Gill Dawn, who has represented Newark's Bridge Ward for 33 years, has retired with immediate effect

One of Newark and Sherwood District Council's longest-serving members has retired with immediate effect.

Gill Dawn, who has represented Newark's Bridge Ward for 33 years, said there was no one reason for stepping down, no issues, no fallouts.

"I just felt the time was right to retire," said Mrs Dawn, who was an independent.

"It's lots of little things that informed my decision. I gave it a while and could have given it longer but I thought over the Easter weekend 'Gill, you're 76 and it's time to go.'

"I think you reach an age where you think you're probably not doing things as well.

"I'm perhaps not the person to best represent the constituents who voted me in.

"It's time for somebody younger and more vibrant to take over. Being a district councillor is a big job and a big responsibility in representing people.

"I want to pay tribute to what the district council has achieved, particularly during the pandemic. The chief executive, the officers and, even though they are Conservatives, the leadership. They have all been superb and have led from the front, going above and beyond.

"It has been a pleasure to represent the people of the Bridge Ward and I would like to thank them for continually electing me. They'll still see me walking about."

Mrs Dawn was a leader of the council and the authority's chairman in her time there and counted the creation of the Newark Riverside Park as one of her key achievements while in office.

Mrs Dawn will continue as a Newark town councillor, however, a role she says is less demanding of her time, because she believes there's is still plenty that can be achieved there and that it is an exciting time with the allocation of £25m of government's Towns fund and the reinvigorating of the Buttermarket.