Councillor Nigel Wilkinson has been elected as the new chairman of East Riding of Yorkshire Council following the authority’s annual general meeting.
Councillor Wilkinson, who has served as vice chairman for the last two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic, has been a councillor for the Howdenshire ward since his election in 2014.
Since his election to East Riding of Yorkshire Council, Councillor Wilkinson has sat on audit committee, pensions committee and planning committee and he is currently chairman of western area planning sub-committee.
Before taking up a career in politics, Councillor Wilkinson served as an army reserve for 32 years and undertook tours of the Balkans, Iraq and Afghanistan but more recently he was the Commandant of the county’s army cadet force based in York with over 2,000 cadets and adults.
Councillor Wilkinson has also worked extensively in the financial sector and has worked for some of the country’s major banking institutions but now runs his own business, Northern Business Associates Ltd, with his wife Caroline.
He has also taken part in the Great North Run a number of times where he has raised money for the Children with Cancer charity in memory of his grandson who died following a battle with leukaemia.
After serving two years as vice-chairman, Councillor Wilkinson is looking forward to meeting and representing the people of the East Riding.
He said: “It’s a great honour to be elected as chairman of East Riding of Yorkshire Council and after the year we’ve had due to the COVID-19 restrictions, I’m looking forward to representing the council and the residents of East Yorkshire.
“It’s going to be an interesting year ahead and I also want to use this role to help businesses drive the East Riding’s recovery following the pandemic.”
The charities Councillor Wilkinson will be supporting during his year in office will be Children with Cancer.
Councillor John Whittle, independent ward member for North Holderness, has been elected vice chairman of the council and will serve in this role until May 2022.
