1974 ROBERT MATTHEW LYONS (1916-1990)
Robert Lyons (known as Bob) was born on 10 December 1916 in Fazakerley, Liverpool, to parents Matthew and Ellen (Hurst).
In 1938 he married Marjorie Stonehewer in Liverpool North.
He began a career on the railways, becoming branch secretary of the National Union of Railwaymen for 23 years. He then changed course completely and, after attending a course at Leeds University, he became a probation officer.
After moving to Wigan he became a Labour councillor. In April 1974, following local government re-organisation, he became the first mayor of the newly created metropolitan borough. He was inducted on 1 April, just two weeks after the devastating Golborne mining disaster, so it is certain he will have been involved in dealing with the aftermath.
He served on the Education, Policy and Social Services committees, as well as being the ex-officio head of all council committees.
After his election, the Lancashire Evening Post of 2 April spoke of him as an extremely able and tolerant man, with a keen sense of humour. He was a Rotarian.
The newspaper quoted him as saying:
‘I promise to serve all the people of this new borough with pride and without fear or favour… We look forward to a year in office which will enable us to welcome and, I hope be welcomed, by organisations and citizens of every colour, nationality and creed’.
The previous year had been momentous, because of the changes brought about by the re-organisation of local government in England: the mayor went on to say:
‘It is my earnest wish that the days of anxiety and doubt are now behind us. And I ask all concerned…to work with and for us to make the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan a place of which to be proud and, above all, a fit place to live and work in’.
During his mayoral year he:
In 1974 he and his wife were invited to a Buckingham Palace garden party.
In 1976 he was elected as a member of the Parliamentary Bills sub-committee of the Association of Metropolitan Authorities.
In the early 1980s he became deputy leader of the council, and that same year received an award from the Labour Party. It was a merit award from the north west region of the party, for long and devoted service, and was presented by Gerald Kaufman, shadow minister of the environment.
In 1985 he was elected vice-chairman of the Greater Manchester fire and civil defence committee.
That same year, whilst still deputy leader of the council, he was de-selected by the Labour group, after holding his council seat for 30 years. It seems that the group wished to be represented by younger people.
In 1986, when Bob was going to stand down from the council, the chairman of the Housing Committee, Sam Little, said, ‘Bob will be missed because he’s not only known locally, but is known nationally, and is always well respected’. At the same meeting, tribute was paid to his ‘tremendous amount of knowledge in many areas, but especially in housing, where he would be greatly missed’.
He died on 26 September 1990 at his house in Alexander Road, Ashton.