West Norfolk mayor to quit council role after two decades

After 20 years of service to West Norfolk Council, borough mayor Nick Daubney has announced he will stand down as a councillor this year.

Mr Daubney, 68, who was also council leader for nine years from 2007, said it “just seemed the right time” to stand down ahead of the local government elections in May.

He said: “The elections are coming up, and I hope those who succeed enjoy it as much as I have.

“I think to be a councillor, whatever your political views, is a great thing to do.”

Mr Daubney was elected as a Conservative councillor in 1999, when the council was Labour-controlled, and he became deputy opposition leader.

Four years later, he was elected deputy leader of the council and regeneration and economic development portfolio holder.

“That was a good period, one of the reasons it was good is because Labour and the Liberal group had some very good debaters,” Mr Daubney said.

“You actually found yourself looking forward to council meetings, as there was some good stuff going on.

“They kept you on your mettle, I think the council’s better for it.”

He was elected as leader in 2007 – a position he held until 2016, when he stepped down from the role due to illness.

Mr Daubney said three moments “stood out” as highlights during his time with the council.

The first was his meeting with Dr Wolfgang Palm, CEO of the Palm group which owns the Palm Paper factory in Lynn, in 2005, when he flew out to Germany to suggest Lynn would be a good place to build his factory.

“I will never forget that meeting as long as I live,” Mr Daubney said.

The second was, when, under the Labour government of Gordon Brown, the idea of a Norfolk unitary council was proposed.

“That was a heck of a battle, which, if I’m honest, I enjoyed fighting,” Mr Daubney added.

The campaign against an incinerator in Lynn was another memorable moment.

“It was so cross-party and West Norfolk came together – whatever else, we put aside our differences and we were successful.”

Mr Daubney said he has “learned a heck of a lot” during his year as borough mayor, too.

“It’s something I wasn’t going to do. All the time I was leader, people kept saying ‘will you ever make mayor’, mainly because my dad was mayor.

“I always thought I would not do it, because I enjoyed the political leadership too much, but after I had recovered a bit from my illness, I thought I could do it, and I might enjoy it, and I have enjoyed it immensely.”

Most of his tenure as mayor has been “good fun”, but some of it “emotionally distressing”, he said, including learning more about those who have housing difficulties.

The charities he chose to support as mayor, The Purfleet Trust and King’s Lynn Winter Night Shelter, have been given a boost by a number of events during the year, including a fashion show organised by mayoress Cheryl Daubney last week, which raised about £4,000.

“People have been ever so generous,” Mr Daubney added.

A couple of events are still due to be held before the end of his time as mayor, which will further boost funds.

“I just feel pleased that I, hopefully, entered local politics for all the right reasons – I wanted King’s Lynn to continue to develop,” he said.

“I think the future is quite a big challenge, making sure its prosperity continues, and it develops, without spoiling it.”

Mr Daubney said, following his retirement as a councillor, he hopes to take up voluntary roles within the community.