Geoffrey Redbridge is proud of being Bridbury’s first citizen. He dresses in dark suits with gold buttons and always has a distinguished chatelaine dangling from his breast pocket. He loves strolling down the Church road to the church, with all his seven children in order of size, and once in the church filling the entire front pew. Father Jessy Anthony Green also sees this as a credit to his service, such a model family. Geoffrey administers the town with a firm hand and deep in his heart he would like to stop anyone else from having a say, as he learned in his student days at a private school.

But the three aldermen won’t allow that! And so once a week Geoffrey holds a council meeting with the dentist Waynes, fire officer  George Biggin and bank manager Jonathan Bexley as part time aldermen, during which there is seldom anything decided, but which are always very social. The matters which are discussed include the collecting of municipal taxes, the meals being served in restaurant "Eating Time" run by Mary Sutton, the proposal to white wash the post office of Frederick Chersey, compliance with the closing times of the "St. George's Pub" run by Bobby Taylor and the penetrating smell of horse dung around the work place of farrier Frank Cobham.

A proposal to impress upon Jaimy and Lucy Barnet of the local bookshop that they may not openly display printed literature with offensive covers in the shop window, in order to protect the tender souls of the children of Bridbury, has been adopted and it has been agreed that fellow alderman George Biggin can have a new water pump for his fire department. Bridbury too, has to allocate its money with care.