The Town Mayor is elected annually in May by the Town Council. The Mayor presides over meetings of the council, as well as attending civic and ceremonial functions, such as the Remembrance Sunday parade and Chesham’s Civic Service. The Mayor also represents Chesham at functions outside the town, including visits to Archena, Friedrichsdorf and Houilles, the towns that Chesham is twinned with in Spain, Germany and France.
Current Mayor: Cllr Wilford Augustus
Email: mayor@chesham.gov.uk
The Town Mayor’s Welcome
For those of you who don’t know me well, I’ll start by sharing a brief snapshot of my background and story. Whilst I call Britain home, my journey started way back when my country of birth, Belize, was still a British colony on the shores of Western Caribbean, in Central America. Belize is where I learnt the values of self-reliance, self-pride, civic pride and the importance of giving back to the community. That is my foundation and those are the steadfast values that have successfully taken me through the world; whether in my life as an entrepreneur, or when I lived and worked in Scandinavia, in Latin America, in London or here in Chesham.
I moved from London to our town in 2017, and remarkably, less than six years later, I cannot express in words just how honoured I am to have had this great privilege conferred on me. Whilst my election and appointment makes history in Chesham in several ways, it is more so a testament as to just how welcoming and inclusive the people of our town are - to which I say thank you! Thank you Chesham and thank you Chesham Town Council.
When I moved to Chesham from Bayswater, I was immediately charmed and thought - what a difference an hour from London makes. I loved the cobbled high street lined with independent shops, smiling chatty people at Waitrose, and most of all, I loved Saturday market days for my weekly supply of fruit and veg at ‘6 bowls a fiver’. Sadly, Covid 19 has hastened the decline of our high street, which brings me to the central theme of my vision for Chesham, and what I plan to achieve as mayor.
Looking back to Adam Smith, in Wealth of Nations, he described how commerce of the English towns contributed to the improvement of the country as a whole. Whilst as Mayor of Chesham I have no remit over this country’s economy, I believe I can play a small role in the improvement of our local economy in our town.
So, what is my vision and goal for my year as mayor? Simply put, ‘Destination Chesham’. Whilst this idea isn’t unique, it has never had a champion, and with your help, my goal as mayor is to help make 'Destination Chesham' a reality! I will work with our councils, town partners, local organisations, businesses and the community to help them coordinate the delivery of events that promote our high street, our town, and our slice of the English countryside, to both our residents and visitors from surroundings shires, London and overseas.
Through our joint effort, ‘Destination Chesham’ will bring our town centre to life and increase footfall to our high street, which in turn will help businesses thrive and incentivise others to open new high street shops. ‘Destination Chesham’ will give both residents and visitors great reasons to visit and shop in Chesham.
Lastly, I would like to invite you to kindly support my Mayoral Charities which are the Royal British Legion, Love Lowndes Park (which aims to fundraise £150,000 for play equipment), and Caracol Youth Community Development, a Chesham-based charity operating in Belize. Each charity is close to my heart with a unique story. Please learn more and support with your donations by visiting my website: www.wilfordaugustus.uk