Donnington resident made honorary freeman of Telford and Wrekin
A Donnington resident who gave 55 years of public service as a councillor has been made an honorary freeman of the borough at Telford & Wrekin Council’s annual meeting.
George Whyle, now aged 89, served on Wellington Rural District Council, Shropshire County Council and Wrekin Council and Lilleshall Parish Council in the years between 1947 and 2002. He also sat on the bench as a magistrate for 29 years.
Telford & Wrekin Council’s annual meeting last night recognised Mr Whyle as a “person of distinction who is considered to have rendered eminent service to the borough” and made him the sixth freeman since the council became a unitary authority in 1998.
Mr Whyle said: “I am very proud to be made an honorary freeman of Telford and Wrekin and I am also delighted to see that more interest is now shown in local government than ever before.”
George Whyle was born in Oakengates in 1922 and moved to nearby Donnington aged five.
He attended the long since demolished St Matthews C of E School and then did evening classes at Walkers Technical College. His first employer was C & W Walkers and he then worked at British Sugar for 20 years, retiring at the age of 62.
In public life, he was elected to the then Wellington Rural District Council in 1947, at the time one of the youngest councillors to be elected.
He served on that authority until 1974 when Wrekin District Council was formed and retired from that council in 1991. He had also become a member of Lilleshall Parish Council in 1951 and continued to serve on that authority until 2002.
He was variously vice chairman of several committees including Leisure Services, the Housing Committee and later the General Services Committee of Wrekin Council and later became chair of those committees.
He also received the Queen’s Medal for Services to Local Government in 1977 and attended numerous conferences run by the National Association of Local Government.
