Councillor
Claire Darke
Darke as the Mayor of Wolverhampton
Mayor of Wolverhampton
In office
16 May 2019 – 19 May 2021
DeputyGreg Brackenridge
LeaderIan Brookfield
Preceded byPhil Page
Succeeded byGreg Brackenridge
Deputy Mayor of Wolverhampton
In office
17 May 2018 – 16 May 2019
MayorPhil Page
LeaderIan Brookfield
Preceded byPhil Page
Succeeded byGreg Brackenridge
Member of Wolverhampton City Council
for Park Ward
Assumed office
1 May 2008
Personal details
BornStratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, England
Political partyLabour (2011-present)
Liberal Democrats (2008-2011)
Independent (before 2008)
SpousePaul Darke
Alma materUniversity of Wolverhampton
University of Warwick
Known forArtist of Wolves in Wolves
WebsiteMayor of Wolverhampton

Claire Darke is a British Labour Party politician, who served as the Mayor of Wolverhampton. She is Councillor for Park Ward and was first elected in 2008 as a Liberal Democrat.[1][2] She is the longest continuously serving female Mayor of Wolverhampton.[3]

Early life

Born in Stratford-upon-Avon, she moved to Woking, Surrey at an early age. She went to local comprehensive schools St Dunstan’s and St John the Baptist and emerged with little in the way of qualifications.[4][5]

She did not get a job when she first left school – opting instead to stay at home to assist her mother in nursing an elderly grandmother. When she did find employment, she undertook a string of different jobs including at the Department of Social Security, Pickering & Phillips dental practice and manufacturing giant James Walker's Lion Works. During this time, she took evening classes in first aid with St John's Ambulance and trained as a nurse, working at Frimley Park Hospital on the orthopaedic ward.[6][7]

On the hospital ward, she met and subsequently married Paul Darke. Being newly married and living in a small flat with her father-in-law was not ideal and with house prices in Surrey being so high, they looked further afield for somewhere to live. Darke eventually moving to Bilston after Claire got a job as a live-in warden of a sheltered housing scheme for elderly people. She admits to finding the strong Black Country dialect a challenge to understand as she settled in to life in the region.[8]

She then got in-house training at Bilston Community College and completed a Diploma in Higher Education (DiPHE) at the then Wolverhampton Polytechnic. This allowed her to progress onto a degree course as a mature student.[9]

She graduated from the University of Wolverhampton in 1992 with a BA (Hons) in English and Spanish.[10] After undertaking further studies, including Deaf Studies, this led to her undertaking a Certificate of Qualification in Social Work (CQSW) at University of Warwick. She has lived in Wolverhampton for over 40 years.[11] While researching her family history, she discovered her Irish heritage.[12] In 2022, she was nominated for the Lifetime Achievement Award at the inaugural University of Wolverhampton's Alumni Awards.[13]

Elections

Darke first stood for election as an independent in Park ward in the 2007 Wolverhampton City Council elections in response to the decision to close down the local swimming pool Compton Baths.[14] Although she only received 110 votes, the incumbent lost the seat by 136 votes. Her son also appeared on Newsround to bring attention to the issue.

Impressed by her campaign, and being the only political party to support her campaign, she was chosen as the candidate for the Liberal Democrats (UK) in the 2008 Wolverhampton City Council election.[15] She won with 42% of the vote, and increased the Liberal Democrat majority. The Liberal Democrats and Conservatives formed an alliance to take control of Wolverhampton Council which lasted until 2010.

In December 2010, Darke resigned from the Liberal Democrat-Conservative coalition of Wolverhampton City Council, because 'the ideological driven policies of the Conservatives to slash and burn our great city's services must not be tolerated'.[16] She was supported by chairmen of the Wolverhampton South West and East Lib Dem parties.[17]

This caused the Wolverhampton Labour Group to take control, with a majority of 1.[18] This was the first City Council in the UK where a local coalition failed and disillusionment with the coalition was apparent after the 2010 United Kingdom general election and formation of the national Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition.[19][20] She remained a Liberal Democrat, independent of the coalition until joining the Labour Party in March 2011 where she said that the Liberal Democrats 'had become 'at one' with Conservative ideology and no longer represent the ideals of the party I originally joined'.[21]

