The Romsey Forum: 66 and going strong - April 2010

Romsey Town Council set up the Romsey Forum in May 1994 after the Town Clerk and I had visited Petersfield to see its Forum in operation. The original suggestion for a Forum came from County Councillor Liz Brett who had been impressed by the Petersfield model. There have now been 66 Romsey Forum meetings and over the 16 years of its existence it has averaged an attendance of slightly more than 40 citizens. This is in great contrast to the one or two citizens who attend Town or Borough Council meetings.

From the very first there has been a tension between those who are more comfortable with constitutions and rulebooks and those who have a more relaxed view of the inherent common sense of Romsey’s residents. A memo from me to the Town mayor of the day, Alan Marsh, illustrates the point. “I’m not being prescriptive – the Forum must decide its own structure – people who thrive on rules and structures may find this concept difficult”. At the inaugural meeting in June 1994 I asked that "The Forum should be an open debating chamber where the issues of the day affecting Romsey can be fully aired and where the general public and town organisations can, through the Forum Chairman, question officers of the County Council and Borough Council".

Romsey Forum meets at Romsey Town Hall four times a year. There are a number of organisations on the circulation list who send representatives to the Forum such as the Romsey and District Society, the Romsey Chamber of Commerce, the Abbey and Broadlands. But the most important charcteristic of the Forum is that any citizen of Romsey Town or Romsey Extra who attends the Forum is automatically a member and if they leave their email address on the attendance sheet they are added to the Forum circulation list.

All local town, parish, borough and county councillors are on the email invitation list but they are encouraged to listen rather than lead in the context of the Forum although up-to-date information is usually appreciated.

Romsey Town Council and Romsey Extra Parish Council fund the Forum. For example, the Town Council provides the meeting room and a small grant for stationery but that is as far as any council involvement goes. Running costs are low as all communication between Forum members is by e-mail. The only ‘rules’ are those laid down by the Chairman at the beginning of each meeting; the Chairman and Minute Secretary are elected by Forum members annually. There is a tacit unspoken convention that the chairman and secretary are changed after four or five years and that overtly political candidates are discouraged.

Each agenda is agreed by the Chairman and Secretary after consulting the previous Forum and two or three speakers are invited to talk on a local topic of interest and receive questions...sometimes a grilling...from the Forum. Anyone can speak in response to the presentations. The Forum advertises its agenda in the local paper.

Sometimes if the meeting is well attended, which is often the case, especially if there is a planning and development matter on the agenda, a vote, at the discretion of the Chairman, may be taken. The vote has no force or power. It only reflects the opinion of that Forum at that particular time. So with no constitution and no rulebook, the success of the Forum depends on the charm of the chairman, the ability of the secretary to find good agenda topics and the quality of the debate. Get all those right and the movers and shakers of the Town will always turn up to listen ... and take part!

The Romsey Forum in numbers.

22nd June 1994 First meeting

66 Forums held to date

8 Forum Chairmen. First, Mark Cooper, longest serving Mike Richardson and Phoebe Merrick 18 meetings each. Currently, John Parker.

6 Forum Secretaries, longest serving Ruth Wilkins and Mark Cooper 21 meetings each. Currently shared by Sandra Smith and Carolyn Nixson.

85:- highest attendance…Abbotswood 20th September 2000. 78:- 2nd highest 12th March 2008. TVBC Core Strategy, 3rd highest… 77:- Romsey town flooding.

17:- lowest attendance 1st March 2000 and 19th September 2007.

40.3:- average attendance between 2000 and 2009

During his time as a Romsey, Test Valley and County Councillor, Mark Cooper has been involved in many local projects which have not only shaped the town as we see it today, but projects that have preserved much of our heritage.

Palmerston
At the centre of Romsey’s Market Place stands the statue of Lord Palmerston. Lord Palmerston was a 19th Century Liberal of the old school. This is one of the photographs Mark published in the current Town Guide.

The Old Gun Shop and King John's House.
When Mark was Leader of Test Valley Borough Council he set about, with help from Hampshire County Council, Test Valley Borough Council and the trustees of King John's House, to create a heritage corridor or axis, involving improvements to the Latimer Street car park an access through King John's House Garden and the refurbishment of the Abbey Garth between the Old Magistrates' Court and the Abbey.

The missing part of the link was the old Gun Shop, probably the only mid-Victorian building in Romsey to have had no significant structural or design change. TVBC purchased the building at Mark's request and have converted it sympathetically into a Heritage Centre and Tourist Information Office.

The walk from the Latimer St car park via King John's House, past the Gun shop and around the Abbey and then back into the Market Place and along The Hundred is probably one of the most beautiful urban walks in Hampshire.

The Romsey Bandstand in the Romsey War Memorial Park.
The Bandstand is the result of a generous donation of £108,000 in 2001 by the late Madge Saunders in memory of her father. His initials A.G.S are cast into the iron work. The foundations were funded by Test Valley Borough Council and the concerts are mainly funded by Romsey Town Council and public donations.

The benefactress had made the offer to Test Valley to fund the Bandstand in the year 2000 but her offer was ignored by officers. Cllr. Jack Kemish found out about the offer from the benefactress' family at a very late stage. Jack was able set up a Charity Trust to build the Bandstand with Mark. Ever since, the Bandstand has been a great success, creating a beautiful centre piece and focal point for Romsey's best loved Park.

Mark is Chairman and Treasurer of the Charity that administers the Bandstand.