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03
Mar
Harrogate mayor’s gold bling to be toned down amid security fears
The Mayor of Harrogate is set to get a cheaper chain of office because of security concerns caused by the rising price of gold.
As first citizen of Harrogate, the mayor wears the gold chain to all civic engagements.
But gold prices have surged about 75% over the last year, triggering fears the mayor would need to be accompanied by security guards to events.
Liberal Democrat-controlled Harrogate Town Council is expected to approve spending £12,845 on new civic regalia at a meeting tomorrow (March 4) to reduce security and insurance costs.
A report ahead of the meeting describes the mayoral chains, currently worn by Lib Dem Councillor Chris Aldred, as “exceptionally high-value” but does not give a figure.
Besides the mayoral chain, which dates back to 1884, there is a separate gold chain for the deputy mayor dating back to 1902.
Harrogate Town Council, which was created last year, inherited the regalia from Harrogate Borough Council, which was abolished in 2023.
The report proposes only using the existing mayoral chains “for key ceremonial occasions while a new lower-value set is introduced for routine engagements to maintain civic identity without incurring excessive security requirements or costs”.
The proposed mayoral chain (left) and the proposed deputy mayor's chain.
It warns the council would have to pay £11,000 a year on insurance costs if the current chains are worn off North Yorkshire Council property. It would also have to spend an estimated £3,552 a year on security guards to accompany civic visits at £18.50 an hour.
The report says consideration was given to the mayor and deputy mayor wearing badges instead but “it is not felt that this gives the right impression when attending events”.
The council is expected to commission civic attire manufacturers Michael's Civic Robes to provide the new regalia.
The report says:
The use of a lower-value set of chains will reduce security risks and the likelihood of theft, as well as eliminate the need for SIA-licensed security at routine civic events. The high -value chains will remain securely stored and used only for major ceremonial occasions with appropriate risk mitigation being undertaken during their use.
This is not the first time the cost of civic regalia has arisen at Harrogate Town Council
One of its first acts after being created was to spend £5,000 on a coat of arms.
The mayor’s chain
A council report in 2023 gave details of the mayoral chains of office.
It says:
The mayor's chain, which is made of pure gold, was presented to the town in 1884 by the first Mayor of Harrogate — Councillor Nicholas Carter. The chain is made up of links containing the symbolic letter 's' which first appeared on the gold collar of King Henry IV who was the first Duke of Lancaster.
The roundels or medallions are enamelled and show the roses of York and Lancaster and the letter 'H' with the two entwined serpents around a staff which was the symbol of Aesculapius, the Greek god of medicine or healing and which is taken from the first coat of arms. In the centre of the collar is a cinquefoil bearing the mystic pentacle with the letters SALUS on its points.
This is a symbol implying health, recovery, help and remedy which again alludes to Harrogate's establishment as a spa town. The badges at the bottom of the chain are enamel reproductions of the two coats of arms before and after 1974. The more prominent points are decorated with emeralds, diamonds and pearls.
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