Town crier told no council money for costume

Terrence Mullett wanted sponsorship for clothing and towards hosting a town crier competition

A town crier has been told he will not get help from the council to pay for his costume.

Terrence Mullett is regularly seen in Ludlow, Shropshire, appearing weekly at Ludlow Market.

Ahead of a full meeting of Ludlow Town Council, he had asked for sponsorship to support the expense of specialist clothing and towards hosting a town crier competition in the town.

The authority previously agreed it would not cover any of Mr Mullett's expenses, that it would only fund activities within the parish of Ludlow and councillors said at the meeting that any change over funding him would cost a "lot of money".

Mr Mullett has been approached for a comment.

The voluntary role has seen him support events such as the Ludlow Rotary Duck Race and the 25th anniversary of the Local to Ludlow produce market.

On 12 July, he represented the town at the South of England Town Criers Championship in Wareham, Dorset.

Mr Mullett is often seen in Ludlow, carrying out duties as town crier

"When we originally had the town crier come to full council to make a decision, we were told it wouldn't cost the council anything to have the town crier wear a uniform," said Ludlow councillor Darren Childs.

"This is sponsorship not costs, but it doesn't really go into detail about what [the sponsorship] it is and how it's going to be spent."

Councillor Glenn Ginger added: "This isn't what the town crier was engaged for and is against everything that was agreed."

Councillor Viv Parry warned that it would cost the town council "an awful lot of money" if it went ahead with the town crier competition.

"It's not just about the cost, it will also take up a lot of staff time," councillor Robert Owen added.

in 2024, Mr Mullett was let go from the position of town crier of Hereford because the city council there said it could not justify paying his expenses.

It was reported that he had more than 20 invitations to attend events in other parts of the country and "took great pride" in promoting the city.

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