TRIBUTES have been paid to former Lord Mayor Frances Brady, who has died aged 96.
Mrs Brady was a Labour councillor in east Hull for more than 30 years.
During her political career, she became only the fifth woman to serve as Hull's Lord Mayor and was a long-serving chairman of the city's housing committee.
Mrs Brady died in Hull Royal Infirmary after suffering heart problems and pneumonia.
Her niece, Councillor Mary Glew, said: "I was with her when she died and it was a privilege for me to hold her hand at the end.
"She passed away very peacefully and I have to say the care she received from the hospital was first class."
Cllr Glew said her aunt had been an inspiration to her and many other women in the city.
She said: "She was a wonderful lady, a much-loved councillor and a real role model for women in Hull.
"Along with Uncle Charlie, she loved political debate and that is one of the things I will always remember about her.
"Growing up in our house, on Sunday afternoons there would always be a political debate going on with Uncle Charlie and Aunt Frances to the fore.
"She was always quite a robust character who never shied away from speaking her mind.
"At the time of her death, she was probably the oldest Labour Party member in the city and she was still active.
"Even with her health problems, she was still keen to keep up with all the political gossip.
"Every time I saw her, she wanted to find out what was happening."
Current Lord Mayor Councillor Danny Brown made a special visit to see Mrs Brady at a nursing home last September after she was unable to attend his own installation ceremony earlier in the year because of ill-health.
He said: "I am glad I managed to fulfil my promise to visit her because she was a very special lady.
"She was a very independent woman, who led a very full life.
"She will be a sad loss to everyone who knows her, both within the Labour Party and across the city."
A widow, Mrs Brady is survived by her son Paul.
A requiem mass will be held at Sacred Heart Church in Southcoates Lane, east Hull, on Friday, March 1, at 11.30am.
• Gallery: Remembering the late Frances Brady
