New Mayor for Wakefield district announced

Cllr Maureen Tennant-King is the new Mayor of Wakefield.

Her appointment took place at today's (15 May) Annual General Meeting and Mayor Making ceremony. 

She said: “It is an absolute privilege and honour to take up the role of Mayor. I will use my year to continue to advocate for our district and to highlight the many great things that are happening here. I look forward to meeting the many fabulous people, organisations and charities that make our district so special.

“I’m also pleased to be supporting Wakefield District Sight Aid and The Wakefield and District Down’s Syndrome Support Group during my year in office. I’ll be working hard to raise awareness and much-needed funds for these causes close to my heart.”

The Mayor is a ceremonial title conferred by the Royal Charter granted to Wakefield. As the First Citizen of the district, they chair meetings of full council during their period of office.

Joining Cllr Tennant-King is her consort and husband Terry King.

Cllr Tennant-King was elected as a Councillor for the Featherstone ward in 2016. 

She has been a member of the Planning and Highways Committee for nine years and is currently its Deputy Chair. She is also a member of the Children and Young People Overview and Scrutiny Committee, and she also represents the Council on Wakefield Sight Aid Board. 

She has been an active member of Featherstone Town Council since 1999 and has been the Mayor of Featherstone on three occasions.

Cllr Tennant-King has been involved in many groups and committees and her involvement in the community is far reaching. 

She is a Trustee for the Featherstone Rovers Foundation, Trustee and Chairperson of Featherstone Urban Charities Board and has recently been appointed Patron of the Well Women's Centre. 

She helped to set up Sharing is Caring Featherstone Uniform Bank, and the Hungry Holidays project. She supports the Food Bank and friend's groups in the area, and in the wider community she assists The Clothing Bank and Airedale Children’s and Baby Bank.

Cllr Lynn Masterman is the new Deputy Mayor and her consort is her husband, Lee Masterman.

She has represented the Stanley and Outwood East ward since 2022. She previously represented the Ossett ward from 2016 to 2021.

She has formerly been a member of the Licencing Committee, Adult Services and Health and Communities Scrutiny Committees, Deputy Portfolio Holder for Culture, Leisure and Sport and more recently she was Deputy Chair of the West Yorkshire Police and Crime Panel. She also serves on the Wakefield Metropolitan Bands Management Committee and the Waste Recycling Group.

Cllr Masterman has also been an active member of Normanton Town Council since 2014. She currently sits on the Alice Bacon Committee – helping to arrange events for the elderly in the Town Council Ward. She has also previously served on the Property Committee and the Planning, Highways and Environment Committees.

You can watch the Mayor Making ceremony again on the Council’s YouTube channel.

Mayor’s Charity Appeal 2025-26

The Mayor is supporting Wakefield District Sight Aid and Wakefield and District Downs Syndrome Support Group during her term of office and may share some of the money raised amongst a number of other local charities that she may visit during her mayoral year.

Wakefield District Sight Aid was formed in 1869 and supports anyone living with low vision, their families, carers and sight care professionals across the Wakefield district. Their vision is to aim for a world where people living with sight loss have access to the same opportunities and quality of life as fully sighted people.

The Wakefield and District Down’s Syndrome Support Group was formed in 2000 and is run by volunteer parents and carers of people with Down’s syndrome. The aim of the group is to provide a support network, information and fun activities for people with Down’s syndrome, their families and friends and raise awareness and promote social inclusion.