The late actress and politician Glenda Jackson, who was educated in Hoylake and West Kirby, is set to be posthumously awarded the Freedom of Wirral.
The 87 year-old passed away in June, and now a report to a forthcoming meeting of the council’s forthcoming Regulatory and General Purposes Committee recommends the awarding of the honour for “her eminent service to the Borough and the people of Wirral”.
Born in 1936, Glenda Jackson attended Holy Trinity Church of England primary school and West Kirby Grammar School for Girls.
She made her first acting appearance in J.B Priestley’s ‘Mystery of Greenfingers’ in 1952 for the YMCA Players in Hoylake.
She is the only British actress to have won two Oscars – for her 1970 role opposite Oliver Reed in Women in Love and three years later for A Touch of Class.
In 1991 she retired from acting to devote herself to politics and was elected as MP for Hampstead and Highgate in 1992, before stepping down in 2015.
The report to councillors says: “Under the Local Government Act 1972, the Council has the power to grant the title of Honorary Freeman or Freewoman of the Borough to persons of distinction who have rendered eminent Service to the Borough.
“This is a very significant step for the Council to take. Very few people have been awarded this status and, quite rightly, it should only be awarded to someone who has made an exceptional contribution to the Borough. Glenda Jackson of Birkenhead is within this category.”
If the report is approved, a special meeting will be held on 9 October at which councillors will vote on whether to approve the honour.
