Mayoral badge which 'fell onto floor' to cost £1,600 to repair

An “incredibly heavy” badge worn by a town’s mayor will now cost more than £1,600 to repair after it “fell onto the ground” and broke. Folkestone mayor Cllr Abena Akuffo-Kelly has stressed that the badge is “rightfully insured” so the cost to taxpayers will be minimal. The damage occurred while it was being worn by the councillor and detached from the ribbon around her neck.

Repairs were approved at Folkestone Town Council’s finance and general purposes committee meeting this month, where its nine members voted unanimously “to approve the repairs on the mayor’s badge with the estimated cost of £1,375 plus VAT, via the insurance claim”. Including VAT, this means repairs to the civic jewellery would end up costing £1,650. Cllr Akuffo-Kelly, who also sits as a Labour member on the district council, said: "The damage sustained to the badge happened whilst I was walking, when the badge detached and fell directly onto the ground from the attachment on the ribbon around my neck.



“It’s incredibly heavy because it’s pure gold, and if you look at what it’s attached to it probably wasn’t as secure as it could have been.” Town council staff explained that the nine-carat gold medallion was gifted to the authority by RAF Hawkinge in 1961 - originally presented attached to a blue silk ribbon in a blue jewel case. It is enamelled and bears the town's coat of arms below a silver RAF crest.

Cllr Akuffo-Kelly continued: “An item of such historical importance and value is rightfully insured. “It was, therefore, agreed during our committee meeting that the £100 excess would be paid to repair the current and other historical cosmetic damages to the badge." This means the council will only be £100 out of pocket for the repairs.

Across Kent and the country, it is normal for mayors of towns to have a variety of civic regalia. These include multi-layered gold chains, robes and bicorn hats for the most formal occasions, and some have smaller town badges on ribbon necklaces - such as the now-damaged Folkestone one. When asked about the value of having a mayor and all the associated pomp and ceremony, Cllr Akuffo-Kelly said: “The fact that so many people in Folkestone invite me to events, and are so grateful for me to attend those events mean there are definitely people who do feel that there’s value in this.

“I completely understand and completely respect that there might be other people who don’t. “There will be people who disagree but I know that there will be a great deal of people who agree with having a mayor, and having somebody to support events and maintain the traditions and heritage of this town.” In November 2023, the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) revealed the shocking price of council clothing in Hawkinge.

The town council there had spent £600 on a new hat for its mayor after a previous one had been lost. The spend on the gold-braided mayoral bicorn was branded “absolutely ridiculous” by critics..