Cllr D Taplin
17 May 2019

Cllr Richard “Dick” Taplin was installed as Godmanchester’s new Town Mayor on Thursday 16 May, and will be supported by Cllr Sue Worthington as Deputy Mayor.

Cllr Taplin spent 30 years in the Royal Air Force as a logistics officer, followed by 14 years as the Junior Bursar at Downing College, Cambridge, and was also a Proctor for Cambridge University. His wife, Nan, will be joining Cllr Taplin as the mayoress. Nan and Dick have lived in Godmanchester for 25 years, and have four married sons and 8 grandchildren.

Cllr Taplin stated: ‘I am keen to build on the foundations of my predecessor, Cllr Sarah Conboy, in supporting youth organisations throughout the town, and so the Scouts and Guides continue to be designated as future beneficiaries of the Mayor’s Charity. However, the older generation also requires support, so I will also be raising money for the RAF Association and Royal British Legion. I hope to get positive support for these charities.”

He went on to say: “Godmanchester is really fortunate in having a dynamic community life, with many organisations helping with the cohesion of the Town. In many ways, the Council is here to add the icing on the cake, and thus we are managing a number of major projects designed to benefit all: these include the refurbishment of the Judith’s Field Social Centre, the building of a state-of-the-art skatepark, the restoration of the Mill Steps area, and the eventual management and development of the Godmanchester Plant Nursery, which we are adopting from HDC. However, we also have a number of challenges – the first is the growth of the town, particularly the Romans’ Edge development, where it is important, and urgent, that newcomers are welcomed and integrated into the community. The second concern is helping to make the town successful economically; we do not want people living here to have to commute to work, but we want to encourage the development of additional local businesses and employment opportunities, and I welcome any ideas and initiatives to achieve this end”. “I am most fortunate in being supported by a great Council and first-rate office staff, led by our new Town Clerk, Vicky Pryce.”