Uppingham's mayor has called for a new chain so that the town can compete with its neighbour whose mayor he claims looks like 'Ramesses IV'. 

David Ainslie, who is in his second stint of mayor of Uppingham, said the ribbon and brass chain which has been worn by the town's leader since 1980 is 'starting to show its age' and that while the town was 'buzzing', the mayoral regalia did not reflect that. 

He said he attended a recent local event at which other local dignitaries were present including fellow chain wearer Rutland's chairman Andrew Brown and 'up comes Chris Nix, looking like Ramesses the IV'. Chris Nix is mayor of Oakham. 

Ramesses IV is an Egyptian Pharaoh who ruled from 1155 to 1149 BC. Pharaohs were renowned for their opulent gold jewellery, which was thought to have good luck powers. 

Cllr Ainslie continued: "I am more than happy for it [the new chain] to come into being when I have finished being mayor. This is not about me. It is about the people and our town and how we represent ourselves. 

"I am a great believer in 'clothes maketh the man'." 

At the meeting held at the town hall on Wednesday 2nd September, fellow councillor Geoff Thompson backed up the mayor's assertion and said he had taken 'soundings from others' about the mayoral chain and their conclusion was that 'we were second rate'. 

Former mayor Cllr Liz Clarke said the chain would often break. 

Cllr Ainslie said he had a special tie to wear under the chain because the jewellery tarnished clothing and while he was speaking on Wednesday night, it broke. 

The chain contains the names of all the former mayors on small brass links which are tied to the ribbon. Clerk Adam Lowe was tasked with costing up some new chains and the council also decided to go ahead with a new chairman's board to display the names of all former mayors. 

The board suggestion came from Cllr Ainslie, who had some criticism from Cllr Ron Simpson. 

He told Cllr Ainslie: "We agree on many things, but I can't for the life of me understand why you want to bring back a relic of the past. To me it is going backwards and I thought we were a forward-looking council." 

His objection was to the formal wooden style board, seen in many councils and so the council has decided to investigate a more modern type of board.  

The LDRS contacted Mayor Nix and he said he was 'flattered and entertained' by Mayor Ainslie's description.