Hadleigh councillor Gordon McLeod has called on his mayoral budget to be doubled to £2,000 so he can buy a new hat.

In the midst of a cost of living crisis, which has seen Hadleigh residents queueing for free Dentaid treatment from charity Dentaid, a bid to organise warm rooms as people struggle to pay for their heating, food bank usage on the increase, and activities and free lunches being run for youngsters in the town, Cllr McLeod told a council meeting last Thursday he needed more than an extra £1,000 to be paid into his allowance budget to get a new hat and improve his robes.

Another £150 has been including into the draft budget for civic expenses, taking the total for the mayor in 2023/24 to £2,150.

During the discussion about the draft budget, it was revealed the mayor needed a new hat and robes refreshed.

Cllr McLeod looked to justify the increase in the allowance by saying the previous mayor had not had to attend many civic events, due to covid lockdown causing many to be cancelled.

He added: "The uniform is falling to bits. Since I have able to go to events it has been noticeable. I'm finding the robes a bit tight around the middle.

"It is like the hub caps on a car, you are representing your town, so you want to look your best. They are hand made and hard to clean."

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One councillor told Nub News: "It beggars belief that the mayor is calling on tax-payers to pay for his outfit, while we are in the middle of a cost of living crisis.

"I'm sure that instead of doubling his allowance, that money could be better spent within the community."

A recording of the Hadleigh Town Council meeting where this was discussed can be obtained from the [email protected]

A previous version of this article inaccurately reported that "Hadleigh accounts show that in this current municipal year the mayoral and civic costs are £712 at the moment with six months to run, whereas in 2021/22 it was £858 for the whole year." The half year accounts for 2022/23 were actually £244 and the figure of £712 had been in reference to the forecast for the 2022/23 municipal year. This correction has been published following an upheld ruling by the Independent Press Standards Organisation.