Brighton and Hove mayor, Alex Phillips, has replaced the tradition of prayer before council meetings with poetry readings by local schoolchildren. Two pupils were invited from Patcham High School to begin the mayor’s first council meeting last Thursday. This marked the first of the new mayor’s plans to have poetry being read by local children before all future council meetings. As the youngest mayor of Brighton and Hove to date, Phillips has expressed just how important giving voice to children in local politics was to her.
“As a young mayor, I see the importance in opening the world of local politics up for our school children to experience.
“It’s vital that there is some sort of moment’s attunement ahead of full council meetings because they are quite long and they can become very heated.”
She continued:
“It’s important for our young people to understand local democracy but it’s equally important for elected representatives to be reminded by young people that the decisions councillors are about to take will affect our young people the most.”
Following the council meeting, Alex Phillips has shared her congratulations of the two students, Emily Licis and Neve McEvaddy, on Twitter. She wrote that the two students ‘smashed it out of the park’ and ‘made history’. The students read the poem ‘It Couldn’t Be Done’ by Edgar Albert Guest, telling the tale of an individual who defies those doubting their ability. Alex Phillips has also published a video of the poem being read aloud on her Twitter.
The Mayor’s decision to rewrite tradition has since sparked debate, with conservative councillor Tony Janio stating that:
“I am not sure the mayor has ever attended prayers but she should not be allowed to prevent us from continuing with our traditions.”
The former mayor of Brighton and Hove, conservative councillor Dee Simson, also expressed her opinion:
“Personally, as mayor of the city, I felt it important to follow the traditions that had been established over very many years by appointing a chaplain and offering prayers before meetings of full council.”
