Farewell, Noel

Written on 26 March 2024.

{Play}Councillor Barrett-Morton steps down

After nearly 14 years Councillor Noel Barrett-Morton stepped down as a Councillor at the Full Council meeting held Monday, 25th March.

Town Mayor, Councillor Nicholas Fogg said “we are losing one of our stalwarts. Noel has been a splendid Town Councillor with a great record of achievement and was a much-appreciated Mayor supported by his Mayoress, wife Susan.”

Noel told us he had enjoyed his time on the Council, especially when Mayor in 2016/2017. He completed 120 Mayoral assignments to various Councils and outside bodies including a high tea with Lord Mayor at the City of London, and he has a full album of pictures to remind him of that busy time.

In summary, Noel said it has been time well spent and he hoped that he had served his community well.

The Mayor thanking Councillor Barrett-Morton and his wife SusanNoel won’t be able to forget his time as a Marlborough Town Councillor in a hurry: the Mayor presented him with a Colin Palmer painting of the Town Hall. Fellow Councillors wished him well and thanked him for his service.

Noel is originally from Ulster.  He has had a long and successful career firstly in stockbroking in the City of London and then in civil aviation as a pilot with British Eagle and then British Airways.  He also owned a financial services company and was Chairman of a property development company.  This experience was beneficial to the Town Council in general, especially when he was elected Chair of the Property Committee.

Noel served as a Town Councillor from October 2011 until March 2024.  He was Mayor in 2016-17 with wife Susan by his side as Mayoress.

During his service he has chaired the Property Committee as well as chairing Full Council meetings during his Mayoral year.  It was at these meetings that the Town Council agreed to take over the public toilets at George Lane and refurbish them and to take on the Youth Centre at St Margaret’s Mead, both of which were to be closed by Wiltshire Council.

Noel was also a member of the Marlborough Area Neighbourhood Plan Steering Group from the very beginning.

During his long service Noel has sat with four Town Clerks: Liam Costello, Derek Wolfe, Shelley Parker and Richard Spencer-Williams.

Council terms last for 4 years, and Noel has served with 4 different councils covering the terms 2009-13, 2013-17, 2017-21 and 2021-25. During that time he has represented the views of residents at Council meetings attending Full Council, Planning Committee and various other committee meetings, seen the Neighbourhood Plan through to completion in March 2023 as a member of the Steering Group, and attended annual events such as the Remembrance Parade. He also had a long involvement with the local Mencap group.

If all of this sounds like a very busy full-time job, it’s important to remember that Town Councillors are volunteers and are not paid for their role. As Mayor, they receive a small allowance to cover expenses and other costs. Having a passion for the town where you live and a desire to support the community and local business is what drives most people to become a town councillor.

The above is just a flavour of what a Town Councillor gets involved with.  Click here for a look back at Noel's service.

We’ll be sharing information about how Noel’s seat at the Council table will be filled soon.

If you think this might be a role for you, please watch this space.

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