Ilkley’s Mayor Mark Stidworthy and Deputy Mayor Ros Brown will serve a second year in their civic roles.
Cllr Stidworthy and Cllr Brown were re-elected at a virtual meeting of Ilkley Town Council on May 4.
Ilkley Town Mayor, Mark Stidworthy, said in the Ilkley Gazette:
“I am honoured to have been re-elected for a second year as Mayor of Ilkley. It has been a great privilege to play my part in supporting our town through the work of the Town Council. I would like to thank my Councillor colleagues and Town Council staff for the constructive way they have embraced the challenges brought with the election of a new Council in 2019. We have worked together to move in new directions whilst maintaining our commitment to the heritage and established activities in the town. We are planning further changes for the year ahead and I commend my colleagues for their willingness to re-examine how we work as a Council. I would also like to thank the many residents and organisations throughout the town that have engaged with me personally, and with the Council as a whole, to make Ilkley a happier, more sustainable and more culturally-enriching place to live. I hope that the year ahead will offer new ways in which we can all work together."
"The early part of 2020 has seen huge disruption and sadness brought by the coronavirus pandemic, but even in the midst of this, townspeople have stepped forward to make a real and positive difference. My civic duties as Mayor have included a fantastic range of events organised across the town, musical, cultural, business-related, sporting, celebratory and commemorative. These have opened my eyes more fully to the extensive opportunities and depth of community spirit that Ilkley draws from the commitment of our residents. I look forward, with continued pride in our town, to sharing the year ahead.”
Ros Brown (Ben Rhydding Ward, Green) told the Ilkley Gazette she was delighted to be voted in as Deputy Mayor for another year.
“It has been a real privilege to serve our wonderful town and town council in this capacity and support Cllr Mark Stidworthy our hardworking Mayor over the past year,” she said. “I am looking forward to the coming year, mindful this one will be different in many ways to the last."
“Having been involved with the Ilkley Corona Response (ICR) steering group since its inception nine weeks ago, as part of the small team coordinating the volunteer response to the ICR helpline, I have seen on a daily basis the challenges our community are facing and rising to meet so well. We have shown ourselves to be a resilient community in the current pandemic yet the challenge for the year ahead is to frame this current crisis within the global climate crisis, for which we are not yet resilient enough going forward. We have been so thankful for the contributions of all who keep our lives safe, healthy and running as smoothly as possible. We have also enjoyed the benefits of less air and noise pollution, blue skies without vapor trails and the thriving of local wildlife. Our focus over the coming year will be to follow through on the town council’s Climate Emergency Declaration. We need to ensure as a community, as the Ilkley BID (Business Improvement District) highlights, we ‘Survive, Revive and Thrive’ and do this in a way that brings joy and respects and heals our environment.”