A former Provost of Falkirk has offered to pay for and organise a ceremony to award a local group the Freedom of Falkirk in a bid to speed things up.
In June, members of Falkirk Council agreed to award the civic honour to the Sir William Wallace Grand Lodge of Free Colliers, in recognition of their tireless support for miners and efforts to keep the traditions of their communities alive.
But at the latest meeting of Falkirk Council, Baillie Billy Buchanan queried why the formal ceremony to mark the honour will not be held until next year.
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Baillie Buchanan said he is so keen to see the event staged sooner that he is prepared to foot the bill himself and organise everything from road closures to food.
He said: “I’ve offered to organise this myself including the hire of Callendar House and the buffet – all that would be required of the council would be for them to get a scroll provided.”
He made the offer after hearing that July’s general election had impacted on the council staff who would usually organise such events, saying he fully appreciated the workload they were coping with.
However, as he had not had a response to his offer he raised the matter at Falkirk Council.
He said: “I’m a wee bit disappointed that I have not had any more positive news back because 2025 is a long time away and especially for members that might be getting a bit older – including myself.”
Chief Governance Officer Colin Moodie told councillors that the intention was to hold an event early in 2025 and assured them it was not being pushed further “into the distance”.
He told members that the delay was to do with the “availability and capacity of the staff who would be organising the event”.
Mr Moodie said the Free Colliers had been advised of the proposed timetable and no objections had been raised.
He added: “I’m very grateful to Baillie Buchanan for his offer but I think this is properly a matter that should be organised by the relevant officers.”
Speaking after the meeting, Baillie Buchanan said he was very disappointed that the council had not accepted his offer.
He said that people have been contacting him to ask when the event would be taking place and he was embarrassed at the delay.
Baillie Buchanan said: “It’s not fair – the council’s talking about next year when I could organise it in a few weeks for this year.”
The former Provost asked for the Freedom of Falkirk to be granted to the Free Colliers of Redding in recognition of the organisation’s history.
They fought for better pay and conditions for miners in the years before trade unions were formed and over their 160-year history, have continued to support collier families and help preserve the traditions of mining communities.
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