One veteran Middlesbrough Councillor has said a fond farewell to a Council career spanning five decades at last week’s local elections.
Tom Mawston represented Marton – latterly Marton East – for 36 years following his first election in the 1980s, first as a Liberal Democrat and more recently as an independent.
Originally from Ushaw Moor in County Durham, Tom brought rich experience with him to his years in local government.
After joining the Merchant Navy to serve on the Queen Mary between Southampton and New York from 1962 to 1964, Tom then donned the uniform of Middlesbrough Police having proved too short by half an inch to join Durham Police.
After a spell with ICI at North Tees, retirement saw him first elected as a Councillor in 1987 alongside fellow Marton member Hamish Garrett. Following Cllr Garrett’s death in 2000, Tom was joined in the ward by Cllr Dorothy Davison who was re-elected last week.
The appeal was simple, he recalls: “It’s all about being able to help people and make a difference – my parents were always look to help others well into their 70s, cooking meals for old folk and the like, and our family is just the same.”
A popular and highly active figure in his ward throughout his career, Tom was instrumental in securing the £250k+ funding needed to build the Marton Community Centre on Cypress Road which operates fully independently of the Council and plays host to more that 50 groups and activities every week.
He’s been chair of the Friends of Stewart Park since the group’s formation in 2007, and was active in securing the Heritage Lottery Fund grant which helped to restore the park as one the jewels in Middlesbrough’s Crown.
Despite hard times of late, Tom remains optimistic for Middlesbrough, his seat on the Council taken by fellow independent Jason McConnell.
“We’ve suffered pretty badly from austerity, and we’ve clearly been unfairly penalised compared with other parts of the country,” he says.
“However I was chair of the appointment panel that appointed Clive Heaphy as interim Chief Executive, and I have every confidence that he can steer Middlesbrough away from further government intervention.
“That has to be good for the town, and will mean better days ahead for all Middlesbrough residents.”
Now 79, Tom – married to Edith with whom he has a daughter Claire and son Paul – is looking forward to spending more time with his family and the occasional dram from an impressive collection of single malts.