Blackpool North & Fleetwood MP Lorraine Beavers lauds 'incredible' Ivan Taylor, longest-serving UK councillor
Ivan, 86, served as a Blackpool councillor for 59 years.
Lorraine Beavers, MP for Blackpool North and Fleetwood, has paid tribute to the UK’s longest-serving councillor Ivan Taylor, who fought for Blackpool communities for 59 years before his death last week at the age of 86.
Cllr Ivan Taylor, 86, led Blackpool Council as it became a unitary authority, oversaw the roll out of Sure Start centres, and set up the town’s first publicly run leisure centre.
Tributes have been pouring in for the dedicated Sandgrown’un, who Blackpool South MP Chris Webb described as a man who “dedicated six decades of his life to serving the people of Blackpool”.
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Commitment and dedication
“Ivan was an incredible public servant. He cared deeply for Blackpool and for the community he represented in the council chamber for so many years,” said Lorraine Beavers MP.
“I want to pass on my best wishes to his loved ones, and to our Blackpool Labour councillors who will be hurting so deeply. Thank you Ivan for your commitment, dedication and achievement for Blackpool.”
Record-breaker
Ivan, 86, served as a Blackpool councillor for 59 years and most recently was ward councillor for Claremont ward.
He was first elected to Blackpool county borough in 1966-1969, and then again from 1971-72. In 1973 he was elected for Blackpool Borough Council which was, until 1998, a district council within Lancashire.
He has been continually a councillor from 1973 to 2026, making 59 years representing the people of Blackpool and 53 of them consecutive. At the time of Ivan’s death he was the longest serving councillor in the country.
Ivan served as council leader from 1991 to 2000. In that time, he led the council’s transition to become a unitary authority, ensuring that decisions around children and families, adult services, highways and later public health were made in Blackpool.
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He led on the building of the town’s first ever publicly run leisure centre at Blackpool Sports Centre. Now, Blackpool Council runs three leisure centres, as well as a sports village, supporting more than 7,000 local people with access to affordable exercise, sport and health related benefits.
Ivan also led on the roll out of valuable Sure Start children’s centres across the town, which still support thousands of families in their new role as Family Hubs.
For 20 years, Ivan served alongside his wife Sylvia. Cllr Sylvia Taylor represented Claremont ward and was also Mayor of Blackpool in 2012-13. She died in 2021, aged 82.
Ivan served as a cabinet member across multiple roles, including health, children and young people, and most recently for strategy and performance. He served as Mayor of Blackpool in 2002-2003.