DROITWICH Town Council could be facing a bill of as much as £5,000 after damage was discovered to the town’s ceremonial mayoral robes.

The robe which is at least 20 years old, was discovered to be significantly damaged at the beginning of the annual town council meeting in May, when Councillor Graham Beale took over from Councillor Bob Brookes as the town mayor.

Officers are convinced the robe was intact at the start of the St Richard’s Festival celebrations at the beginning of May.

The robe, which is made of woven wool with a fur and velvet trim, has sustained a large L shaped tear approximately one third of the way up the back, measuring 9” wide by 4” high, and the velvet hemming has also come away.

Town clerk Pam Craney has looked into getting the robe repaired, and has said that while repairs can be undertaken, there is no way of making any repairs invisible, and she is seeking quotes for new robes.

The damage was discussed at a recent meeting of the town council on Monday, June 15, where Ms Craney said she had asked for a quote from Worcester-based company Robes of Distinction to buy a new robe, but she had been told the company refuses to use real fur on a matter of principle, while it quoted £2,500 for a new robe using fake fur.

Councillor Jan Bolton said: “You can’t do it with fake fur, it’s not the done thing, it wouldn’t look the same with fake fur. Would you really want fake fur with other mayors at a procession and they’re all wearing real.”

Other councillors agreed with a need for real fur for the robe, although new councillor Catherine Powell did suggest opening the design process up to Droitwich residents to have a say.

She added: “Is there any possibility for new robes for Droitwich? For how the robes should look? How they might be able to represent Droitwich?”

However, according to officers, mayoral robes are made to a standard design, with individual distinctions made in the chains of office for each town, so there is no room for manoeuvre.

Other councillors pointed out that the robes should really only be worn for civic occasions when the mace bearers and the town clerk are also robed up, which include Remembrance Sunday, the Civic Service, and the annual meeting of the town council.

Not all councils have a set of mayoral robes.

Pam Craney added: “We’re going to have the old one repaired. I’ll probably try and put some velvet over the tear, and if that doesn’t look good I’m looking for quotes as well. It will be quite expensive though. It could go up to about £5,000.”

Do you think the council should spend money on a new ceremonial robe for the mayor? Do you think real fur should still be used for the robe? Get in touch on 01384 358061 or write to alex.townley@midlands.newsquest.co.uk.