I am devastated to announce that following a short illness our dear friend and colleague Councillor Linda Maloney MBE sadly passed away this week. Linda has served the people of St Helens as councillor for 30 years and has served the Labour party all her life. She was an amazing person.

It is such a shock to us all that we have lost Linda, who was a great friend to so many and knew just what it meant to serve for the community she called home. Linda was devoted to the people of Blackbrook and truly was the heart of the community bringing people together, supporting residents through three decades with tireless dedication to them. I was privileged to have her as a ward colleague and she has supported so many councillors as one of the longest serving members of council as they took up their positions of office.
Councillor Maloney was first elected to council in 1994 and has served in the Blackbrook ward for 30 years. She was awarded an MBE for her services to local government in 2018 and has served as Deputy Mayor, a cabinet member, committee chair and deputy and chief whip in her 30 year career.

Among her achievements was campaigning for the Stanley Bank Way by-pass which alleviated the area of traffic congestion and fighting to secure a brand-new school at Ashurst Primary. She also served as the first female vice chair of the Merseyside Fire and Rescue Authority during her 12 years with the authority.

A special council will be held on the day of Councillor Maloney’s funeral, with a date yet to be set, where councillors will pay their own tribute to the much missed councillor.

As a party we will be paying tribute to Linda in the coming days, but for now all our thoughts are with Mike and the family at this sad time.

Anthony Burns
Leader of the Labour Group
Chair of St Helens North CLP