The People’s Lord Mayor
Founder and Chair of the Beaverwood Widows Association, President of Sheffield Pensioners group, and ambassador for the Girl Guides, Marjorie Baker has been described as 'the People's Lord Mayor'. She has now been in Office for four months. Journalists from Children's Express, the news service for young people, went along to the Town Hall to ask her views on her role, the work she's done so far, and her hopes for the young people of South Yorkshire.
| It’s interesting to get to know from young people how they see the city and what they would like. |
What do you think are the main qualities necessary in order to become Lord Mayor?
I think you need to be committed and to care about the city and its people. You have to have the desire to do the job. It's not every member who wishes to be Lord Mayor. It's the highest honour you can achieve in the council to be chosen by your colleagues to be Lord Mayor.
Is your job a difficult one?
I believe so! Before I was Lord Mayor, I was presidents of Spike, the Sheffield Pensioners action group and of Beaver Wood Widows, and I made a positive decision not to do any other work but the Lord Mayor's for a year. You're very busy, you have to be focused, and it's a very demanding role. I've more understanding of the Queen now because for the first two weeks I was exhausted. You're going into areas and meeting people that you don't know. You've got to be nice and polite and shake hands and talk on a subject you know absolutely nothing about so you have to brief yourself and read up.
What is one of your stand-out memories of your early period in Office?
In June I visited Germany for the Tercentenary celebrations of the Duke of Wellington Regiment. It gave me a better understanding of a picture of a soldier I have in the corner of my office, a Corporal Mills. He comes from Sheffield, was extremely heroic and awarded a very high medal. He is now a sergeant, and I said to him that when he comes to Sheffield would he like to come to the parlour and see his picture. We'd try and get him some tickets for Bramall Lane as he supports Sheffield United!
 Lord Mayor Marjorie Baker believes more should be done to interest young people in politics. | |
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Do you think perhaps people feel that the role of Lord Mayor has little relevance?
No, I don't get that impression. As I said, children and young people are really interested. I was a corporate parent at two of our children's homes, and I find that these are the kind of people I would like to invite to come down to the Town Hall because it belongs to the people of the city. It's not just a building. A pensioner came in a few weeks ago, she was nearly 90, and she'd actually never been inside the building.
I think they like the role of Lord Mayor. It's far more popular I would think than just being a councillor because you're there to represent the city. I was recently up at a nursing home and as soon as they saw they saw the chain they found it very impressive. I went to a junior school in Handsworth and the young children were fascinated. I think people like to see to see the tradition of the office.
How have your experiences changed your perception of the role of Lord Mayor?
Everybody is pleased to see you. I've only been in office a few weeks but I've been in many different areas, junior schools, secondary schools. It's very diverse - for example, a conference on Metallurgy at Sheffield University, nursing homes, recently meeting children from the Children's Festival. I don't know what's turning up next! The first couple of weeks were a bit daunting.
We recently had the Mayor of Pittsburgh in and he has different roles to myself because he runs the city. Now that is the difference, because he's in charge of a very big budget.
Do you think there's enough being done to involve young people in politics?
No. I don't, I think young people are turned off by politics. I suggested to pupils at a school I recently went to that they might like to come and visit me in the Town Hall to find out the importance of running the city. I don't think the message gets through in schools. Politics is not too rewarding financially, you do get paid an allowance, but it isn't something where there's a massive amount of money. It's a good learning experience. We have got younger members coming in now, one or two younger councillors which is good, and maybe we should build from there.
What are you planning for young people in Sheffield?
My charities are the St. Wilfred's drop-in centre on London Road and the Archer Road project at the Cathedral which support people, many of them young, homeless people, people who have been on drugs, people with learning difficulties and rehabilitation. Both charities do an excellent job with the most vulnerable in the city.
I want to get around as many schools as possible, find out what's going off and talk to young people. It's interesting to get to know from young people how they see the city and what they would like. I live in area that doesn't attract regeneration money, and I talk to these children and ask them what they'd like. Just to have a cycle track and a skateboard area would be like giving them a fortune.
What are your main aims for Sheffield during the next year?
My main aim is to promote the future of the city. I think there's a lot of good coming into the city and we need to be more forward, not dwelling on what's in the past. It's the future that counts. We've got a lot to be proud of and I think there should be more communication so people are aware of this.
About the team
This story was produced by Natalie Ansell, Jenny Matthews, Tessa Robins,16, Lucy Taylor, Wei Jun Chung, 15, and Erin Heenan, 13. It was published in the Sheffield Star.
