SELBY councillors put aside politics and praised each other as they shared memories at the final meeting of the district council.

All councillors agreed – despite their differences – that good-naturedness had been the enduring feature of Selby District Council.

Created in 1974, the district will be replaced by a single unitary authority that covers the whole of North Yorkshire on April 1.

Council leader Cllr Mark Crane, who joined Selby in 1999 and has been its leader for 20 years, said it had been “the privilege of his life”.

The Conservative said: “One of the great things about Selby is we don’t always agree, but I think we always disagree in a very polite and professional manner.”

He said the highlight was the council working together with the NHS to provide a new community hospital and civic centre on the same site.

“If we hadn’t done what we did, that hospital would have finished and the people of Selby would have been travelling to York for everything,” he added. “It has made life better for the people of Selby.”

Cllr Crane, who will still represent the area on the new North Yorkshire Council, said: “I fought against the move to the unitary North Yorkshire, but the writing was on the wall from day one.

“It’s a long way from Selby. I hope they don’t forget us and it’s up to those of us who represent Selby to make sure they don’t.”

Labour group leader Cllr Bob Packham said he had long been a sceptic of the way Selby district had been set up and would have preferred it to be part of West Yorkshire.

“I do find myself now mourning its loss,” he said.

There was praise for council staff, while many councillors reflected on the highs and lows of their time in office, including the floods that have hit the area several times and the Selby 950 celebrations, marking 950 years since the town’s abbey was founded.

Cllr Wendy Nichols fought a high court battle for her seat after the 1999 election as there had been a counting mistake.

The daughter of two former Selby councillors, she remembered becoming active in local politics aged ten.

She called on those joining North Yorkshire Council to remember the deprived parts of Selby district.

Selby has been under the control of the Conservatives – or under no overall control – since its inception, apart from 1995-1999, when Labour were in power.

Cllr Steve Shaw-Wright, a former miner, said: “I think the council has done an awful lot for Selby, but I personally believe it could have done a lot more.”

Cllr Stephanie Duckett said she was the council’s second longest serving member.

“As you can see, we’re absolutely swamped – still – by men in suits,” she said “I’ve never been a real women’s libber – but for goodness sake it is about time we got some sort of equality.”

The council’s outgoing chief executive Janet Waggott thanked councillors and staff for their support during the difficult few months following a family bereavement.

She has worked in local government for over 34 years at six different councils.

Ms Waggott said: “The way Selby members behave and conduct your business, the respect you show for each other, is exemplary .

“The staff in this council are tremendous. The floods, elections, Covid – they’re all very different things, but when we really need to pull together we do it time and time again.”