LORD – CITATION FOR THE CONFERMENT OF THE FREEDOM OF THE CITY OF

Dennis Turner was born, raised and educated in Bilston.

He was first elected to the Wolverhampton Borough Council in 1966 at the age of 22. His years in local government encompassed service as Chairman of Social Services, Special Education, Further Education, Economic Development, Housing Services and the Grand Theatre Committees. He became Deputy Leader of the Wolverhampton Metropolitan Borough Council in 1980 until 1986 when he stood down from the Council. He also served on the County Council from 1973 until 1986.

He was also the chair of the Joint Trade Union Action Committee which fought a long battle to prevent the closure of the Bilston Steelworks, which was finally lost in 1980, despite the opposition of the entire workforce and the whole of the Bilston Community.

In 1987 he was elected to Parliament and served as the Honourable Member for Wolverhampton South East until his retirement as an MP at the General Election in May 2005.

He served as an Opposition Whip from 1992 until 1997 when he was appointed Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Secretary of State for International Development. He founded and chaired the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Further Education and was Chairman of the House of Commons Catering Committee from 1997 until 2005. He was also closely involved in the campaign for City Status for Wolverhampton.

In July 2005 Dennis Turner was raised to the peerage as Baron Bilston, of Bilston in the County of West Midlands. He continues to pursue his interests in education and international development as an active member of the House of Lords.

He is patron of Wolverhampton Interfaith, is Chairman of the Wolverhampton Fairtrade Partnership and is President of the Bilston Community Association.

He continues to live in his beloved Bilston with his wife Pat and their son Brendon and daughter Jenny. A man of the people.