Tributes have been paid to a long-serving councillor, former mayor and charity founder.

Cllr Lynn Clare MBE passed away on Friday (February 9), aged 70.

Cllr Clare had represented Ellesmere Port Town for the Labour Party since 2011 and was first elected to Cheshire West and Chester Council (CWaC) in May 2008. She was chairman of the licensing committee and held many other important roles, including serving as Mayor of Ellesmere Port in 2015/16.

In addition, Cllr Clare was awarded an MBE in 2004 after establishing the charity Parents Against Drug Abuse (PADA) for which she worked for 15 years.

Charlie Seward, CWaC’s deputy chief executive for places, said: “Everyone at the council is saddened by the tragic news of Cllr Clare’s death and we are all thinking of her and her family.

“Cllr Clare was dedicated to serving her local community and worked tirelessly to make a positive difference to the lives of the people she was elected to represent.

“Being awarded an MBE for the work she did to tackle the problem of drug abuse was recognition for the passion she had for helping others.

“Lynn will be dearly missed.”

Cllr Samantha Dixon, leader of the council, expressed her sadness at the passing of Cllr Clare, saying: “Lynn was a marvellous woman, always positive. She laughed in the face of adversity and turned every negative into a success.  

“I was privileged to put forward Lynn as Mayor of Ellesmere Port in 2015 and I cannot think of anyone who deserved the honour more. She was highly regarded, warmly respected, well-loved and passionate about Ellesmere Port.

“We have lost a strong, loyal, dedicated and warm-hearted councillor, and I have lost a dear friend.”

Cllr Lynn Riley, leader of the opposition, added: “Lynn will be sadly missed by many including her colleagues in the Conservative team, many of whom have known her since the creation of the council in 2008. 

“Lynn has been an example to us all and her love of Ellesmere Port and her passion for its local people has always been at the heart of everything she did.”

Independent councillor Martin Barker said: “I am really saddened to hear of the passing of Lynn. Lynn served on one of my committees and I have the utmost respect for her, it was always a pleasure to speak to her. She remained passionate about her constituents despite her illness. She was a very brave lady indeed, who will be sorely missed.”

Justin Madders, Labour MP for Ellesmere Port & Neston, said: “I was very sad to hear about the passing of Lynn Clare. My thoughts are with her family.

“I was a councillor with Lynn for many years.

“She had lived a very varied life, contributing to our society in a number of important ways, not least through the charity that she started.

“She was a wonderful person and will be sorely missed.”

Cllr Clare was born and brought up in the Wolverham area of Ellesmere Port. She joined the Royal Navy at 17 and stayed in the service until her marriage in 1968 and lived in Singapore until 1973.

When Cllr Clare returned to the UK she lived in Plymouth, then Poole before returning to Ellesmere Port.

Cllr Clare became an Ellesmere Port and Neston Borough councillor in 2006, and was elected to CWaC in 2008, serving on a number of committees. 

The flags at the council’s offices at Chester HQ, Chester Town Hall, Ellesmere Port and Winsford have been lowered to half-mast.