Former mayor and ‘stalwart’ of Labour party retires after 42 years due to ill-health

A former mayor is stepping down from service after 42 years as a councillor, as she announces her retirement.Cllr Margaret Wilkinson served as the mayor of West Norfolk from May 2023 until May 2024, after having been deputy mayor in previous years.She has also represented Gaywood South and, later, Fairstead as a Labour representative since 1983 – but after more than four decades, she has decided to step back.

“It is with great sadness that I have decided to retire as a councillor,” she said.“This is not a decision I have taken lightly, but due to ill health, I am no longer able to carry out my duties the way I would like to.“It has been such an honour to serve the residents of Gaywood South and Fairstead, and I would like to thank them for putting their faith in me.”

When the news came in, her peers called her “a legend that will be hard to follow”, “a stalwart of the council”, and someone who “set a gold standard”. Cllr Wilkinson moved to Lynn from Edmonton, in North London, with her husband Peter back in 1967.The pair raised their children, Louise and David, in the town, and before becoming a councillor, she worked at Fairstead Surgery and then the Gayton Road surgery. Cllr Francis Bone, leader of the borough council’s Labour group, said: “Margaret has been a stalwart of the local Labour party.

“She has always had a very strong sense of public duty and has been passionate about serving her residents and always fighting for the best for them.“She will be greatly missed on the council by the Labour group and by councillors from all parties.”From 1995 to 1999, the council was Labour-led and Cllr Wilkinson was the portfolio holder for the environment.

While in office, she brought recycling into the area – which was said to be ground-breaking at the time – and started the recycling system that the town has today. The former mayor also pushed to have better quality toilets in Lynn town centre, as well as attendants, because she felt it was important to have decent, welcoming and accessible facilities in the town.Andrew Riley, vice chair of the North West Norfolk Labour Party, added: “Forty-two years of fighting for social equality and carrying herself with true Labour values through thick and thin, the local party really wants Margaret to know how revered and admired she is by us.“She has set an example to all current and future Labour councillors locally by being a true champion for Fairstead and wider West Norfolk.”Cllr Wilkinson also served for two decades as a magistrate in the Lynn court from 1990, and was an active member of the Unite trade union for more than 30 years, receiving a special award for her long and valued contribution.Cllr Alistair Beales, the leader of the borough council, plans to propose Cllr Wilkinson’s nomination as an honorary alderman – a high-ranking official – given her long service, work and commitment on behalf of her residents.