Campaigner vows to carry on fight to have Mayoral plaque removed from Cenotaph memorial bench

LOCAL campaigner Julie Francis says she will carry on fighting to have a plaque featuring the name of Warrington’s Mayor removed from a memorial bench on the town’s Cenotaph, unveiled to mark the 75th anniversary of VJ Day.

Local Vets campaigner Julie, who believes only the names of the fallen should be displayed on memorials, said: “I am not happy with the outcome of the Council’s response to the removal of the plaque with the Mayor’s name on.
“Military family and public aren’t happy at all,” she said.
“I will carry on campaigning to get it removed and a new one in place, even if I have to pay for it myself.”

The bench, placed within the grounds of the wider Cenotaph scheme in the town centre, was unveiled by the Mayor Cllr Maureen Creaghan last year, to mark the 75th anniversary of VJ Day and to honour the fallen in both world wars.
Following the unveiling of the bench, the council received feedback from some residents requesting that a plaque, affixed to the bench and stating that the bench was unveiled in remembrance of the fallen by the Mayor of Warrington, be removed.
Warrington Borough Council Chief Executive, Professor Steven Broomhead MBE, explained: “I understand that in recent weeks we have had feedback from a small group of residents who wish for the plaque on the bench to be removed.
“The Mayor, as first citizen of Warrington and within their civic duty, unveiled the bench last year, and the plaque to signify this action recognises the significance and history of the important occasion.
“We welcome and are grateful for feedback and engagement. However, the Mayor of Warrington plays a special, apolitical role, in promoting civic and ceremonial functions and attending unveiling events. I therefore feel it is appropriate that the plaque signifying the Mayor’s presentation of the bench remains in place.”
Leader of the Council, Cllr Russ Bowden, said: “We take our commitment to honouring those who are commemorated and remembered seriously and with the utmost respect. In recent years we have undertaken a fundamental restoration of the cenotaph to ensure it remains a fitting memorial in Warrington for generations to come.
“The memorial bench is an important part of our town’s continued remembrance and the Mayor of Warrington as first citizen of our town unveiled the bench. I therefore think it is very fitting that we have a plaque to signify the occasion.”