Tony Egginton

Election to Mayor

Egginton was the first elected Executive Mayor in a new position created after a public referendum.

Mansfield District Council had suggested a preference of a Leader of the Council - chosen from within the majority political party and a Chief Executive Officer.

At a 2002 referendum the electorate voted in favour of the creation of a directly elected Mayor with Executive powers, instead of a Leader and a Managing Director.

Creation of Independent Forum

Egginton stood for mayor after being convinced to do so by the leader of the campaign for the creation of a Mayor of Mansfield Stuart Rickersey .

Following Egginton's successful election as Mayor,and the election of independent candidates allinged to Egginton and Rickersey, winning control with 25 seats consisting of mostly new and inexperienced councillors. the Mansfield Independent Forum registered as a political party with the Electoral Commission in 2005, although with members still remaining notionally independent of one another. Egginton formed his Cabinet mostly of MIF members including Rickersey as Portfolio Holder for Corporate Issues.

Rickersey was appointed as a cabinet member as subsequently removed in cisrumsatnces which Rickersey blamed on influence of Council Officers over Egginton. Rickersey lead Egginton's successful 2007 re-election.

Ward boundary changes

In Egginton's 2007 re-election manifesto, it contained a commitment to reduce the number of ward councillors from 46 to 36 by applying to the Boundary Commission to re-structure ward layout and boundaries.

This major change for the Mansfield electoral area was approved for the 2011 local elections with 36 single-member wards being created from the previous 19 wards.

Personal background

Egginton's was born in 1951,attending Mansfield's Sherwood Hall Technical Grammar School, and employed circa 1970 at Blackwell Rural District Council. Later working as an apprentice at Metal Box Limited in Mansfield.

In a 2012 BBC Radio Nottingham interview with presenter John Holmes, Egginton stated he was employed at the old Mansfield Borough Council during the building of the Four Seasons shopping centre. Mansfield Borough became a District Council 1 April 1974, merging with the two nearby smaller Urban District authorities of Mansfield Woodhouse and Warsop.

During the 1990s Egginton ran a small newsagent and corner shop, becoming National President of National Federation of Retail Newsagents (NFRN) for 1998/9, and a director of NFRN Commercial Ltd from 1997 to 2000. Egginton was also a director of Newsagents Federation Services Ltd 1996 to 2006.

In 2002 Jacksons Stores established a store opposite the Egginton's newsagents. In 2005 Jacksons was re-branded a Sainbury's at Jackson, and Egginton closed his newsagents.

On 31 March 2008 Egginton briefly became the non-executive chairman of Mansfield Town F.C. following James Derry's departure.

Criticism

In 2012, The Mansfield Labour group criticised Egginton after awarding himself a special parking pass allowing him to park anywhere in the district free-of-charge.

In 2013, Egginton was criticised after the council took the decision to lock the chains of the office of Mayor in a safe. Media outlets including the BBC reported Egginton was being accused of "parading around in his bling" by Labour councillors. After the 2015 elections when Egginton stood-down, a decision was taken to once-again allow the incumbent-mayor to wear the chains.

Retirement

On 8 November 2013, local radio station Mansfield 103.2 FM mentioned that Egginton would be standing-down at the 2015 elections. Egginton made references to the redevelopment of Mansifeld as part of the reasons for his retirement. Egginton Stating that "he would be pleased to walk around the completed project thinking that he had been part of the development sequence."

When speaking to a reporter from the Mansfield local newspaper later during November 2013 regarding redeveloping the old bus station site, Egginton stated:

I'm fairly confident it will happen – it's one of my legacy aims. When I retire in 18 months' time, I would like to think the issue is resolved and plans are in place.

Egginton held the mayoral position until the local elections of 7 May 2015, wand was was succeeded by Kate Allsop.