|
Statement from
Paul
Carter, Leader of Kent County Council.
Members and Officers from the County Council were saddened to
hear of the death this morning of Lord Bruce-Lockhart of the Weald
following his protracted and courageous battle against cancer.
Sandy Bruce-Lockhart will be enormously missed both locally in
Kent and more broadly in the country. Sandy was the leading
architect of the transformation and improvement in local government
in recent years enhancing both the reputation and relationship of
local government with national government and Westminster, and more
widely with the electorate. Sandy was the charismatic Conservative
Leader of Kent County Council from 1997 until he retired as Leader
in 2005.
Sandy soon restored Kent County Council back to the top of the
premier league in local government, delivering a hard earned
reputation nationally for achieving excellence for Kent County
Council. Driven by a love and passion for the people and the county
of Kent, he proved that beneath his urbane charm and courtesy lay
his conviction and determination to deliver what he believed was
right. His knighthood and subsequent peerage were just rewards for
the significant contribution he made through local government and
the Conservative Party nationally.
Sandy took his skills and reputation for transformation and
improvement to become Chairman of the national Local Government
Association and then Chairman of English Heritage - a job that
suited his instinctive love of history and the environment.
In essence, put simply, in all he did he was a force for good
and we will all miss his wise advice and friendship very much.
Our thoughts and prayers are with his wife Tess and the family
at this sad time. |