Last week, Liberal Democrat Steven Webb became Mayor of Truro.
Me and my daughter tonight. I have just become the Mayor of Truro. What an honour and privilege. #MayorOfTruro #Mayor pic.twitter.com/q5ybK4yzlq
— Steven Webb (@_StevenWebb) May 17, 2021
A Lib Dem since his teenage years, he was first elected to Truro City Council in 2017.
In 1991, he was paralysed in an accident.
The BBC has done a profile of Steven.
He talked about what he hopes to achieve as Mayor:
In a time where clinically vulnerable people have had to isolate for so long, I see it as an opportunity to make sure there are no groups left behind and we rebuild from the pandemic together.
There are so many people who have self-isolated and have hardly left their flats.
We’ve got to make sure everybody is included – that will help businesses, that will help Truro and that will reduce suffering.
It’s time we had a vision to keep the amazing heritage of cobbled streets and granite pavements but make it open to everybody.
In the article he talks about the accident and injuries that paralysed him and how we came back from a particularly low point about 8 years ago. That mission to help people suffer less was born then.
It’s an excellent read. Good luck to Steven in his year of office.
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4 Comments
Congratulations Stephen, I’m sure you will bring much to the situation we all face after the virus.
I’ve been in a Power Wheelchair for around 4 year’s now. It’s only by being in society do we bring awareness and understanding.
Congratulations Stephen, and I hope that you enjoy your year, as well use it for the very best outcomes.
I was mayor of Stockton in 2006/7 and there are so many opportunities.
Many organisations inviting you will no doubt have challenges in how to accommodate your wheelchair, which is good, and i am sure you will do what you can to praise what is good, and ensure that any “temporary” adjustments are made permanently for all who need them.
Make sure that you aren’t “missed off” any invites that other Mayors get invited to as you would be “difficult to accommodate”.
I did a blog, and was the first civic mayor to do so. it was before so much other social media, but it got a huge following and organisations loved being written about. Not sure what the best media would be nowadays but I am sure that Mary Reid would advise, just like she did me! It could make real and lasting changes to Truro to the benefit of so many.
Lots of other opportunities also, I insisted on there being Fairtrade refreshements for instance, and even inspected cupboards in kitchens! you can do that in a good humoured way, and it led to Stockton becoming a Fairtrade town.
I did lots of other things that were very relevant to Stockton that had a lasting impact, ranging from working with people of different ethnicities to opening up our historic town hall to the public.
Go and enjoy and do!
I want to echo Suzanne’s comments and wish Steven all the best for his Mayoral year. He will certainly not be the first civic Mayor who has been a wheelchair user, and there is absolutely no excuse for any organisation who cannot accommodate him. In Kingston we had a Mayor who was registered blind and we realised that it was hugely beneficial to be able to highlight the needs of people with disabilities.
Suzanne and I got to know each other when we were Mayors in the same year.
Many congratulations Stephen from another lifelong LibDem Cornishman now living in Plymouth. Have a great year .