Frank Prince: Mayor of Sheffield and 'housing hero' who helped hundreds in Darnall find homes dies aged 86

Frank Prince, who was a councillor for Darnall for 17 years throughout the 70s and early 80s, passed away in hospital in the early hours of September 9, 2024. He was 86.

He was widely known for his term as the Lord Mayor of Sheffield in 1986, as well as for helping families in need of housing after a huge number of terraced homes were demolished in Darnall in the 70s.

His wife of 63 years, Sonia Prince, said her husband led a “busy life” and “knew everyone in Darnall and Attercliffe back in the day.”

Mrs Prince said: “He was rarely home in the evenings - he had meetings to attend, his union duties, his clubs and constituents to attend to.

“He loved being a councillor and we both loved being Lord Mayor and Lady Mayoress for our year.

“He was a good talker and he knew how to tell a tale.”

Frank was born in Darnall in 1938 and lived there his whole childhood, then moved ‘up the road’ to Handsworth in the mid-70s.

Sonia met Frank when she moved into a house across the road from him when they were 11 years old. She admits they “fought as children” but otherwise “grew up together” and married in 1961.

After a brief stint as a train 'fireman' while training to be a driver, Frank was encouraged by friend and mentor Sir Ron Ironmonger to stand for councillor in Darnall in 1970 and held the seat for 17 years. His son, Simon, described Frank as a proud socialist who “stood up against injustices and always put himself forward.”

“We got lots of votes at election time,” said Mrs Prince. “Everybody knew who he was. When we went out canvassing, people would stop us in the street, saying how they used to play football together or thanking him for something he sorted out.”

During Frank’s tenure in the 80s, many terraced houses in Darnall were bought through compulsory purchase orders and demolished, leading to widespread troubles for displaced families.

However, the councillor became widely-known and popular for helping residents with housing concerns.

Frank’s son Simon said: “At the time, Darnall was a place where a lot of factory workers lived. He couldn’t house all of them, but they all came to him for help or guidance.”

He also worked to support and organise local football teams and communities, which earned him widespread popularity.

Frank was elected as Lord Mayor of Sheffield with “support from all parties” in 1986 - which also meant it was his duty to welcome Queen Elizabeth II in December that year when she unveiled the covered Spion Kop stand at Hillsborough Stadium.

But another of his obligations that year saw Frank flown out to meet dignitaries in the inky blackness of a mine 1,000 feet below Sheffield’s twinned city of Donetsk, in Ukraine.

The underground gathering was was a tense meeting between former enemies in WWII, Germany and Ukraine. Frank went to the stifling meeting with then-Sheffield City Council deputy leader Peter Price, where there was also the Mayor of Donetsk Vladimir Spitsyn, and Heinz Eikelbeck, Oberbürgermeister of Bochum.

Simon said: “Dad said if meeting the Queen was one of the best days of his life, then the mine in Donetsk was one of the worst, as he did not like enclosed spaces. Still, the trip to Donetsk overall was great and the people there were very welcoming.”

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Frank retired from the council in 1988 to spend more time with his family and at Handsworth Social Club where he served as Secretary for some years.

Sonia said: “He was very outgoing and popular. There was a day in the early 2010s when a young man came up to us both and said ‘Are you Frank Prince?’ Frank said yes and this man said ‘I just wanted to say, respect.’

"He said his grandfather passed away but had thought the world of Frank for his work as a councillor and for helping the local football community, and told him ‘If you ever see Frank Prince, give him your respect’.”

Frank passed away after a short stay in hospital and is survived by his wife, son and daughter, Sarah Moore, along with his and four grandchildren - Aaron Moore, Amy Moore, Ella Prince and Jodi Prince, who Simon called “the lights of his life.” He also is survived by his sister Kathleen Lockwood, who lives in South Africa.

His funeral will be held at 10.30am on September 27 at St Joseph’s Church, Handsworth, followed by a reception at Handsworth Social Club.