Tributes have been paid by local dignitaries to Baroness Thatcher following her death on Monday.

Ilkley’s Conservative MP Kris Hopkins spoke of his sadness, following the death of the 87-year-old on Monday. She died following a stroke.

Mr Hopkins said she was “one of Britain’s greatest prime ministers”.

“She came to power at a time when our economy was in ruin following years of Labour ineptitude, and she challenged the militant trade unions of the day,” he said.

“Whilst she was a hugely divisive figure, Baroness Thatcher was a true leader and her qualities most memorably came to the fore during the Falklands War.

“She also played a crucial role in supporting Ronald Reagan in achieving the demise of the Warsaw Pact and an end to the Cold War.

“I know that many people in the North will forever associate Baroness Thatcher with the miners’ strike, and her legacy will stir contrasting emotions on a day like today.”

Pudsey MP Stuart Andrew condemned revellers who took to the streets to celebrate the death of Margaret Thatcher. He branded the scenes in Glasgow as “highly disrespectful”.

Mr Andrew, whose constituency includes Horsforth and Aireborough, said: “Somebody has died, and regardless of what you think of them, there is no excuse for that sort of behaviour.

“I have my views about leaders of other parties but whenever they die I have nothing but respect.”

The Conservative MP, who last saw Baroness Thatcher 18 months ago, said it was clear then that her health was becoming a challenge.

He praised her achievements, stressing: “She was one of those leaders that – like all strong leaders – polarise opinion. People either love her or loathe her.

“For me she was partly why I got into politics. I saw her as someone who turned this country around from being the sick man of Europe to a country that was holding its place on the world stage again.”

He added: “I think time and history will show that it was thanks to her that we saw the beginning of the end of the Cold War.

“But she also did make mistakes – there is no doubt about that. When you are trying to change the economy as she had to do there is an impact, and I don’t think quite enough was done to look at the social impact.”

At Monday’s Ilkley Parish Council meeting, parish council chairman, Councillor Heathcliffe Bowen, paid tribute to Baroness Thatcher.

He described her as a “towering figure of British politics”.

“Love her or loathe her, she made a great historical figure and made a significant contribution, particularly her role in ending the Cold War,” he said.

Between 1978 and 1990 Margaret Thatcher made a number of visits to Bradford and the surrounding areas, including Ilkley and Guiseley.

During one such visit in 1991 she was photographed at The Box Tree in Ilkley, a visit which is recorded in the restaurant’s scrapbook and on May 26, 1983, with a General Election pending in June, the Prime Minister stopped off at Harry Ramsden’s fish and chip restaurant in Guiseley for lunch and a photo opportunity.

After she had eaten she briefly served fish and chips to two little girls.