Local Councillor Ann Reid was first elected to the York District Council at a by election held on 18th September 1986.  Ann is now one of the City’s longest serving Councillors.

In 1986 Woodthorpe and Acomb Park formed part of the Foxwood ward with the other two Councillors for the area being David Horwell and Steve Galloway. Ann stood as a candidate in the by election which followed the departure of sitting Councillor Sue Auckland to Sheffield (where coincidentally Sue was elected to the Sheffield Council for the first time last May).

Ann was described as a Liberal Alliance candidate in recognition of a coalition with the SDP which existed at the time.  (The SDP was made up of former Labour party members who had joined a new party in protest over a leftward lurch in their former parties policies – not much different from the current national political position really!)

The Foxwood and Woodthorpe area was very different in those days with a debate ranging about plans to build a shopping area on Acomb Wood Drive. A “Save Acomb Moor” (from development) campaign was running.

The campaign that had to be revived in 2013 when Labour announced a plan to build on part of the historic moor.

Councillors were seeking a bus service linking the, still expanding, Acomb Park area to the City centre.

Some things never change though with newsletters published at the time indicating a constant battle to keep the Woodthorpe shopping area safe and tidy.

There were also campaigns for public access to Acomb Wood (which was in private ownership at the time), Hoggs pond and Chapmans pond.

There was pressure on rubbish collection standards although recycling was in its infancy 30 years ago.

Ann was to go on to become the City’s Lord Mayor in 1993.

In the 2015 Council elections she was re-elected to serve the Dringhouses and Woodthorpe ward polling 3104 votes. This is the largest number of votes secured by any candidate in a local authority election in York’s history.

The next York Council elections are scheduled to take place in 2019.