Leading figures in Ellesmere Port and Neston together with a bandmaster and a busy parish councillor with links to the area are to be honoured by the borough council.
The honorary titles are to be conferred at a special meeting of the council on Thursday, December 10. There will be a formal ceremony in the new year.
Former councillors Keith Butcher, Bob Crompton and Justin Madders are to become honorary aldermen while former MP Andrew Miller is to become a honorary freeman of the borough along with Major Eddie Pickering , a former secretary of the Cheshire Regiment Association and now musical director of Ellesmere Port Concert Brass and Cllr Roger Parkin, a company officer, who is being recognised for his public service.
All three borough councillors left office in May this year.
Keith Butcher
Mr Butcher, deputy chairman of the Ellesmere Port/Reutlingen Friendship Group, became the last mayor of Ellesmere Port and Neston before its abolition in 2009.
On the previous council he represented Rossmore ward having earlier represented Little Neston and Rivacre wards. On the creation of Cheshire West and Chester he became a councillor for Ledsham and Manor.
His appointments included chairing governors at Willaston C of E Primary School and also Blacon High School in Chester.
Mr Butcher’s local authority career began as a parish councillor in Higher Kinnerton in 1970. He was also a founding member of Alyn and District Council, in Clwyd, in 1973.
Looking forward to the role of mayor with his wife Joan as mayoress, he said: “I am conscious of the success of the borough and hope the successor authority will build on our wonderful civic tradition.
“Joan and I, as the last mayoral couple, hope to meet as many people as possible to thank them for all their hard work, often unrecognised, which contributes to the quality of life for many people within the community.”
Cllr Butcher’s appointments on the new borough council included the planning committee.
On the friendship group Mr Butcher has continued to develop the friendship between the two towns dating back to 1964.
Bob Crompton
Mr Crompton, a former mayor of Ellesmere Port under the new arrangement with Cheshire West and Chester, is a married father-of-four and has lived in Ellesmere Port since 1993.
Before settling in the town he was a member of the Royal Air Force for nearly 30 years during which he served in most areas of the UK as well as overseas in Gibraltar and Hong Kong.
After leaving the RAF he became a Conservative councillor for Ellesmere Port and Neston Borough Council.
During the new borough council’s ‘shadow’ year he became chairman of culture and recreation moving on to becoming assistant executive member for culture and recreation while representing Whitby ward.
He is a past chairman of the board of directors of Brio Leisure, the community interest company set up to run the borough’s leisure facilities.
Cllr Crompton also served as Sheriff of Chester.
He was associated with the Scout Association for many years and was leader in different locations around the UK and in Hong Kong.
Commenting on his mayoralty he said: “I am looking forward to being mayor of Ellesmere Port and have a definite view of what I hope to achieve during my year in office.
“I will aim to meet as many people as I can, support as many different organisations which work selflessly for the good of Ellesmere Port and support the community initiatives of the Our Place team.
“I also look forward to working with the Ellesmere Port Development Board to promote the interests of our vibrant town.”
Justin Madders
Mr Madders became leader of the former Ellesmere Port and Neston Borough Council after Cllr Reg Chrimes stepped down following a remarkable 58 years in local government.
He became leader of the Labour opposition on Cheshire West and Chester following the death of Ellesmere Port councillor Derek Bateman.
Prior to his selection as the constituency’s prospective parliamentary candidate for Labour Mr Madders, an employment lawyer who is married with three children, said: “I grew up in the constituency and became the first person in my family to go to university where I gained a Law degree.
“I qualified as a solicitor in 1998 and at the same time I became a councillor and began my career in employment law defending the rights of working people to be treated fairly and with dignity at work.”
The vote to select Cllr Madders came after a shortlist of six candidates had been heard by party members.
Following his selection, Cllr Madders said: “I am honoured to have been chosen as Labour’s candidate to represent the people of Ellesmere Port and Neston.
“I know from my work as a councillor how difficult people are finding things and I want to do my bit to create a better future for us all. I’ll always do what is best for Ellesmere Port and Neston.”
