Former Wolverhampton mayor 'told he is too old' to be a councillor
A senior Labour councillor and former Wolverhampton mayor says he has been deselected after being told he was "too old".
Councillor Phil Page, aged 75, lost out in a ballot of local members in Bilston North having represented the ward on Wolverhampton Council for the last 20 years.
It means the former mayor and cabinet member for education will not be standing in May's local elections.
Councillor Page, who is Bilston born and bred, said he was "devastated" to have been deselected – and he said his age had played a part in the decision to push him aside.
He said: "It has all come as bit of a shock.
"I have been a councillor in Bilston for 20 years and I have thoroughly enjoyed helping people, through both my work on the council and all the charity work.
"I'm 75 and I was told that one of the reasons I wasn't selected is that I'm too old. They feel they need to get rid of some of the old 'uns.
"They are bringing people in who have never been councillors before, or knocked on doors or spoken to the public. I am devastated about what has happened, but I have a lot of achievements to look back on."
Councillor Page served as city mayor in 2018-19. He started out as a local government officer in the city and went on to become the council's cabinet member for education, overseeing the biggest ever capital investment in the city's schools.
He currently chairs the licensing committee and the regulatory committee, and raises funds for local good causes in his role as a Rotarian.
Councillor Page said his deselection came after he had previously been shortlisted on two separate occasions in the ward.
He has been replaced by first-time candidate Rohit Mistry, who will stand alongside current cabinet member Linda Leach. Sue Roberts is moving over from Oxley to stand in place of Olivia Birch, who is standing down.
A Labour Party spokesperson said:"Local members voted and selected their candidate for Bilston North for the upcoming elections.
"The Labour Party will never exclude any candidate from selection because of their age."
This year's local elections take place on May 4 and will see all 60 seats up for grabs in the city.
