SWINDON’s mayor David Wren has hit back at claims he is playing politics by staging an annual event for former mayors at the town’s Conservative Club last night.

Some former mayors snubbed Mr Wren’s invitation to the annual Former Mayor’s Party at the Bath Road club on Friday night.

They said the event is usually held in a non-political venue and saw the decision to stage it at the Conservative Club as electioneering.

But Mr Wren, whose position as mayor is meant to be apolitical, said the club is not owned by the Conservative Party and helps people from all backgrounds.

“I think it is petty that some people seem to be so small minded,” he said.

“There are more important things happening at this stage in the country for them to worry about where whey are getting a free meal.”

It has become a tradition for the mayor of the day to take all previous mayors out for a meal once a year.

This year Mr Wren has 24 people attending, including many of their wives.

He says the event is paid for out of his own pocket, not his mayoral allowance, and therefore it should be up to him where the event is held.

“The fact that it has Conservative in the name doesn’t mean a thing, it’s not owned by the party,” he said.

“Last year the mayor took them to the Royal Naval Club and I didn’t hear any problems then.

“I thought about going to a restaurant but this social club supports a lot of elderly people and if I’m spending money I intend to spend it wherever I want.

“It comes out of my pocket, it’s my own personal money and I will spend it how I want.”

Councillor Derique Montaut, a former Swindon mayor and now leader of the Labour group, said: “Having been invited to events like this for over a decade, I have never seen such a blatant piece of electioneering from a local figure who is meant to be politically neutral for the year they hold the Mayor’s post.”

He said a number of former mayors had told him they were unwilling to be involved in the event.

Another former Labour mayor David Glaholm said he did not attend the event because of family reasons but added: “I did feel it was unwise to hold it in the Conservative club, but I felt it was his choice to make.”

Bur former Labour mayor Maurice Fanning said he was going. “I find the whole parody a hoot,” he said. “I’ve got no problem with the venue, it doesn’t matter to me where it is. I’m going to meet former mayors.”