All change: meet Wigan's new mayor

The 67-year-old, who represents the Standish and Langtree ward for Labour, will take over the mantel from the incumbent Coun Kevin Anderson.

Born in Hammersmith, London, Coun Parkinson moved to Standish in 1976 when she married.

The mother-of-three is an authorised lay minister of St Wilfrid’s Church in Standish. She was first elected to Wigan Council in 2019 and after being re-elected in 2023, she was appointed as Wigan’s Older Persons Champion.

Coun Parkinson was appointed to the board of trustees of Wigan’s Citizens Advice Bureau in March this year.

She has been active as a volunteer in Standish since the ’70s and is a member of the Christmas market committee, joint churches together committee and has volunteered as a bereavement support worker for Wigan and Leigh Hospice since 2011 while also supporting the bereaved in and around Standish.

A graduate of Huddersfield University, Coun Parkinson is an NHS patient and public involvement manager.

Coun Parkinson’s consort will be ward colleague Coun Terry Mugan.