{"id":2345,"date":"2024-07-21T10:27:56","date_gmt":"2024-07-21T10:27:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pridemagazines.co.uk\/stamford\/?p=1163"},"modified":"2024-07-21T10:27:56","modified_gmt":"2024-07-21T10:27:56","slug":"civic-stamford","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pridemagazines.co.uk\/rutland-and-stamford\/highlights\/civic-stamford\/07-2024","title":{"rendered":"Civic Stamford"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

As Kelham Cooke takes on the chains of office for 2024\/2025, we speak to Stamford\u2019s Mayor about the rich heritage and best qualities of the town<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\ufeffStamford has a new mayor… but he\u2019s a familiar face! Kelham Cooke will represent the town for 2024 and 2025, having previously served as the Leader of South Kesteven District Council, representing the Casewick ward along with Cllr Rosemary Trollope-Bellew.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s an interesting time for politics. At the time of writing, we\u2019re a week or two away from the general election, and with constituency boundary changes, local MP Alicia Kearns formerly of Rutland & Melton is now standing to represent Rutland & Stamford.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Elsewhere, Lincolnshire County Council and the councils of North Lincolnshire and North East Lincolnshire are keen to pursue devolution, which will see an additional tier of governance focusing on strategic decisions, devolved powers and greater discretion on funding, granted to a tier of leadership above Lincolnshire County Council.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Should devolution proceed, the process will also see the election of a directly elected Mayor to oversee Greater Lincolnshire, however that doesn\u2019t mean the loss of our town or borough Mayors whose identities, in Stamford\u2019s case, have been recorded since its charter was renewed in 1462.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

21st century life in Stamford is a little different from the medieval era, when the town\u2019s population was just 5,000. That gradually increased to 11,000 in the mid-20th century and latterly reached 20,000. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In such an era, both a modern system of governance and a local Mayor who is in touch with the town\u2019s character, heritage and its people will be a great asset in preserving Stamford whilst ensuring it remains a vibrant, modern community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Six boards in Stamford Town Hall recall the name of the town\u2019s past mayors and the latest addition to the most recent board will be Cllr Kelham Cooke, who\u2019s well-known in the town and well-versed in local politics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI really do love our town, it\u2019s the place I call home and where many of my friends and family live. I have always had a desire in the past that I\u2019d like to one day serve as Mayor of my hometown and to give back to Stamford and to do my best for our community.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Educated at both Kirkstone House and Stamford Endowed Schools, Kelham read Business and Economics at Nottingham Trent University, graduating in 2011. At 20 years of age, Kelham whilst still at University stood for election and was successful in being elected to South Kesteven District Council for Casewick ward, a position he held until May 2023. During his time with the District Council, he was elected to the cabinet in 2015, then became Deputy Leader in 2017 and served as Leader from 2019-2023, providing strategic direction for 56 councillors and an area covering 365 square miles with a population of 155,000 residents.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In May 2021 Kelham was successfully elected to Lincolnshire County Council as the County Councillor for Stamford East Division and currently sits on the Economy & Environment Scrutiny Committee as well as serving as Vice Chair of the Adults & Community Scrutiny Committee.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From 2013 to 2023, Kelham also worked in the House of Commons for Nick Boles and Gareth Davies on constituency matters, local campaigns, policy matters and liaising with regional and national partners on behalf of the MPs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Elected to Stamford Town Council in May 2023 at the same time South Kesteven Conservatives lost control to a coalition of independents, Greens, Liberal Democrats and Labour councillors, Kelham began working in PR and Communications for Meeting Place managing development and engagement communications, whilst also continuing to serve as a member of the St Martin\u2019s Church Conservation Trust. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

He was elected to represent the St Mary\u2019s Ward on Stamford Town Council under the previous Mayor and Chairman Andy Croft, and on the 2nd May this year, he became Mayor of Stamford after one year on the council!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