As a Labour Party candidate, she has gained over 50% of the vote in four consecutive elections from 2012 onwards.[22][23][24][25][26]

Political roles

Her first role in Wolverhampton Council was as Wolverhampton's Equalities Champion.[27] After the role of Equalities Champion, she was the Chair of Wolverhampton City Council's Health Scrutiny Panel,[28] where she undertook a Scrutiny Review of Infant Mortality.[29] She also was Chair of the Petitions Committee.[30]

She was then the Cabinet Member for Education which saw Wolverhampton's Adult Education service rated as 'Outstanding' by Ofsted.[31][32] She oversaw extra teacher training and over £2 million invested in improving schools.[33][34] In 2017, she approved of the creation of a new learning quarter in Wolverhampton.[35]

She became Deputy Mayor in May 2018, and was appointed Mayor of Wolverhampton on 15 May 2019.[36][2] Her chosen themes are recognising the contribution of women and prevention of suicide and self harm.[37] In her opening address, she stated that she is the 161st Mayor of Wolverhampton, but only the 10th woman.[8][38] In her role, she has created the University of Wolverhampton Alumni Mayoral Scholarship Fund – a new venture to support local people into higher education. She also supported the Wolverhampton Suicide Prevention Stakeholders Forum and raised over £10,000 for the forum in her mayoral term.[10][39] She is an avid supporter of Wolverhampton's role in UNESCO's Global Network of Learning Cities and has spoken of her pride in representing the City as Mayor during the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom.[40][41]

In August 2020, Darke was included with local community groups as a case study on good practice to identify and develop policy and practice that enables regenerative development in ‘left behind places’.[42]

As one of her final acts as Mayor, she was instrumental in obtaining a Blue Plaque in memory of British immigrant rights activist Paulette Wilson, a member of the Windrush Generation.[43][44] The plaque was launched with campaigners including Patrick Vernon at the Wolverhampton Heritage Centre. The Centre is a cornerstone of the area’s local Caribbean community and was formerly the constituency office of Enoch Powell where the infamous Rivers of Blood speech was written.[45]

Political views

Darke has written extensively on abortion and is a self-declared feminist.[46] In 'Swimming against the Tide: Feminist Dissent on the Issue of Abortion' which is a pivotal book in shaping discourse around anti-abortion feminism, she wrote a chapter titled 'Abortion and Disability: Is That Different?' where she states:

Feminism is, by its very nature, about the validation of difference and Otherness - the female as 'the first step on the road along abnormality'. All I am doing is arguing that we go down that road a little further and pick up a few more allies and friends; if for no other reason than the fact that half of the disabled community are our sisters.[47]

Darke is a supporter of Jeremy Corbyn, the former leader of the British Labour Party. She was one of the first councillors in the West Midlands to support Corbyn's successful run in the 2015 Labour Party (UK) leadership election,[48] and continued to support his leadership in the 2016 Labour Party (UK) leadership election.[49] She supported the campaign to save the British Department Store, Beatties.[11] As Cabinet Member for Education, she underlined the importance of Music as part of a young person's education[50] and criticised the Conservative Government's austerity measures and cuts to education.[51] In the early days of Boris Johnson's Conservative Government, she criticised the new government Town of the Year competition, after it was launched in Wolverhampton, a place that has been a city since 2000:

We have been a city for 19 years and they need to catch up. Are they that out of touch that they did not bother to look it up?[52]

In late 2021, she called for the leader of City of Wolverhampton Council Ian Brookfield to stand down due to "concerns that the culture of Labour councillors bullying and harassing one another continues, with it seems, the active support of the leader".[53]

She is a supporter of LGBT rights. During her reign as Mayor, the rainbow flag was raised at Wolverhampton Civic Centre for LGBT History Month.[54] She is also a supporter of the UK's first transgender rapper, Nate Ethan.[55]

Following the announcement that Ukraine would not host the Eurovision Song Contest 2023, Darke proposed Wolverhampton to hold the contest. She cited the city's proud musical heritage with prominent acts such as Led Zeppelin, Slade, Beverley Knight and Liam Payne, as well as Wolverhampton's commitment to being a diverse, multicultural, and inclusive city. Her call to personally invite Liam Payne to reunite One Direction for a one-off show to support refugees from the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine garnered significant media attention.[56][57]

