CLLR ROBIN Springett, Townstal ward, Dartmouth Town Council, writes:

While I don't feel strongly about the mayor's parade, I do feel your correspondent Paul Fitzgerald, Letters, April 6, needs to get a few facts right.

Fact 1: Dartmouth was a Borough Council up until the Local Government Act of 1972 abolished it with effect from April 1, 1974. Nothing was changed in the 1990s, but metropolitan boroughs were abolished in 1986. This had no effect in Devon.

Fact 2: South Hams District Council came into being on April 1, 1974, and removed all responsibilities from the old borough council. It was then that Dartmouth lost its historic status as a borough granted by royal charter. This was a shame, but it is a fact, so move on.

Fact 3: Town and parish councils have almost no responsibilities, unless you count burial grounds, bus shelters and allotments – there are one or two others, equally trivial.

Dartmouth has been held back far too long by harking on to a past now long gone.

The town needs to move forward but in so doing needs to protect what is good from the past and embrace the best of the future, to become a vibrant and forward-looking town, fit for our excellent young people to thrive in.

I do not believe this can be achieved when we worry about whether to hold a mayor-making parade or not.

In the broad spread of things, matters surrounding the mayor are no more relevant than matters concerning the town crier. All they serve to do is distract the council from doing things.

Personally I consider the position of mayor should be purely ceremonial and directly elected from the citizens of the town. Why should it be limited to a choice of a few town councillors. It could even be a young person or be shared. Heaven forbid, I hear some say.

The post could be for two or more years and the mayor could attend those ceremonies apparently so important to the townsfolk, such as Anglo-French twinning, Dartmouth in Bloom, the Music Festival etc.

Of course, there would need to be a way found to pay for this. Perhaps the reformed chamber of trade would like to volunteer.

If this happened, the way forward for the town council would be to elect a chairperson, send all the pictures and regalia to the museum, cut costs and save the taxpayer money by disposing of assets and reducing staff costs.

It could take the decision to dispose of the Guildhall, perhaps even put the Butterwalk and Boatfloat into charitable trusts designed to maintain and protect them in perpetuity, and run by people who really care about them.

The town (or parish) council could get on with the business of raising money for the swimming pool, providing a strategy for future development and employment, being supportive of commerce and local businesses and generally taking the lead.

Who knows, we could even be held up as an example of best practice? This is the 21st century after all.