black tri-corn hat.’

Currently, the constitution seems to allow a lot of discretion to the mayor and deputy mayor as to whether they put on the full ceremonial rig.

The most high profile occasion when the Mayor went without the ceremonial hat and collar was the royal proclamation of King Charles III in Cathedral Square, Peterborough, on September 10.

At the ceremony, which is available to view on YouTube, Mayor Dowson can clearly been seen standing with other dignitaries as the proclamation of the new King is read out by the Lord Lieutenant of Cambridgeshire Julie Spence and High Sheriff Jennifer Crompton; but he wears no hat throughout.

But others have also opted not to wear the full ceremonial dress.

Cllr Mohammed Jamil told the constitution and ethics committee: “I was Deputy Mayor last year for 2021/22, and I can honestly say that I cannot remember a single occasion when I wore the hat – it simply never arose in conversation, and I didn’t feel the need to wear it.”

Cllr Nick Sandford, who is Chair of the Committee, and the expected Deputy Mayor of Peterborough for 2022/23, said: “I need to be a bit careful what I say about all of this I suppose as I could be the next Mayor of Peterborough if elected.

“The Mayor, Cllr Alan Dowson, has strong views on this matter and made it clear to me at the beginning of this municipal year that he would wear the robes when needed, but not the frilly collar or the hat.

“Cllr Dowson and I have both followed this practice at numerous formal civic ceremonies and no-one has ever mentioned the need to wear a hat… except for the latest event in Cathedral Square, which I wasn't at, so it’s difficult for me to comment on it.”

Cllr Sandford added that he thought it was a matter that required more debate by the committee before being taken to the Full Council for approval.

He said his worry was members would then spend forty-five minutes arguing the case back and forth, just as the committee had done, and still the council wouldn’t have an answer as to what the civic protocol should or should not be altered to in the future.

He said: “I therefore propose that instead of taking this matter to Full Council on October 12 we ask the legal officer to strike it from today’s agenda as an item, and that it be postponed until the next meeting of the Constitution and Ethics Committee after Full Council.”

After the meeting Cllr Fitzgerald said: "The mayor's protocol includes clear guidance on what the city and the council expect from the role of mayor.

"As Peterborough’s ‘first citizen’, the mayor acts as ambassador for the council and also for Peterborough itself on the wider regional, national, and international stage.

"It can also be a focal point for community celebrations and pride and also commemorations and shared sorrow, as we saw following the death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.

"Therefore, to protect and strengthen the role of the mayor and all the civic protocols that go with it, it is important to ensure that there is consistency with each mayor, particularly when there is quite often a new appointment each year.

"The council’s civic programme is reviewed annually to ensure that it retains its important traditions and continuity, while also adapting where appropriate so that it remains attractive and relevant to the community.

"The recommendations considered by Constitution and Ethics Committee last week were the results of this year's annual review."

Cllr Dowson and Cllr Sandford both refused a request to comment further on the issue of the mayor’s ceremonial attire.

READ MORE: Proclamation of a new Sovereign read in Peterborough