After the death of Elizabeth II, she described a previous visit to Buckingham Palace as energising a community spirit in her to enact positive change. She encouraged Charles III to visit Wolverhampton and embrace Wolverhampton as a centre for a brighter future of 'more equitable internationalism'.[58]

Personal life

Darke was selected to design and decorate a Wolf sculpture as part of the local arts project Wolves in Wolves.[59][60][61] The wolf design is dedicated to all those from Wolverhampton who died in World War One.[62][63] She was formerly the Secretary of the Wolverhampton Civil and Historical Society, where she helped get more blue plaques for the city and its surroundings,[64][65] including one for Wolverhampton's first female doctor, Dr Ina Lochhead McNeill.[66][67][68] In 2020, she co-curated an art exhibition at Wolverhampton Art Gallery titled Wolverhampton and Me about family heritage.[12][69]

She is married to academic and disability rights activist, Paul Darke and they have a son who is a former Member of Youth Parliament for the city, Walker;[70] who stood in Tettenhall Wightwick for The Labour Party in the 2021 Wolverhampton City Council election. Darke was part of the 2022 Commonwealth Games Queen's Baton Relay where she supported Paul as a batonbearer.[71]

References

  1. ↑ "Councillor details - Councillor Claire Darke". wolverhampton.moderngov.co.uk. 9 May 2019. Retrieved 9 May 2019.
  2. 1 2 Keen, Liam. "New Wolverhampton mayor hails 'great opportunity to celebrate city'". www.expressandstar.com. Retrieved 8 June 2019.
  3. ↑ "Wolverhampton mayor: Pride at representing city in difficult times". www.expressandstar.com. Retrieved 3 September 2020.
  4. ↑ "A profile of the Mayor and Mayoress of the City of Wolverhampton". www.mayor.cityofwolverhamptoncouncil.co.uk. Retrieved 8 June 2019.
  5. ↑ Thandi, Gurdip (17 May 2019). "New mayor looking for 'girl power' in year of office". birminghammail. Retrieved 8 June 2019.
  6. ↑ Stuart, Flitton (23 March 2021). "Afternoons on BBC Radio Surrey" (Interview). Interviewed by James Cannon. BBC. Retrieved 23 March 2021.
  7. ↑ "'Woking made me what I am' says Claire the Mayor – Woking News and Mail". Retrieved 1 January 2022.
  8. 1 2 Council - Wed, 15th May 2019 - 6:00 pm - City of Wolverhampton Council Webcasting, retrieved 8 June 2019
  9. ↑ WLV Life, University of Wolverhampton Alumni Magazine. "Mayor's Passion for Education". Archived from the original on 1 January 2022. Retrieved 1 January 2022.
  10. 1 2 "May 2019 - University alumna becomes city mayor - University of Wolverhampton". www.wlv.ac.uk. Retrieved 8 June 2019.
  11. 1 2 Large, Heather. "We're backing Beatties: We need YOUR help to save iconic Wolverhampton store". www.expressandstar.com. Retrieved 8 June 2019.
  12. 1 2 "'Wolverhampton and Me' family histories exhibition | City Of Wolverhampton Council". www.wolverhampton.gov.uk. Retrieved 27 February 2020.
  13. ↑ "Lifetime Achievement Award - University of Wolverhampton". www.wlv.ac.uk. Retrieved 22 July 2022.
  14. ↑ "Plug to be pulled on pool". www.expressandstar.com. Retrieved 9 May 2019.
  15. ↑ Liberal Democrats. "Wolverhampton Liberal Democrats June 2007 Newsletter" (PDF). Wolverhampton Liberal Democrats.
  16. ↑ "Lib Dem Claire Darke tells why she ditched Tories". www.expressandstar.com. Retrieved 9 May 2019.
  17. ↑ "Who spilled the beans on Wolverhampton coalition confusion?". www.expressandstar.com. Retrieved 9 May 2019.
  18. ↑ "Labour group wins council control". 16 December 2010. Retrieved 9 May 2019.
  19. ↑ Burns, Patrick (28 April 2011). "The honeymoon is over". Retrieved 9 May 2019.
