David Budd – who served as Middlesbrough’s elected Mayor from 2015 to 2019 – has been put forward to receive the Freedom of the Borough.
The honour is conferred on those who have made an outstanding contribution to the life of the town and its people.
In a letter to Middlesbrough Council Chair Cllr Jack Banks and Charlotte Benjamin, the Council’s Director of Legal & Corporate Services, Cllrs Luke Henman and Lewis Young point to Mr Budd’s ‘humility, decency and positivity’ over decades of public service.
The nomination highlights more than 30 years in public office, from a first ward election in 1991 to his term as the town’s second directly elected Mayor.
Cllrs Henman and Young write: “Middlesbrough is fortunate to have had Dave Budd serving the town in public life for decades.
“It is even more fortunate that he continues to do so in his retirement.
“Giving Dave the honorary freedom of the borough would be a fitting way for us to recognise his work for the people of Middlesbrough.”
They point to his tireless work to improve the lives of local people and boost the local economy, citing his contribution to making Middlesbrough a dementia-friendly town, his involvement in the birth of MIMA and in the creation of the Tees Valley Combined Authority.
The nomination is supported by a raft of letters from leading local figures including Middlesbrough College Chief Executive Zoe Lewis and Deputy Lord Lieutenant of County Durham Mark White.
Middlesbrough Football Club Chairman Steve Gibson writes: “His selfless service and dedication to the town of Middlesbrough has been exemplary and the town is better because of him.
“Always a gentleman but with a bit of steel when needed.”
• The nomination for former Mayor Budd to be awarded the Freedom of the Borough will be considered at a meeting of Middlesbrough Council on Wednesday, July 15.
If approved, the award will be conferred at a ceremony in the Town Hall at a later date.
