Former mayor calls for Diamond Jubilee monument

Conservative councillor Geraldine Carter, who met the monarch for half-an-hour while serving as mayor in May 2004, says she is anxious that the borough takes the celebrations seriously. She has put forward a motion to be discussed by the council on Wednesday asking that the Cabinet works with Neil Davidson, of construction company Marshalls, to erect stone artwork on land at the top of Woolshops in the town centre. She said: “It suddenly dawned on me that despite everyone doing all sorts of things nothing was being done to create a significant monument.”