Wivenhoe's appoints new mayor who plays in punk band

Accountant and councillor Tom Kane has been appointed to the role...and can't wait to get the show on the road.

A Wivenhoe resident for almost 20 years, Mr Kane said he has a strong connection to the town with both his children attending schools there.

He became a member of the town council last year saying: “I was approached by a number of councillors because of my financial background, something they thought was lacking in the council.

“After a while a few people had suggested I put myself forward to be the mayor.

"It was something I was unsure of at first. Time went by and I got a feel for the role, feeling that I finally had the time, skillset and motivation to do so.”

Outside of his mayoral and councillor duties, Mr Kane recently formed a punk band with a group of friends.

He plays bass guitar in The Punk Freud which plays covers of the classics and has already gigged in Coda in Colchester High Street, Wivenhoe's Ukraine Fundraiser and will be headlining during Wivenhoe's jubilee celebrations.

When asked if any punk ideologies spilled over into his career, Tom said: “Wivenhoe is a very liberal, progressive place.

"We are probably one of the few places in the whole of Essex that doesn’t vote Conservative, I definitively fit in here because of my ideologies.

“I am a chartered accountant by trade, I may be in a punk band but I am a trained accountant too.

"As a mayor I have both sides, the progressive can-do attitude and a measured financial background.”

As well as performing mayoral tasks, Tom is also effectively leader of Wivenhoe Town Council and hopes to bring positive changes about, such as a new skate park, rolling out the community fund and community days, more rewilding initiatives and more electric car points.

Mr Kane said he is looking forward to bringing about positive change.

He said: “It’s a great honour, I’m really looking forward to getting to work.

"We're lucky to have such a great bunch of councillors, who all want to move in the same direction.

"There is a lot on the agenda, but we're a united team, so we can get a lot done."