Council chairman to visit county's US namesake

Andrew Brown started messaging the mayor of Rutland, Vermont, after being told about the city

The chairman of Rutland's council is planning to travel to the US to meet the mayor of the county's namesake.

Andrew Brown told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) he was inspired to make the visit after discovering there is a city of Rutland in Vermont.

He will be boarding a plane on Thursday armed with a Rutland flag, a book of the county's history and other gifts.

Brown, who is funding the trip himself, said: "I thought it might be nice, because Rutland County Council is not going to exist in its current form in two or three years, it might be nice to do it before its demise."

The US city of Rutland has a population of 15,000

Rutland County Council could be merged with neighbouring authorities under government proposals.

Rutland, Vermont, despite being called a city, has a population of only 15,000.

Located on the Canadian border, it is thought the US namesake was named after John Manners, the third Duke of Rutland.

Looking ahead to his visit, which he will combine with a family holiday, Brown said: "They love history in America, so I am going to do a presentation about who I am and a bit about Rutland and my time as the county's High Sheriff.

"That is a role about three times older than their modern country and Americans love that sort of thing, so I am going to talk about that.

"I will ask Mayor [Mike] Doenges if he wants to visit. But whether he comes or not is another matter. He ought to come before Rutland disappears, hadn't he?"