Concerns about how Isle of Wight taxpayers’ money would be spent have temporarily silenced plans for a town crier in Ventnor.
Instead of making a final decision on Monday, Ventnor Town Council (VTC) will now ask residents if they think ‘oyez, oyez, oyezs’ should ring through the town.
Cllr John Watkins put the idea forward, saying town criers were big crowd drawers.
He argued it would be beneficial to have one to make weekly community announcements and suggested holding a competition to fill the voluntary, honorary position.
Though unpaid, the proposal was for the council to pay for the crier’s uniform but Cllr Watkins said he had been unable to find out how exactly how much that would cost, only receiving rough estimates.
A report prepared for the meeting said it could be up to £200, but Cllr Watkins told fellow councillors it could instead be £2,000 for high-quality garments.
He said there were cheaper options, but then it would ‘look cheap’ and £200 would be ‘unrealistic’.
Cllr Dave Logan said he would have been comfortable with a spend of £200 but £2,000 was rather different, and it would be worth finding out how much the council would be willing to spend.
Cllr Phil Warren suggested consulting residents to see if Ventnorians would actually like to have a town crier.
He said: “Maybe residents don’t want a town crier, particularly if they feel there is a cost involved and that investment could be better made elsewhere.”
Mayor Steve Cooper said he thought it would be a fantastic idea and could see a lot of uses for a town crier, but recognised the importance of residents’ feedback.
Cllr Cooper said the matter would be discussed at a later meeting.
There are currently no town criers on the Island.
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