Honorary alderman?

IT is surprising that anyone listening to Warrington Borough Council’s debate on the criteria for appointing honorary aldermen would, at the end of it, still have any aspirations to become one.
Why? Because the first requirement suggested is that one must serve as a councillor for 10 years – and 10 years of listening to such debates would surely be more than anyone could stand.
There is nothing wrong with the idea of appointing honorary aldermen from among the ranks of former councillors. Indeed, there was nothing wrong, in our view, with the original proposal to appoint them from ex-councillors with at least 10 years consecutive years’ service who “have rendered eminent service.”
At first it did not seem unreasonable when an amendment was suggested dropping the word “consecutive.”
But we were then treated to the unedifying spectacle of councillors with years of unbroken service arguing in favour of keeping the word “consecutive” in, while those who had suffered temporary disfavour with the electorate at some time wanted it left out.
Conspicuously absent from the debate was any reference to “eminent service.” Councillors, apparently, feel length of service is all that matters.
Anyone who has spent a significant number of years attending council meetings at Warrington – and at Warrington-Worldwide we can collectively claim considerably more than 50 years – can easily compile a list of former councillors who have sat in the council chamber for more than 10 years and rendered precious little service at all.
Are these former councillors now to be honoured as “honorary aldermen”?
The conclusion we have reached is that many councillors see the title as another opportunity to give themselves some standing in the community, irrespective of whether they deserve it.
Several councillors expressed the wish to see a decision reached speedily and one pointed out that delay in the past had resulted in one former councillor dying before the honour could be bestowed.
As time dragged on, we began to wonder if several might pass on before the debate was over!