It’s no bad thing for a mayor to be fatter (From Bucks Free Press)

It’s no bad thing for a mayor to be fatter

10:36am Friday 21st May 2010 in

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THE weighing-in ceremony in High Wycombe may be a bit of a frivolous laugh – but it’s possibly one of the best things the town does these days.

Underestimate this ancient event at your peril, because it pays homage to everything noble about civic life.

The MPs’ expenses scandal of last year tarnished the image of all politicians, even the good ones. So I am genuinely proud that High Wycombe has maintained an anti-sleaze ceremony for hundreds of years.

The original aim of the weighing-in in 1678 was to expose dignitaries who had lived off the fat of the land.

Naturally, it’s most symbolic now, and even I have to accept that putting on weight during a mayoral year doesn’t signify very much at all.

If a mayor does his or her job properly, it means hundreds of engagements, many in the evening. The best probably therefore survive on a diet of snatched (and cheap) unhealthy fast food. I personally would prefer my mayors to work rather than sit at home counting salad leafs and calories.

But nevertheless, the symbolism is still vital. And this ceremony, with its ridiculous costumes and exuberant town crier, doffs its cap to a bygone era. It honours town history and puts the public in human touch with their leaders in a way nothing else does.

It wouldn’t surprise me, though, if one day in the future, some bright spark bureaucrat decided to cut it to save a budget deficit. So I urge you and your descendants to cherish this event.

It is a tradition that makes High Wycombe unique and should be continued forever.