Launceston Mayor Matthew Garwood will embark on a trip to London next week for an awards ceremony, footing the bill himself after being denied permission by the council to use ratepayer funds for the venture.
In October, councillors rejected Garwood’s request to fly to the other side of the globe to attend the City Nation Place Awards at a cost of $5,304, citing the current cost of living crisis.
The funds were to be drawn from the Councillor Development budget, which council officers indicated had enough money available.
Undeterred, the Mayor will now pay for the trip himself, which includes flights, accommodation and attendance fees.
“Launceston is on the map,” Garwood said.
“We have celebrities shouting us out, our arts and culture scene is world-class, our food and beverage industry is globally recognised with UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy accreditation and we have sportspeople, literally the best in the world.”
One of the shortlisted projects for the awards is Launceston Central’s The Lounge, which is nominated in the Placemaking Initiative category.
Garwood said the city would be up against entries from Denmark, Hungary and three locations in the USA.
“There is serious momentum around Launceston right now and I’m keen to explore new opportunities, create new networks and to continue to talk about Launceston with similar communities around the globe,” he said.
“If we want to go places, then we have to go places and this is an opportunity to promote Launceston to a new audience and to forge new relationships.”
