Diss Town Council elects new Mayor
13 May 2021
Council News
At its Annual Meeting on 5th May, Diss Town Council elected its new Mayor, councillor Eric Taylor. Eric has been a Town Councillor since March 2018, chairs the Council’s planning committee as well as being Vice-Chair of the Infrastructure committee. He has also played an integral role on the Diss and District Neighbourhood Plan Steering Group, driven by his passion to see Diss grow in a structured way with the right amount of good quality development in the right place.
On accepting the privilege, Eric said, “I feel honoured to be elected by my fellow members of council as the Town Mayor for 2021/22. It is especially exciting as we emerge from the pandemic after what has been a very difficult year for us all.”
Eric feels he has the transferable skills suited to the role of Mayor. He retired around 10 years ago where he was Operations Director for a large agricultural engineering company and thereafter continued working for himself as an HR consultant. “I am passionate about all things Diss and I want to see the town prosper and grow whilst retaining its individuality and unique character.”
He continues, “One of the council’s strategic objectives is to develop and implement the Diss & District Neighbourhood Plan. The DDNP Steering Group has worked hard to get the plan ready to go to independent examination and public consultation during the summer followed by public referendum early next year so I hope there will be a made plan during my year as Mayor.” The Plan will also help to deliver on two other council priorities covering the period 2021-23. By better protecting our green spaces, increasing the number of cycling and walking routes around Diss, and preserving our ecology and biodiversity, we will create a greener town and by substantially increasing developer contributions, more revenue will be generated for Diss.
In closing, Eric said, “I can’t promise you that I will have all the answers to the challenges Diss faces but I can promise you I will work hard to achieve as many of the council’s objectives as possible.”
Eric succeeds councillor Sonia Browne who has carried out the role for the previous two years and championed the Town Council through an exceptional year. As well as attending numerous events on behalf of the council – and via the Zoom platform since March 2020 - Sonia was successful in co-opting eight new councillors.
Also at the meeting, councillors considered the election of its Council Leader and councillor Simon Olander was elected to the role for his third consecutive year. Simon is also a member of the DDNP Group and continues to chair the Infrastructure committee, which has responsibility for improving town access and providing more efficient means of delivering services. The Council Leader’s main responsibility is to drive and champion the Council’s strategic plan. On being elected, Simon said, “I will strive to continue to get the best for Diss.”
Keep up to date with the Mayor’s activities
Find out more about the Diss & District Neighbourhood Plan
Read more about the Council’s strategic plan soon
