Draft:Councillor Dwain Longley OStJ

Dwain Longley OStJ is a British Politician and Paramedic (1) who is serving as the current Mayor of Featherstone. He is current in his second term as an Elected Labour Councillor having initially been elected in the May 2019 local elections (2).

Born in Wakefield to Ms Tracey Austin, a former Mayor of the Wakefield Metropolitan District (3) he was adopted to a family in Featherstone at birth, where he was raised and educated.

He has worked for the Yorkshire Ambulance Service full time since 2008, after starting as a student paramedic and has held several managerial, training and clinical roles.

Early Life and Education

Councillor Longley attended North Featherstone Junior and Infant School prior to attending Featherstone High School and then Pontefract New College.

After working for a short period in the care industry and the NHS as a nursing auxiliary he began studying at HEIs. Initially undertaking a Foundation Degree in Paramedic Science with Teesside University through YAS in order to register as a paramedic, he then went on to study his Bachelors and Masters Degrees through Sheffield Hallam University. As part of his time spend delivering training he undertook his PGCE through Hull University. Latterly he is studying towards his PhD with the Open University.

Professional and volunteering Career

Councillor Longley has worked for the Yorkshire Ambulance Service since 2008 full time, having served for two years prior to this as a volunteer community first responder.

He continued to volunteer as a CFR until 2013, in addition to his paid, full-time role.

Starting as a student paramedic, throughout his career he has held several clinical, management and educational roles and currently operates as an Area Operations Manager within the Trust.

He has volunteered with St. John Ambulance since 2003 and is currently the North East Regional President, An advocacy and ambassadorial role that involves showcasing the work that St. John Ambulance does within the North East.

Councillor Longley has held various positions since starting as a cadet, including but not limited to Resilience and Operations officer, District and Regional Clinical Leads, Regional EPRR Lead, District Manager and County President. The latter two positions of which he was promoted to Officer of the Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of St John of Jerusalem.

Since 2014 Councillor Longley has also volunteered with the Sea Cadet Corps as a staff instructor. In 2019 he was awarded a cadet forces commission as a Sub Lieutenant (SCC). He has served as the Commanding Officer of TS Unicorn and has held the position District Staff Officer First Aid.

Politics

A member of the Labour party since 2015 Councillor Longley was first elected to Featherstone Town Council in May 2019 and was elected once more in May 2023.

During his time on the Council, he has been leading the push to have Community Public Access Defibrillators (CPADs) placed in the town and was the Chair of the Road Safety Committee until its amalgamation into a different committee.

He volunteers as the custodian of these CPADs

In May 2023 he was appointed as the Deputy Mayor of the Town.

Mayor

Councillor Longley was appointed as Town Mayor on the 8th of May 2024 at the annual Town Council Meeting.

Councillor Longley’s own grandfather Ernest Longley was elected on to the inaugural group of Town Councillors in 1974 following on from the reorganisation of the local authorities from Urban District to Town Councils, and is the third generation of his family to serve as the Town’s Mayor, his grandfather served as the Town’s Mayor in 1977 and 1980 in addition to this his Uncle Councillor Keith Wilson served in 1982 and is still serving as a councillor on Normanton’s Town Council (4).

He will be supported during his tenure as Mayor by the former Mayor of the Wakefield Metropolitan District Tracey Austin who will be taking up the position of Mayoress during 2024 - 2025.

His Chaplains are Rev. Josephy Grosu and Mr Tim Haigh. Reverend Grosu is the Vicar of St. Thomas Parish Church in Featherstone (5), Whilst Mr Tim Haigh supports HM Prison Service as a Prison Chaplain (6).

His chosen charity for his tenure is the Stillborn and Neonate Death Charity (SANDS), a charity of which he has supported for some time.

Speaking about the appointment Councillor Longley has said:

''It is such an honour and a privilege to take up the position of Mayor in the town where I grew up and was educated in. sadly my grandfather passed away when I was a young child, so I was unable to fully understand what he did in his younger days on the council and now being appointed Mayor makes me feel closer to him and his legacy. I want to help support the development of the Town and surrounding areas and ensure that there we are building a sustainable and prosperous future for generations to come''

Publications

2018 – Standby CPD – Major Incidents (Class Publishing)

2020 – Standby CPD – Clinical Decontamination (Class Publishing)

2024 – Standby CPD – Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (Class Publishing)

(7)

Awards

Through his professional and volunteering activities Dwain has been awarded the following medals.

Dwain was also awarded the British Citizen Award Medal in 2019 for services to volunteering and healthcare (9).