219 BC/19/40 ANNOUNCEMENTS FROM THE CHAIRMAN AND LEADER PDF 17 KB
In addition to any announcements made at the meeting, please see Paper BC/19/40 attached, detailing events attended by the Chairman and Vice-Chairman.
Minutes:
219.1 Councillor Grandon, the Chair of the Council referred to Paper BC/19/40, which was for noting.
219.2 She then paid the following tribute to previous Councillor Nick Ridley:
It was with great sadness that we learned of the passing on the 31st March of our former colleague Nick Ridley, and due to the pandemic and lockdown, this was the first opportunity to pay tribute to Nick.
Nick was one of Babergh’s most experienced and respected Councillors, having served the Council as the Conservative Member for Brook Ward for 16 years, from 2003 until 2019.
During his terms of office Nick served in senior roles including as Chairman of Strategy, which fulfilled the same role as the Leader. He was also the Chairman of the Council from 2012 to 2014 and served as Chairman again in 2015 to 2016.
Among the many Committees he led, he was Chairman of the Planning and the Regulatory and Licensing Committees; he was a Cabinet Member until 2019. He also served as the Council’s representative on many outside bodies.
Nick was a wise counsel and highly regarded by his peers. He gave many of us sound advice. He had a wealth of local government experience and his contributions to debates in the Council Chamber were always thoughtful and informed.
Many long-standing Councillors would have their own personal memories of Nick. I had great respect for Nick, he had strong and forthright views on many matters, and I can recall that on a couple of prominent planning issues, we disagreed, but fundamentally he used those forthright views and his in-depth experience for the good of our District.
I also recall once asking him what he enjoyed most about being the Chairman and I was amused to hear that he said attending the annual Colchester Oyster Feast and went on to regale me with the details of the occasion.
Nick was passionate about Suffolk. Nick’s dedication to the community and his achievements are awe-inspiring. His daughter Sarah told the Chair that he was most proud of the Millennium Project at St Edmundsbury Cathedral, which saw the Tower built and other major additions which changed Bury St Edmunds skyline. Nick masterminded this project.
To mention just a few of Nick’s other achievements: he was a former Deputy Lieutenant of Suffolk, a Justice of the Peace for very many years and he was awarded the OBE in 2005 for his services to the community in Suffolk. He was previously Chairman of Suffolk Health Authority and a founding father of St Elizabeth Hospice, a charity he supported until his death. And yet he was a very modest man.
One of the many things that I will always remember Nick saying to me, was that “family comes first”; and our thoughts are with Nick’s wife Jessie and his family at this difficult time.
219.3 Councillor Grandon asked Councillors to observe one minute’s silence to pay respect to their friend and colleague Nick Ridley.
219.4 The Chair then invited the ... view the full minutes text for item 219