Paul O'Grady set for posthumous freedom of Wirral

The entertainer died in March at the age of 67

Entertainer Paul O'Grady looks set to be given the posthumous freedom of his home region.

Councillors will vote next week on whether to award the honorary freedom of the borough to the Birkenhead-born TV presenter who died in March aged 67.

O'Grady grew up in Merseyside but later moved to London, where he found fame as his comedic alter-ego Lily Savage.

More than 100,000 people have signed a petition calling for a statue of him to be erected in Birkenhead.

In a statement, Wirral Council said: "Since the sad passing of Birkenhead's legendary entertainer Paul O'Grady in March, we've heard the many asks for us to celebrate his legacy and we agree.

"The first step in doing so will see councillors consider a recommendation to bestow the star with the honour of freedom of the borough.

"This would recognise his years entertaining the nation, along with his dedicated activism and charity work.

"We are also looking at other ways to pay tribute to the legacy of both Paul and Lily - more details will be shared as soon as we have them."

Paul O'Grady found fame with his comedic alter-ego Lily Savage

Councillors will discuss the proposal at a committee meeting on Wednesday.

The agenda item for the meeting states: "This is a very significant step for the council to take.

"Very few people have been awarded this status and it should only be awarded to someone who has made an exceptional contribution."

O'Grady rose to fame in the 1990s with his drag queen persona Lily Savage, going on to present BBC One game show Blankety Blank and other light entertainment programmes.

Later in his career he hosted various chat shows and also brought his love of dogs to the screen.

Other recipients of the Freedom of Wirral have included former Birkenhead MP Lord Field, the victims of the Hillsborough disaster and PC David Phillips, who was killed on duty in 2016 when he was knocked down by a teenager driving a stolen pick-up truck.