By Lewis Berrill @LewisBerrill Chief reporter - east London and west Essex
Cllr Danny Purton died last week. Photo: Harlow Council Tributes have poured in for a ‘passionate’ serving Harlow councillor who died last week. Councillor Danny Purton, a Labour councillor for the Mark Hall Ward, passed away on the night of Friday, April 30 following a short illness. Mr Purton was the council’s cabinet portfolio holder for environment and was first elected as a councillor for Mark Hall in February 2015 and was re-elected in May 2018. “We were all saddened to hear the news that Councillor Purton had passed away,” said Brian Keane, chief executive of the council.
Cllr Frances Mason passed away in the early hours Saturday, December 5. The 62-year-old was first elected to the district council in December 2018 and won re-election to serve Toddbrook in May of last year. The Labour councillor also worked on the Essex Police and Crime panel, Harlow Occupational Health Service, the Safer Harlow Partnership and was a member of the welfare panel. A spokesperson for Harlow Labour said: “Frances was a formidable intellect, a campaigner for equality and fairness, detailed in her approach and an unsurpassed hard worker. She had a great sense of humour. She was kind and her compassion shone through in everything she did.