The Mayor of Hertsmere, councillor Brenda Batten has made the decision to retire from the council after she handed the mayoral chain to her deputy.
Brenda has been a part of Hertsmere Borough Council for 25 years and had decided it was time to call it a day.
She said: “I’ve done it for so long and now and I need to think of other things. I really enjoyed my time and be to mayor in my final year was an honour.
“It’s an accolade and a privilege to be there and it was the very top. I am very pleased I was chosen as Mayor in my final year. it was the perfect way to round off the many years that I served as a borough councillor.
“I was supported at many events by my husband John, who acted as Mayor’s Consort for the year. I also had an excellent Deputy Mayor in Cllr Plancey. I wish him every success for his mayoral year ahead.”
Cllr Batten joined the council in 1984 and spent 12 years on the council before taking a 10 year break to focus on her teaching career.
In 2006 Brenda re-joined the council and was elected to Mayor in 2018.
She added: “It’s been remarkable I’ve got to see what a great job volunteers do. They go above and beyond the call of duty.”
Brenda has seen how the course of local politics has changed since 1984 and said that councils have to be more “commercial” as government grants has dramatically declined.
Cllr Alan Plancey was inaugurated at our annual council meeting on Wednesday, May 15, when the new Deputy Mayor, Cllr Cynthia Barker, was also welcomed.
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