A new Mayor of Kenilworth was elected by the town council this week, as Cllr Peter Jones has become Kenilworth's first citizen for the coming 12 months.

Cllr Jones was a Green Party candidate for the May 2019 elections, and was voted onto Kenilworth Town Council as the eight Green candidates swept the Conservatives out of office.

Just a year into his first term Cllr Jones was made deputy mayor, and is now taking over the top job from Cllr Richard Dickson.

We spoke to Cllr Jones about his life, and his ambitions for the year ahead.

A Life Before Politics

Cllr Jones, 73, and his wife Jenny first moved to Kenilworth in 1978 from Coventry. The Jones' have two children together, Hannah and Alex, who now both live in New Zealand with their own families.

A teacher by profession, he spent his whole working life at King Henry VIII's school in Coventry, retiring in 2004. He taught economics, becoming head of department in 1974.

Cllr Jones is a keen bridge player, gardener and bird watcher. Also a sports enthusiast, he played cricket at Kenilworth Cricket Club for over 20 years, as well as playing squash and racketball in the town.

He is also an eager cyclist, doing so most days.

Speaking to Kenilworth Nub News he said: "We all need to involve ourselves in more active travel around the town, more walking and more cycling. It is something that I need, and I think it is something that we all need, to get out and get some fresh air."

Taking Office

Cllr Jones first got involved with the local Green Party in 2017, before being persuaded to run for office in the 2019 elections.

Asked why he chose to run for office he said: "I became a Green party member a couple of years earlier, as I got more and more convinced that we were heading down the wrong road in terms our economy, our lifestyles and the way that the planet was going.

"Then Cllr Alix Dearing said in the run up to the May 2019 town council elections, 'Peter would you mind if I put your name on the ballot as a sort of paper candidate so that we have a candidate in every ward?'.

"And like a fool I said yes!"

However, looking back, he said he was glad that he took the opportunity when it was presented.

"Once I had done that, I was hooked. Not many old people get the chance of a new interest or activity late in life, but that is what I have had!"

You might say though, that local office runs in his genes. Cllr Jones' great grandfather was in fact Mayor of Malmesbury nine times in a 50-year career.

The Year Ahead

Having spent a year as deputy mayor to Cllr Dickson, Cllr Jones expressed his gratitude to his predecessor.

"Cllr Dickson very kindly spent an hour with me last Saturday outside the Almanack telling me about being a mayor, and giving me advice. I must say that he has done a superb job in very difficult circumstances.

"With all of the cancelled events, and the hardship of the last 12 months, he has done fantastically keeping the community spirit alive and getting publicity for all the important work that has gone on in the town."

As Cllr Jones looks forward to a more 'normal' year as mayor, he has expressed a desire for the town to continue to learn from our experiences in lockdown.

"There were some silver linings to it," he says, "even though clearly it was hard for many people, we did reduce long-distance commuting, we had a slower pace of life which people benefitted from, we spent more time with our families, we spent more time with nature."

Whilst involved in the county council election campaign for the Greens, Cllr Jones has also taken the chance to speak to residents about what concerns them.

"I have been getting views on the doorstep from people in Kenilworth, and I have found that there is a large proportion of people in Kenilworth who are worried about the planet's future, and the future for their children, quite rightly.

"And there is an older generation who are very worried about the way that the green belt is being eaten away, as well as HS2's destruction of the local wildlife.

"My experience on planning also, I have seen that we have missed a big opportunity to start introducing eco-friendly housing, as well as more affordable housing in the future."

But finally, he spoke of two main 'bugbears'. Firstly, he expressed his concern about the amount of litter around the town.

"That annoys me immensely, so I was really pleased when Richard Dickson awarded a prize to young Laurie Rose for his litter-picking efforts. But the sad thing is we shouldn't need to do it!"

His second concern was over parking on pavements, saying simply: "pavements are for people!"

Mayoral Charities

Every year each Mayor of Kenilworth is allowed to chose two charities to support financially. Cllr Jones has chosen the Youth Wellbeing Hub run from the Kenilworth Centre, as well as Compassionate Kenilworth which is forming from the Covid-19 Support Kenilworth Group.

Cllr Jones said: "My life has been working with youth as a teacher, and I firmly believe that youth is worth investing in.

"A parent of a student I once taught said to me 'teenagers need a lot of support these days' and that was about 30 years ago, and I think they need even more support now! Society and Covid has made it so hard for them to mix and explore the world, but there is an age range that has not experienced their normal teenage years."

Then, explaining why he wanted to support Compassionate Kenilworth, he said: "As a pensioner myself, you could say that it is self-interest that I am focusing on help for old people!"