Wirral Council Turns 50
Wirral Council acknowledges a significant milestone this month as it turns 50 on 1st April.
The Council was established following the Local Government Act of 1972, which reformed local government in England and Wales. The Act abolished previous local government structures and created a two-tier system of counties and districts everywhere. It also took the total number of councils in England from 1,245 to 412 at the time (excluding parish councils).
Marking this special date at the annual Civic Heads dinner, on Thurs 21 March, Mayor Jerry Williams was joined by 14 other former Mayors of Wirral.
Mayor Jerry Williams, said:
As the borough’s 50th Mayor I am proud to be part of the anniversary celebrations for Wirral.
We’ve acknowledged it by meeting with several former Mayors and sharing stories about our experiences representing the area. It also feels special to be marking this milestone during our second time as Borough of Culture for the Liverpool City Region.
In half a century a lot has changed and a lot has been achieved, here’s to the next 50.
Under the act, the metropolitan district of Wirral was created. It covered the area of five former districts, which were all abolished at the same time. These were:
- Bebington Municipal Borough
- Birkenhead County Borough
- Hoylake Urban District
- Wallasey County Borough
- Wirral Urban District (Covered an area on the west side of the peninsula, with its council based in Heswall)
Further marking the date, the Mayor also met with a member of staff who has worked for the Council since it was established all those years ago. Norman Joughin, who lives in Wallasey, still works part-time in Environmental Health at Wirral Council. Norman also worked for the Council’s predecessor, County Borough of Wallasey. In total he has accrued 53 years service in local government.
Starting as a student environmental health officer in 1971, Norman has worked on thousands of projects – one of the most notable being the building of Conway Park Station.
Norman said:
I’ve always enjoyed working for the Council and particularly liked the problem-solving aspect of my work. Overall, I really think I’ve had a lovely career.
The Mayor presented Norman with a small keg of his favourite IPA by a local brewer as a small token of the Council’s appreciation for his long service.
