Lincoln Mayor announces resignation after decade of public service

Lincoln’s Mayor, Councillor Rosanne Kirk, has announced she is stepping down from frontline politics after a decade on the council.

Councillor Kirk was elected to the City of Lincoln Council in 2012, and won’t be seeking re-election in May.

She says it is the right time for her to move on.

“I’ve been proud to represent Birchwood for 11 years, and it’s emotional, I’ll be sad to go because I’ve got an attachment to the ward,” she said.

“My life circumstances have changed and sometimes it’s the right time to retire and move on.

“I just want to say thank you to the residents really and I hope I’ve done a good job. I hope I’ve done the best that I can.”

Originally from Coventry, Councillor Kirk has long been involved in the community since moving to Lincoln over 25 years ago.

She had fond memories of her time as a councillor.

“I want to thank the residents for their support, they voted me in three times and they’ve always been good to me,” she said.

“The whole emphasis is to make it a better place for people to live, to have opportunities and to help residents with their casework.

“I’ve always been a person that if someone contacts me I try and help whenever I can, I’ve always tried to do my best.”

Prior to joining politics, she was a governor at St Hugh’s Roman Catholic School, where she was sparked into action by concerns over road safety following the loss of the lollipop person.

She first ran for council in 2011, but missed out on the seat at the time, instead achieving her goal the following year.

He work has included helping to clean up the environment in Birchwood, including fixing bins and lights on Jasmine Green, cleaning up litter on the estate, painting fences and clearing brambles.

In 2013, she was elected to Lincolnshire County Council where she held shadow roles in public health and adult social care.

Councillor Kirk was part of the campaign to save Lincolnshire’s libraries, taking the case all the way to the High Court.

Further highlights include creating a new youth theatre with Bishop Grosseteste University and getting new scooter “pods” installed at Birchwood’s sheltered accommodation.

As part of the executive of the City of Lincoln Council, Councillor Kirk held the portfolio for reducing inequality and worked on anti-poverty and interfaith projects.

She has also sat on the Local Government Association and helped work on the government’s UK Prosperity Fund.

A bid to takeover as the Lincolnshire Police and Crime Commissioner in 2021 was unsuccessful.

In 2022, she was elected as the Mayor of Lincoln, taking over from Councillor Jackie Kirk.

Her Mayor’s charity was for the urology department at Lincoln County Hospital, and she has raised more than £5,000 in memory of her father who sadly died of prostate cancer last year.

Councillor Kirk plans to continue to be a part of the community for the foreseeable future.

“Birchwood’s in my heart, it’s always been there but I will be helping places all over the city,” she said.

She urged anyone who wants to be a councillor and help their communities to step forward.

Asked what advice she would offer prospective councillors, she said: “They have to be very active within their ward and they have to be good representation of the people there even though obviously they won’t be elected by everybody in the ward. They have to represent everyone.

“They have to be a champion for their ward, put the work and effort in and they’ll get satisfaction from what they’ve done and how they can make a difference.”

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