  20. ↑ Singh, Anita (14 December 2010). "Colin Firth: why I've turned my back on the LibDems". ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 9 May 2019.
  21. ↑ "Labour take full control of council". www.expressandstar.com. Retrieved 9 May 2019.
  22. ↑ Live, Birmingham (4 May 2012). "Wolverhampton City Council 2012 election results". birminghammail. Retrieved 9 May 2019.
  23. ↑ "Local Elections Archive Project - 2012 - Wolverhampton". www.andrewteale.me.uk. Retrieved 9 May 2019.
  24. ↑ "Election results for Park, 5 May 2016". wolverhampton.moderngov.co.uk. 5 May 2016. Retrieved 9 May 2019.
  25. ↑ "City Council Election - Thursday, 6th May, 2021 | City Of Wolverhampton Council". www.wolverhampton.gov.uk. Retrieved 7 May 2021.
  26. ↑ "Local elections 2023 | City Of Wolverhampton Council". www.wolverhampton.gov.uk. Retrieved 5 May 2023.
  27. ↑ Darke, Claire. "Wolverhampton City Council - PROGRESS REPORT – EQUALITIES CHAMPION" (PDF). Wolverhampton City Council.
  28. ↑ Wolverhampton City Council (20 November 2014). "Health Scrutiny Panel Minutes - 20 November 2014" (PDF). Wolverhampton City Council.
  29. ↑ Wolverhampton City Council. "scrutiny review group report". Wolverhampton City Council.
  30. ↑ "Cllr Claire Darke set to become city Mayor". Signal 107. Retrieved 8 June 2019.
  31. ↑ "Wolverhampton council praised for 'outstanding' adult education". www.expressandstar.com. Retrieved 9 May 2019.
  32. ↑ "Schoolchildren showcase Wolverhampton diversity". ITV News. Retrieved 9 May 2019.
  33. ↑ "Wolverhampton schools in line for £2m makeover". www.expressandstar.com. Retrieved 8 June 2019.
  34. ↑ "Wolverhampton teachers to get extra training". www.expressandstar.com. Retrieved 8 June 2019.
  35. ↑ Labhart, Jessica. "Wolverhampton learning quarter expansion to cost £50 million". www.expressandstar.com. Retrieved 9 May 2019.
  36. ↑ Archer, Megan. "Phil Page sworn in as new mayor of Wolverhampton". www.expressandstar.com. Retrieved 8 June 2019.
  37. ↑ Thandi, Gurdip. "Suicide rate in Wolverhampton highest among men". www.expressandstar.com. Retrieved 8 June 2019.
  38. ↑ "Councillor Claire Darke set to become Mayor of City of Wolverhampton | City Of Wolverhampton Council". www.wolverhampton.gov.uk. Retrieved 8 June 2019.
  39. ↑ "January 2022 - Pioneering University staff recognised in New Year's Honours - University of Wolverhampton". www.wlv.ac.uk. Retrieved 1 January 2022.
  40. ↑ "Achieving equity and inclusion through lifelong learning in Wolverhampton | UIL". uil.unesco.org. 23 January 2020. Retrieved 4 August 2020.
  41. ↑ "Claire Darke: My pride as Wolverhampton Mayor during a time of unprecedented crisis and challenge". www.expressandstar.com. Retrieved 25 June 2021.
  42. ↑ CREATE Streets Foundation. No Place Left Behind: The Commission into Prosperity and Community Placemaking (PDF). pp. 252–253.
  43. ↑ Vukmirovic, James. "Paulette Wilson: Windrush campaigner's life honoured with ceremony and plaque". www.expressandstar.com. Retrieved 25 June 2021.
  44. ↑ "Plaque for Windrush campaigner unveiled at former office of Enoch Powell". The Guardian. 22 June 2021. Retrieved 25 June 2021.
  45. ↑ "Paulette Wilson, late Windrush campaigner, to be honoured with blue plaque". The Independent. 22 June 2021. Retrieved 25 June 2021.
  46. ↑ Kennedy, Angela. (1997). Swimming against the tide : feminist dissent on the issue of abortion. Open Air. ISBN 1851822674. OCLC 632660387.
  47. ↑ Swimming against the tide : feminist dissent on the issue of abortion. Kennedy, Angela, 1963-. Dublin, Ireland: Open Air. 1997. pp. 67–74. ISBN 1851822674. OCLC 37216006.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
