New mayor puts meat back on the menu

Councillor Mel Allcott became city mayor on Tuesday

Worcester City's new mayor has put meat back on the menu at the Guildhall after her predecessor removed it from the Mayor’s Parlour earlier in the year.

Speaking at the hall after becoming mayor on Tuesday, Mel Allcott stated: "There will be a variety of refreshments to suit all dietary requirements."

The Liberal Democrat's comments received an audible giggle around the room and came after the previous city mayor, Louis Stephen, Green, removed meat in response to the climate emergency.

"It is the mayor’s prerogative to decide what food and drink will be offered," he stated at the time.

It is traditional for the city's mayor to invite councillors to their parlour for refreshment after long meetings.

But Mr Stephen's approach to the fare, announced in February, did not go down well in some quarters, with Conservative councillor Alan Amos labelling it "discrimination" and "another example of the tyranny of the illiberal left".

Worcestershire farmers, meanwhile, defended their farming methods, describing them as climate-friendly.

Mr Stephen, the city’s first Green mayor, said at the time "it is right to highlight the importance of all of us doing what we can to mitigate the seriousness of the emergency, by offering plant-based food".

He added back then that in "sharp contrast" to the "old practice" of ham sandwiches, "plant-based food is far more inclusive".

"Everyone can eat plant-based food but many non-Christian people don’t eat pork," he remarked.

This news was gathered by the Local Democracy Reporting Service which covers councils and other public service organisations.

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