Former Blackpool South MP Gordon Marsden pays tribute after UK's longest serving councillor dies
“Very few politicians can say they have served their constituents for 60 years. He went out in style.”
Former Blackpool South MP Gordon Marsden has paid tribute to the man who became Britain’s longest-serving councillor shortly before his death.
Cllr Ivan Taylor served as a Labour councillor for a remarkable 60 years before his recent death at the age of 86.
Mr Marsden first met the veteran councillor in 1992, when he unsuccessfully contested the Blackpool South seat, before winning it five years later.
The two Labour politicians hit it off, despite being very different characters.Mr Marsden, who went on to hold the Blackpool South seat from 1997 to 2019, said: “I was very sad to hear about Ivan’s passing.
“He played a crucial role before and after Blackpool became a unitary authority. It was controversial at the time but he had a strong vision that it would be the best thing for Blackpool and he saw it through.
“It will go down as a key moment in Blackpool’s history, affecting things like schools, health, transport and many other aspects.
“Looking back on it, it was a very dynamic period. Now things are changing again with the local authority and we don’t know how that will work out.”
Mr Marsden has continued to follow Blackpool’s developments closely since losing his seat to Conservative candidate Scott Benton, who then resigned in 2024.
He added: “Ivan could be brusque at times when he needed to raise a point but he was always approachable to his constituents and always had Blackpool’s interests at heart.
“Very few politicians can say they have served their constituents for 60 years. He went out in style.”
Cllr Taylor 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 Blackpool-born councillor, from Blackpool Council Leader, Cllr Lynn Williams, to the current Blackpool South MP, Chris Webb.
Mr Webb described Ivan as a man who “dedicated six decades of his life to serving the people of Blackpool”.
Ivan 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.
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.