Andrew Miller
Mr Miller, who was nominated for freeman by St Paul’s ward councillor Robert Bisset, stepped down at the May general election having represented the constituency since 1992.
He then received an honorary fellowship for outstanding services to science and technology in politics from Liverpool John Moores University (LJMU).Mr Miller was chairman of both the House of Commons science and technology select committee and the parliamentary and scientific committee during the last Parliament. He was recognised by the Science Council as ‘one of the UK’s leading practising scientists’ and is a keen supporter of LJMU’s astrophysics research institute.The former MP began his career as geology technician and then moved into industrial relations before standing for Parliament.During a career spanning 23 years he took on a number of parliamentary roles.
Presenting Mr Miller’s citation, LJMU honorary fellow Ian Meadows said Mr Miller had ‘a real passion for how science and society meet’.
“His unique role within science and technology has greatly helped develop meaningful links between scientific bodies, science-based industries, the academic world and government.”
Always keen to engage industry with the latest thinking in science and technology, Mr Miller’s work had brought a range of science-related issues into the public domain including climate change, genetically modified food and the merits of NHS screening. “He holds the view that there is no excuse for not engaging with the public,” said Mr Meadows.
“Andrew is committed to starting engagement with the public at a young age and has supported the work of this university’s national schools’ observatory which provides telescope access to thousands of school pupils.”
He had also addressed the shortage of women pursuing scientific careers and had strived to improve international relations. Mr Miller’s ‘ongoing dedication to making science and technology accessible to everyone and a key part of our economy’ was both admirable and inspirational. During his acceptance speech Mr Miller highlighted the ‘excellent work of scientific institutions, companies and organisations in the north west’.He commented: “During my retirement I will be flying the flag for the great centres of excellence for science and technology in the region. “
Mr Miller said he would be working with LJMU on every possible occasion to ensure the north west continued to be recognised for its achievements in science, technology and engineering.
The borough council says that during Mr Miller’s term as MP Ellesmere Port grew into a major regional retail area in the north west. He had also contributed to the long term survival of Vauxhall Motors in the town.
Major Eddie Pickering
Major Eddie Pickering, nominated as a freeman by Chester councillor Jill Houlbrook, is well known in the borough for his work in various fields and is musical director of Ellesmere Port Concert Brass having been regimental bandmaster of the 22nd (Cheshire) Regiment for eight years.
Secretary of the Cheshire Regiment Association, where he looks after the affairs of the association, liaises with many other organisations, organises reunions and deals with welfare issues, he retired from the post of Mercian Regiment Assistant Regimental Secretary on New Year's Eve last year.
Maj Pickering was also the curator of the Cheshire Military Museum.
Apart from leading the Ellesmere Port Concert Brass, he is also musical director of the Merseyside Police Band and plays the euphonium.
Maj Pickering is a member of the local fundraising committee for ABF The Soldier’s Charity.
He is said to have played a huge part in all military occasions in the county town and has worked closely and supported the civic heads and civic
team of the city of Chester for many years.
Cllr Roger Parkin
Nominated as a freeman by Cllr Margaret Parker (Chester Villages) Cllr Parkin is being recognised for his public service including contributions to his parish council.
Cllr Parkin has lived in Mickle Trafford within the Ellesmere Port and Neston constituency for 28 years.
He is involved in many organisations within the community and Cheshire West and Chester and works tirelessly for the parish as chairman of Mickle Trafford and District Parish Council.
He is also a member and former chairman of the Cheshire Association of Local Councils and a member of the national association, both of which work closely with parish councils.
Cllr Parkin is vice chairman of Cheshire Community Action and treasurer of the Old Peoples Network.
He believes very much in the environment and is a member of the CPRE. He is also a member of the Mid Cheshire Rail Users Association working towards bringing back into use redundant railway stations and lines.
A report discloses the council was also asked to consider Mr Chrimes, who lives in Neston, for the title of honorary freeman.
But as he had been awarded the title by the former Ellesmere Port and Neston Borough Council he was already an honorary freeman of Cheshire West and Chester Council as all such titles were inherited from the predecessor authorities.
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