We know that there are several Freemasons at East Devon District Council. Current declarations of interest show four Freemason councillors: Ian Hall (Axminster), John Humphries (Exmouth), Andrew Moulding (Axminster) and Tom Wright (Budleigh). Officers are not obliged to make Declarations of Interest.
So, EDDC Freemasons – loosen up, smile and go to visit Caribbean or West Africa Lodges to feel the joy! It’s what your Pro Grand Master wants!
“Older freemasons are being told to smile, look like they are enjoying themselves, and avoid criticising as the movement seeks to keep millennial masons happy and halt a decline in membership that has seen lodges closing at a rate of nearly 100 a year for the past decade.
Pro Grand Master Peter Lowndes, second only to the Grand Master the Duke of Kent, the Queen’s cousin, told senior brethren gathered in the Grand Temple, wearing white gloves, aprons and, if suitably qualified, the Royal Arch Breast Jewel: “I am not for one minute suggesting we try to turn our meetings into a pantomime, but most certainly I am saying there is no harm in being seen to enjoy ourselves.” …
… “We can probably all cite instances when a more senior member of a lodge is less than sympathetic to a newer member who has, perhaps, had a few lapses during the ritual. In my view exactly the opposite reaction has the right effect. …
… It’s important in masonry to retain the dignity of what we are doing, but that shouldn’t stop the charity steward making some little quip about old Fred, and everybody laughing …
… “I am in absolutely no doubt, brethren, that, if we encourage and congratulate, rather than routinely castigate our new members we will go a long way to retaining them as members and finally turn around our drop in numbers, which, incidentally, is already happening in some provinces and districts.”
The Pro Grand Master also told the brethren inside the Grand Temple in Freemasons’ Hall that lodges with dwindling numbers could learn from the jollity of members in affiliated districts abroad.
“I have often thought,” said Mr Lowndes, “that if a lodge in this country has lost its way, it could do a lot worse than to get some members to visit some of our districts, particularly, dare I say in West Africa and the Caribbean, to see how much enjoyment can be derived from their meetings.”.
East Devon Watch 
I am quite confident that the list of Freemasons who are EDDC councillors is incomplete.
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What has the encouraging of older Freemasons to be more tolerant og younger ones to do with the problems in East Devon? Would you also post such remonstrations from Rotary, Chamber of Commerce, Golf Club etc?
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Yes
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Why?
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Why do EDDC (and all other councils) specifically require registration of councillor Freemasonry in their registers of interest?
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