BASINGSTOKE’s mayor has said she’s ‘looking forward’ to her return to party politics, after two years of ‘stepping back’ to fulfill her mayoral duties.

Cllr Diane Taylor was appointed as mayor of the Basingstoke and Deane borough in 2019. Usually, a new mayor takes over in May of each year. However, due to the coronavirus pandemic, it was decided that Cllr Taylor would stay on in the role for an additional year.

A vote is due to be held to elect the next mayor of the town. Traditionally, the role is taken on by the longest standing councillor, regardless of political party, which would see current deputy mayor Cllr Onnalee Cubitt (Conservative, Basing & Upton Grey) take the baton, with Cllr Paul Miller (Conservative, Chineham) as her deputy.

However, some uncertainty remains after Cllr Cubitt was last year subject to formal complaints due to her use of the term ‘Year Zero’, associated with the Cambodian genocide, when discussing the refit of council offices.

It led to deputy council leader, Cllr Simon Bound, publicly withdrawing his support for her to become the next mayor, because of her “track record of being offensive and not giving a damn who she upsets”.

However, Cllr Cubitt was later cleared of any wrongdoing in a report from monitoring officers.

Whatever happens, it is nearly time for Cllr Diane Taylor to return her full focus to her duties as a ward councillor in Oakley and The Candovers.

Speaking to the Gazette after her re-election to the council, in a slightly altered ward, she said: “It’s a similar ward, so I am still in the village that I have lived for years.. There is a lot going on in the ward.”

Cllr Taylor has previously voiced her strong objections to plans for a major warehouse to be built on land at Junction 7 of the M3, and cites this as a continued area of priority.

“I am passionately against the warehouse at Junction 7 and will be working to do all I can to prevent it,” she said.

She added: “It’s all about development in the south-west of Basingstoke. We have got big developments coming.

“But what I like doing best is dealing with individual people.”

Speaking about the Conservative party achieving 33 of the council’s 54 seats, Cllr Taylor continued: “We have got a really good working majority now so it should be easier for us to bring forward some of our ideas.”

And she says she is ready to shift from mayoral duties to frontline political debates once more, adding: “I have taken a step back from party politics for two years now as mayor and I’m looking forward to getting stuck in again.

“I have a lot to say.”