September 2023
Dave Bolwell has been the mayor of Bridport since May and has already become a familiar face to many locals at both official functions and informal gatherings across the town. We asked him how he’s settling into the role…
The Bridge: How does it feel to be mayor?
Dave Bolwell: I’m really enjoying myself, and there’s so much going on. One of the highlights so far was definitely the twinning celebrations, marking our warm relationship with the people of Saint-Vaast-la-Hougue. Forty-two people from the Normandy town came over – their first visit since before Covid – and I gave them an official welcome.
I also loved the carnival and torchlight procession in August – I lit the first torch and led the procession. It’s a really big event for the town and I know many people come here on holiday during carnival week because it’s so special.
I’ve also enjoyed visiting other towns in the area for some civic and fun events and I’ve already opened a shop in Bridport. It’s been very busy!
TB: What does the role mean to you?
DB: In most other towns and cities, the mayor is also the leader of the council, but not here – it’s separate, so the mayor isn’t politically aligned. It’s a ceremonial role with a one-year term, although we can be re-elected to serve further. My deputy is Ian Bark, who was mayor for the last three years, and I must say it’s been great for a newcomer like me to have his broad shoulders to lean on!
TB: And how does your wife like being the mayoress?
DB: She’s very happy about it. Of course it’s traditionally a supporting role, but Bridget has her own interests that she wants to pursue this year. The most important one is improving support for unpaid carers, and being mayoress gives her a voice to promote that. She’s still working as a special educational needs (SEN) consultant in Bath, but she’s determined to find time to fulfill her mayoress role, too.
TB: How else do you spend your time when you’re not on official duties?
DB: Officially I’m retired (I was a sales engineer for an engineering company) but I’m very busy wearing three ‘hats’ in local government – as well as mayor, I’m also a member of Bridport Town Council and Dorset Council. I’m quite new to Bridport and it’s unusual for a councillor in their first four-year term to become mayor, but I had a shorter ‘apprenticeship’ because I’d been on West Wiltshire District Council for many years when we lived in Bradford-on-Avon. My father was a shop steward and passionate about fighting for people’s rights – he inspired me to become a councillor. You can stand and watch, or you can do!
TB: So you like to get involved?
DB: Oh yes! When we moved here I joined the Rugby Club committee, and I’d say getting involved there certainly helped me get on the town council. We’re both ‘joiners’ – Bridget volunteers at the Electric Palace and Arts Centre as well as all her other stuff. We like to get stuck in.
TB: What brought you both to Bridport?
DB: We knew we wanted to be by the sea, and we searched the South West for the perfect spot. We even used Bridport as a base for our search but it never occurred to us that we’d already found our new home, even though we’d been coming on holiday here for 30 years! In the end it was right under our noses – we’ve been here six years now. We live in Bothenhampton and absolutely love it.
TB: What challenges are the people of Bridport facing in 2023?
DB: The two main issues are a severe housing shortage and a lack of full-time work. People want to move here, and we need to attract key workers to the area, but property prices are high and the local jobs market is dominated by hospitality, which is obviously seasonal and not very secure. Community land trusts are an exciting approach to housing provision – a truly viable alternative to the established property market – and Bridport Cohousing is the biggest project of its kind in the UK. It offers homes for social rent, shared ownership (starting with a 25% share) and shared equity (from 80% share).
I think the way to tackle the employment problem is to explore and expand what we already have. We should be offering more apprenticeships, for example. There aren’t any colleges or further education centres locally, but distance learning is an option – Covid has changed the learning infrastructure right across the world, and this opens up all kinds of possibilities. For instance, Bridport Town Council is investigating ways to introduce a ‘learning hub’ to provide distance learning opportunities in the future and I think this is a very exciting way forward.
The mayor’s weekly blog is available online at www.bridport-tc.gov.uk/news/mayors-blog