Glenda Bates

Glenda Bates was secretary to the Clerk of Weatherfield County Borough Council, Vernon Fletcher. In January 1973, Alf Roberts had been chosen as the new Mayor of the borough and all had gone smoothly until one night in February when he had unwittingly knocked down an old lady, Mrs. Leach, while reversing his car into her drive. Her son Norman had tried to blackmail Alf but he was seen off by Bet Lynch who had been a witness to the incident as she was also in the car, and had guessed that Leach had previous form and probably wouldn't be believed by the police.

Several months later, Leach mugged Bet in revenge and she and Alf realised that to prosecute the matter successfully, they would have to admit to the police what had occurred and that Bet, a single, blonde barmaid had been alone in the car with the Mayor, something that the press would get hold of and concentrate on. Alf decided to resign his post and went to see Mr Fletcher to do so.

Upon arrival, he found that had just missed the man who had popped upstairs to see the treasurer. Mrs Bates asked Alf to wait and while doing so gave him a message from Alderman Bell saying that he would be grateful if Alf would visit Henrietta Makin of 27 West Norton Street who would be celebrating her 100th birthday on 25th August and take her the usual bouquet. Mrs Bates said that she would try to fit that appointment in in the morning before the annual council bowls match and fetched coffee for Alf while he continued to wait. As time wore on, she made several phone calls to see where the clerk had got to in the building and chatted to Alf about the upcoming Charleville trip. After Mr Fletcher had arrived and heard the reason for the visit, she brought in some travel documents for the French trip while Alf and Fletcher waited for the meeting to commence at which Alf would formally resign.

Mr Fletcher told her to alert the press to a forthcoming announcement, meaning Alf's resingntion. What neither men knew was that Leach had decided to plead guilty, saving a trial and any revelations forthcoming but the canny Fletcher found this out when he rang the police superintendent himself, stopping the resignation and saving Alf's honour.