Janet Looker

Janet Looker (born March 1938) is a British Labour politician and solicitor serving as the Lord Mayor of York since 22 May 2019,[1] previously holding the position from 2004 until 2005.[2][3] She is a councillor representing the Guildhall Ward since 1985 as a member of North Yorkshire County Council and as a member of the new City of York Council since 1996 when York became a unitary authority.[4] Looker was one of the founding members of the City of York Council and the longest serving councillor in York.[5] She became a Cabinet Member for Education and Young People in 2011,[6] when the Labour Party took control of the council prior to the 2011 local election. She served as the Leader of York Labour Group, the largest opposition group on the City of York Council 2015 local election from 2015 until 2019 when she stepped down as group leader to serve as Lord Mayor of York for the second time.[7]

The Right Honourable
Councillor

Janet Looker
Lord Mayor of York
Assumed office
22 May 2019
Council LeaderKeith Aspden
Preceded byKeith Orrell
In office
20 May 2004 – May 2005
Council LeaderSteve Galloway
Preceded byCharles Hall
Succeeded byJanet Greenwood
Leader of York Labour Group
In office
26 October 2015 – 8 May 2019
Council LeaderChris Steward
David Carr
Ian Gillies
Preceded byDafydd Williams
Succeeded byDanny Myers
Member of the City of York Council
for Guildhall Ward
Assumed office
2 May 1996
Preceded byPosition established
Member of North Yorkshire County Council
for Guildhall Ward
In office
2 May 1985 – 2 May 1996
Personal details
BornMarch 1938 (age 81–82)
NationalityBritish
Political partyLabour
Alma materUniversity of Bristol

Personal life and work

Looker was born in March 1938 and raised in Weston-super-Mare. She studied law at the University of Bristol then moved to live in York in 1969.[8] She has four grandchildren.

She worked as a solicitor in private practice in York, retiring in 2003. Looker was a long-standing governor of then St John College, where she was then offered the post of Clerk to the Governors. During this time she supported the successful bid for St. John's College to convert to a university (it achieved university status in 2006 as York St John University). She later retired from that role in 2015.[9]

References
  1. "New Lord Mayor of York Councillor Janet Looker is sworn in". York Press. 22 May 2019. Retrieved 29 May 2019.
  2. "New Lord Mayor is sworn in". York Press. 20 May 2004. Retrieved 29 May 2019.
  3. "Lord Mayors of York 2001 +". web.archive.org. 5 December 2013. Retrieved 29 May 2019.
  4. "Janet Looker". www.yorklabour.org.uk. 2019. Retrieved 29 May 2019.
  5. "Lord Mayor of York". www.york.gov.uk. 28 May 2019. Retrieved 29 May 2019.
  6. "Janet Looker, Guildhall Labour candidate". York Press. 2015. Retrieved 29 May 2019.
  7. "Danny Myers leads Labour group and Janet Looker will serve as Mayor". York Press. 8 May 2019. Retrieved 29 May 2019.
  8. "Annual Council, 22 May 2019". www.youtube.com. 23 May 2019. Retrieved 29 May 2019.
  9. "Lord Mayor of York". www.york.gov.uk. 2019. Retrieved 29 May 2019.
Civic offices
Preceded by
Keith Orrell
Lord Mayor of York
2019–present		 Incumbent
Preceded by
Charles Hall
Lord Mayor of York
2004–2005		 Succeeded by
Janet Greenwood
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