New county council chairman pays tribute to predecessor as he is sworn into new role
Alan Cullens BEM has recently been elected as the Chairman of Lancashire County Council following the untimely death of the incumbent Chairman, County Councillor Keith Iddon, who passed away very unexpectedly on 29 June 2023.
Alan commented, "It is a bittersweet moment for me, in that I had known Keith for almost 20 years.
"Along with another former Chairman, the late Mike Devaney, we used to share a glass and regularly put the world to rights."
Born in Heywood, Alan moved into branch banking, working for The District Bank, where he spent the first 17 years of his working life. Whilst working in an Edinburgh branch, he met his wife to be – the couple have been married for over 40 years and now have one daughter and four grandchildren.
The Cullens' moved to Chorley some 39 years ago, where our new chairman got stuck in with the local community; becoming a scout leader as well as a school governor for two local primary schools.
Alan went on to work in multiple sectors including aerospace and consultancy after qualifying as a HR practitioner, mastering in the role of learning and development. During this time, he served dozens of clients across Lancashire.
Alan's political life really began in 2004, when he was elected as a borough councillor in Chorley; a role in which he spent 14 years.
In addition, he has represented Clayton-le-Woods and most recently Hoghton Parish Council as their Parish Councillor.
He also spent a number of years working for a political party, and his work to serve local people was recognised when he was awarded the British Empire Medal by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II in 2022.