A town council has amended its budget for a replica Mayor's Chain after it faced backlash for proposing to spend £10,000 on it.
Members of Huntingdon Town Council heard a motion from Councillor Pearce to include £10,000 in its 2026/27 budget to put towards a replica chain, in order to safeguard and protect the original.
The Mayor's Chain and Badge are made of 18ct gold and were created by historic goldsmiths T and J Bragg.
Tradition holds that Huntingdon is the only town in England with the right to display the Royal Coat of Arms on its Town Mayoral Chain, a right that is said to have been conferred by Charles II on the restoration of the monarchy as a token of appreciation for the loyalty of the people of Huntingdon during the English Civil War.
The Town Council want to create a replica of the chain for the Mayor of Huntingdon to wear to civic events and save the original chain for major civic events like Remembrance and Armistice Day.
The council feel that a replica chain will ensure that Huntingdon is appropriately represented and the original artefact will not be damaged.
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At a Finance Committee meeting on January 8, members of the council met to discuss the £10,000 budget for the replica.
Councillors David Landon Cole and Nathan Hunt attended the meeting to raise residents' concerns regarding the proposal.
Cllr Hunt said residents were concerned about the cost and proposed a cheaper, more practical option, such as a badge or ribbon, with a maximum budget of £1,000.
Cllr Landon Cole echoed the concerns, and suggested that an informational video about the chain of office was shared on social media, which could explain the significance and history of the chain.
He suggested that zero spending was approved on the mayoral chain until outreach to the public was completed.
The committee resolved to amend the motion to a maximum of £1,000, to amend the wording to substitute chain of office, and to delegate the investigation of quotes to Acting Town Clerk for a substitute chain of office.
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