Dudley councillor to retire after 24 action-packed years

The St Thomas’s ward councillor and former Mayor of Dudley, who is known for his charity fundraising, is stepping down at the local election on Thursday May 5.

Now 66, Steve said the time was right to take things a little bit easier – although not too easy.

He’s planning his ninth consecutive climb of Ben Nevis in August as part of an annual peace pilgrimage from Dudley, although he admits he’s made it to the summit of the UK’s highest peak on about 25 occasions to date.

Over the years he’s taken on all manner of charity running, walking and cycling challenges to raise cash for good causes – a lifetime’s dedication that earned him an MBE in 2018.

Cllr Steve Waltho at Everest Base Camp - a charity trek which raised £3,000 for Mary Stevens Hospice in Stourbridge

Cllr Steve Waltho raising money for Dudley's Action Heart charity

He estimates he’s raised around a third of a million pounds for charity over the years including £55,000 during his mayoral year with wife Jayne at his side as Mayoress.

Back in 2014 he was diagnosed with prostate cancer shortly before he became deputy mayor and a year before becoming the borough’s first citizen in 2015-16.

Cllr Steve Waltho and wife Jayne who were Mayor and Mayoress in 2015-16

But he kept on busying himself with his action-packed events – and raised a record amount during his mayoral year for chosen charities - The Hope Centre in Halesowen, Stourbridge’s What? Centre, More Mascots Please, the Leukaemia Unit Appeal Fund at Russells Hall Hospital and The West Midlands Lupus Group.

Cllr Steve Waltho, right, as Mayor of Dudley with wife Jayne, left, as Mayoress for 2015-16.

He said: “If there was one time that I’ll remember forever it was that year. It was more rewarding than anything.”

During his time on Dudley Council, which has included serving St Thomas’s ward since 2006 and Wordsley from 1996 to 2004, he has been a popular community councillor, liked and admired across the political divide.

He’s also been cabinet member for housing as well as health and wellbeing but individual battles and cases such as those that have helped save residents from eviction are among his greatest achievements, he said.

Cllr Steve Waltho - official council portrait for Dudley Council (Image: Dudley Council)

However, he told how council budgets had been cut over the years – hitting community and youth organisations hard - and he feels the esteem in which elected members are held has taken a backwards step.

Those things, he said, are among the reasons for his departure from local politics.

However, he’s also keen to spend more time with family friends – since undergoing surgery for prostate cancer last autumn.

To help with his recovery, he challenged himself to scale 20 peaks in the Lake District tin February – raising around £2,000 for Prostate Cancer and Access in Dudley in the process.

And he’s not planning on giving up on his adventures anytime soon.

Steve, a grandfather-of-three who was a shift team leader at Oldbury chemical plant Solvay for many years, still intends to be on the go and helping out in the community.

He remains chairman of the Saleem Foundation, helps out weekly at the BC Foodbank with wife Jayne and still sings with the Gentlemen Songsters.

He’s also a patron of Access in Dudley and a member of Dudley’s ex-Mayor’s group.

In his retirement, he hopes to scale the rest of the Wainwright peaks in the Lake District; he’s ticked off 158 of 214 so far.

He’s even mulling over the possibility of a bungee jump!