Tributes paid to Alderman and former Council Chairman Dave Wilcox

Tributes have been paid to Derbyshire County Council Alderman and former Council Chairman Dave Wilcox OBE who has died at the age of 77.

Alderman Wilcox was a Labour county councillor for the Etherow division representing Hadfield, Tintwistle and Gamesley from 1981 to 2017 and became Council Chairman in 2013.

Alderman Wilcox, who died last Saturday (20 July) leaves wife Joan, with whom he would have celebrated 50 years of marriage in December, and daughter Ellie Wilcox,who followed in her father’s footsteps as a Derbyshire County Councillor and Cabinet Member, working alongside him between 2013 and 2017.

The Derbyshire flag is flying at half-mast as a mark of respect at County Hall in Matlock where Alderman Wilcox, who lived in Tintwistle, was a constant and popular presence to council officers and political colleagues from all sides of the political chamber for almost 40 years.

Derbyshire County Council Leader Councillor Barry Lewis paid tribute to the highly respected Alderman.

He said: "Dave Wilcox was one of those rare politicians whose ability to seek common ground, talk about what united us and to find solutions to problems was one of his greatest attributes and achievements. 

“His many years in the service of Derbyshire residents was marked by a devotion to duty, representing his constituents effectively, and in his civic roles being a true Derbyshire ambassador. We know he will be greatly missed by his family, to whom he was devoted. He was also a very dear and kind friend to many and he will be sadly missed."

Dave devoted his life to fighting poverty, inequality and discrimination nationally and internationally, but nowhere more so than in his lifetime home of Hadfield, and on the Gamesley estate, which was within his County Council ward. Many of the services in Gamesley, a number of which are currently being dismantled by the present County Council, owe their existence, in part or in whole, to Dave Wilcox; services for children and young people, extra staffing and resources for Gamesley schools, and enhanced social services for older people and those experiencing the greatest need.

His skills and motivation also benefitted the wider Glossopdale community. He was a long term Governor, and sometime Chair of Governors, at Glossopdale Community College and its predecessor Hadfield School, and successfully fought for the new Glossopdale School and Sixth Form, which now occupies the site. He was also significantly influential in getting Glossop a new library just a few years ago.

Derbyshire County Council Labour Group Leader Councillor Joan Dixon said: “All of us in the Derbyshire Labour family are so saddened to hear of the passing of our dear colleague Dave Wilcox - an amazing man who brought wisdom and a different perspective to our group discussion.

“He did great work via the Local Government Association and Local Government Information Unit and was an ambassador for Derbyshire in Japan and China.

“Our thoughts are with Joan and Ellie.”

Fellow Alderman, friend and former county councillor colleague Paul Smith said: “Dave always proudly flew the flag for Derbyshire at home and abroad and absolutely loved representing the community that elected him, always working hard to do everything he could to improve life for Derbyshire residents. He was a lovely man and it was a pleasure to have known him.”

Alderman Wilcox’s daughter Ellie (42) said: “Being a county councillor and serving the people of Derbyshire was a very special honour for my dad, and one that he never took for granted.  He worked hard for local people, was diligent with his case work, and was an excellent listener.  

“He was a very skilled politician and knew exactly where and how he could exact change.  Sometimes that meant he had to have difficult conversations or make tough decisions, but he never shied away from this, as he believed in honesty and integrity.” 

A notable political career highlight for Alderman Wilcox came in December 2007 when he was awarded an OBE in the New Year’s Honours List for services to local government.

The bodies and positions Alderman Wilcox held while he was a councillor were numerous and varied. He was Chair of the UK Local Government Information Unit (LGIU) - the leading local government think tank - from 2003 to June 2014, and until July 2013 was Chair of the Local Government Association European and International Board. He was also Vice Chairman of the County Councils’ Networkand a member of the European Committee of the Regions where he chaired the Health Board.

In a long and wide-ranging local government career Alderman Wilcox was also a former Board Member of the Basic Skills Agency, the Improvement and Development Agency, the National Foundation for Educational Research and a former Executive Member of USDAW, the shop workers’ trade union. He also served as Chair of East Midlands Airport plc. 

His academic achievements were just as impressive and would stand him in good stead for his local government career, including reading politics and sociology at Lancaster University and studying political sociology and political science at The London School of Economics.

He stood down from his county council Chairman duties in 2013 due to ill health.

Alderman Wilcox remained loyally serving his Etherow division community until he stood down in 2017. He was made a Derbyshire County Council Honorary Alderman in December 2022 for making a significant contribution to the authority and county.