By Joe Locker, Local Democracy Reporter
The leader of Nottingham City Council says the city has made a “significant step forward” after the majority of a group former councillors awarded an honorary title for outstanding service were women.
The prestigious title of Honorary Alderman or Alderwoman is bestowed on elected officials who have provided outstanding services to their local authority.
Current councillors put forward seven names of their former colleagues for consideration and they were awarded their new titles at an extraordinary Full Council meeting on Monday, November 13.
Former Lord Mayor David Trimble, who has 29 years of service, was given the title of Honorary Alderman alongside former Clifton councillor Roger Steel.
The remaining five former councillors were appointed Honorary Alderwomen.
Sally Longford served as deputy council leader for three of her 12 years, where she advocated for carbon neutrality, protecting the environment and tackling climate change.
The city’s first black councillor Eunice Campbell-Clark sat on the council for 34 years, and held several portfolios on the Executive. Between 2016 and 2018, she was elected as the first Caribbean woman to represent the Congress of Regions.
Former Sheriff of Nottingham and Lord Mayor Merlita Bryan represented the Arboretum area of the city for 16 years, with a focus on education and recognising the achievements of Nottingham’s black and ethnic minority communities.
Rosemary Jacobs (formerly Healy) represented Mapperley ward for 12 years from 2011. Her notable positions included representing the city as Lord Mayor throughout the Covid pandemic.
Anne Peach represented the Radford area for 10 years, during which time she helped protect local amenities and ensured good governance on the Overview and Scrutiny Committee panel.
Cllr David Mellen (Lab), the leader of the council, said: “Nottingham has a proud history of appointing honorary Aldermen and Alderwomen in our city.
“We bestow the honour on former elected councillors who have provided outstanding services to the local authority.
“Appointing former councillors as Aldermen and women only recognises the work they have done, but asks them to continue to be in support of the council in the future and particularly in supporting our civics and welcoming visitors to this building.
“I’m particularly proud Lord Mayor that rather than simply appointing Aldermen today, we are appointing Alderwomen as well.
“In fact, five of the seven nominees are women and I hope this represents a significant step forward, recognising the diversity of those who have served as councillors in this chamber and in their communities.”
Nominees need two-thirds of members to vote in favour of them before they are awarded the title of Alderman or Alderwoman.
The seven former councillors had served a combined total of 120 years in their roles.