During the War of the Roses, Stamford was one of the 10 largest towns in England and it was seized by the Lancastrians who partly destroyed All Saints\u2019 Church and the town archives, as well as its charters. In 1462, under Edward IV, Stamford\u2019s charters were renewed, with George Chapman already serving as Mayor and John Browne taking up the position a year later.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since then there has been over 560 mayors, each serving a year\u2019s tenure. Among these is Henry Deer, a local alderman, boot and shoe-maker, prominent local methodist and long-standing town councillor. Deer was awarded the Honorary Freedom of the Town in 1945, one of only six occasions that the honour has been bestowed on anyone (though the honour was also given to Sir Malcolm Sargent in October 1961). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Henry Deer was the town\u2019s wartime mayor, serving in 1929 and then from 1940-1945. That role that Aldermen played in local politics would be replaced in 1974, and today\u2019s civic members are elected, accountable and they work harder than ever. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI think Andy Croft, during his tenure last year, made over a hundred civic appearances,\u201d says Kelham. \u201cThe role that different tiers of governance play are equally valuable, from county to district to town council tier. One of the aspects of working as part of a town council that\u2019s most rewarding is the very direct connection to the community that the job necessitates.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe work varies from week to week, but the role is about looking after our local facilities and parts of the town which are really important to the community at a level that\u2019s very personal, from playing fields and allotments to cemeteries and public conveniences!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s an opportunity to represent the town and make sure it\u2019s a great place to live at a community level. At the same time, as a town councillor and as Mayor I can be very much connected to those who live in Stamford, helping organise or appearing at events, meeting community groups and helping to support its residents, its business community our great local  independent businesses.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cA\u2008really good town council should be visible, relevant and accessible, and all of our 21 town councillors really are invested in preserving what makes Stamford special, from its close community to its diversity, its history and its architecture.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAlready I\u2019ve had the pleasure of attending a prize-giving event for local students at my old school, supporting Stamford\u2019s Shoestring Theatre group at their recent performance and witnessing the sight of over 500 Rolls-Royce and Bentley cars in the parkland of Burghley House. It\u2019s been a pleasure and I\u2019m looking forward to really standing up for Stamford.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s also been great to welcome people to the Town Hall recently to introduce them to the town\u2019s impressive civic regalia.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cEven those familiar with the town\u2019s history are guaranteed to learn something new, so I can definitely recommend booking a tour with one of our guides to learn more about the town and to see its heritage for yourself!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\ufeffRestoration of Stamford\u2019s Civic Heritage<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\ufeffWork is approaching completion on the restoration of the six boards recording the names of Stamford\u2019s past mayors, from 1462 to 2024<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\ufeffIn the first floor courtroom of Stamford Town Council are six boards listing each of the town\u2019s mayors, dating back to 1462. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

With successive centuries of pollution, UV light damage and the expansion and contraction of the boards upon which the names are painted, cracking and fading of the oil-based pigments can occur. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

That\u2019s why the Town Council has sought out the expertise of Lincoln Conservation Consultant Rhiannon Clarricoates (ACR) and conservator Wei-Chan Birkett to complete a heritage clean of the boards\u2019 surfaces.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After completing a degree in Conservation and Restoration at De Montfort University, Rhiannon completed an MA\u2008in Conservation of Fine Art at the University of Northumbria and has been a member of ICON (Institute of Conservation), serving as secretary of the specialists\u2019 Paintings Group for over a decade.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The team previously completed a restoration of the oldest board, covering the period from 1462 to 1700, and during April and May, two further panels covering 1701-1749, 1750-1789. The work involves pigment analysis, surface cleaning, removal of discoloured varnishes, overpaint removal, and re-instatement of damaged text.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

As Kelham Cooke takes on the chains of office for 2024\/2025, we speak to Stamford\u2019s Mayor about the rich heritage…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2830,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[729,28],"class_list":["post-2345","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-highlights","tag-civi","tag-stamford"],"acf":[],"post_mailing_queue_ids":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pridemagazines.co.uk\/rutland-and-stamford\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2345","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pridemagazines.co.uk\/rutland-and-stamford\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pridemagazines.co.uk\/rutland-and-stamford\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pridemagazines.co.uk\/rutland-and-stamford\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pridemagazines.co.uk\/rutland-and-stamford\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2345"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.pridemagazines.co.uk\/rutland-and-stamford\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2345\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pridemagazines.co.uk\/rutland-and-stamford\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2830"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pridemagazines.co.uk\/rutland-and-stamford\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2345"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pridemagazines.co.uk\/rutland-and-stamford\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2345"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pridemagazines.co.uk\/rutland-and-stamford\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2345"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}