  48. ↑ "Look Left: #JezWeCan Gets Fresh Boost". HuffPost UK. 18 July 2015. Retrieved 9 May 2019.
  49. ↑ Elkes, Neil (30 June 2016). "'I didn't call for Corbyn to go' says Birmingham councillor named on Labour website". birminghammail. Retrieved 9 May 2019.
  50. ↑ "Star Lloyd-Webber is VIP Wolverhampton youth orchestra concert guest". www.expressandstar.com. Retrieved 8 June 2019.
  51. ↑ "Education cuts will 'see £432 loss for every pupil' in Wolverhampton". www.expressandstar.com. Retrieved 8 June 2019.
  52. ↑ Syal, Rajeev (9 January 2020). "Town of the Year push falls flat after failure to realise site is a city". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 27 February 2020.
  53. ↑ Madeley, Peter. "Call for Wolverhampton Council leader to stand down amid Labour bullying claims". www.expressandstar.com. Retrieved 1 January 2022.
  54. ↑ "Rainbow flag flies at Civic Centre to mark LGBT History Month | City Of Wolverhampton Council". www.wolverhampton.gov.uk. Retrieved 27 February 2020.
  55. ↑ "Mayor Lends Support to UK's First Trans-Rapper - BCLEP". www.blackcountrylep.co.uk. Retrieved 27 February 2020.
  56. ↑ nicola-peach (18 June 2022). "Where will Eurovision 2023 be held? Glasgow or Manchester tipped to host as BBC offered contest". inews.co.uk. Retrieved 22 July 2022.
  57. ↑ "BBC Radio WM - Elise Evans, Wolverhampton considers Eurovision bid". BBC. Retrieved 22 July 2022.
  58. ↑ Parkes, Thomas. "Former mayor hopes King Charles III will visit Wolverhampton soon". www.expressandstar.com. Retrieved 11 October 2022.
  59. ↑ "Wolves in Wolves artists revealed | City Of Wolverhampton Council". www.wolverhampton.gov.uk. Retrieved 9 May 2019.
  60. ↑ Gewin' On (28 May 2018), Wolves in Wolves - The Fallen (Claire Darke), retrieved 9 May 2019
  61. ↑ Darke, Paul (27 July 2017), Claire Darke Project Video for Wolves in Wolves (Wolverhampton) WinW2017, retrieved 9 May 2019
  62. ↑ "The Fallen by Claire Darke - Wolves in Wolves | Wolf sculptures in Wolverhampton". www.wolvesinwolves.co.uk. Retrieved 9 May 2019.
  63. ↑ Wootton, Doug. "Wolves in Wolves sculptures hit city centre for Armed Forces Day". www.expressandstar.com. Retrieved 9 May 2019.
  64. ↑ Lockley, Mike (15 May 2016). "Dandy's Desperate Dan and Korky The Cat cartoonist to get blue plaque in Langley". birminghammail. Retrieved 9 May 2019.
  65. ↑ Simpson, Geoff, 1947- author. A history of the Battle of Britain Fighter Association : commemorating the few. ISBN 9781473852433. OCLC 903357164. {{cite book}}: |last= has generic name (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  66. ↑ Nora13Queen (13 September 2013), English: Wolverhampton Civic and Historical Society Commemorative Blue Plaque Dr Ina Lochhead McNeill at 24 Tettenhall Rd, Wolverhampton WV1 4SL, retrieved 9 June 2019{{citation}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  67. ↑ Thompson, Adam (16 September 2013). "Plaque honours women doctors". Express & Star.
  68. ↑ Turton, Andrew. "Women's suffrage centenary: Discover more about Wolverhampton's heroines and their legacy". www.expressandstar.com. Retrieved 9 May 2019.
  69. ↑ "Q&A with the Mayor of Wolverhampton - Wolverhampton Arts & Culture". www.wolverhamptonart.org.uk. Retrieved 27 February 2020.
  70. ↑ Thandi, Gurdip (17 May 2019). "New mayor looking for 'girl power' in year of office". BirminghamLive. Retrieved 23 September 2020.
  71. ↑ "Batonbearer role for city artist and disability campaigner | City Of Wolverhampton Council". www.wolverhampton.gov.uk. Retrieved 22 July 2022.
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