The mayor of Bradley Stoke, Cllr Michael Hill, has passed away following a “very short illness”, the town council has announced.
Cllr Hill was elected mayor for the civic year 2021/22 at the council’s annual general meeting in May.
The coronavirus pandemic, leading to the cancellation of events such as the Bradley Stoke Community Festival, has meant that his public appearances in the mayoral role have been limited. He presented the prizes for Bradley Stoke in Bloom’s 2021 Best Front Garden competition at the Picnic on the Green on Saturday 14th August and was photographed on Saturday 4th September at a private prizegiving ceremony for the 2021 Scarecrow Trail.
Cllr Hill was absent from the town council’s Fireworks Display on Sunday 7th November, an event at which the mayor traditionally leads the countdown to the start of the display. His stand-in, town council vice-chair Cllr Tony Griffiths, announced over the public address system that the mayor was unable to attend as he was “in hospital”.
The town council website records that Cllr Hill passed away less than two weeks later, on Saturday 20th November 2021.
In a statement announcing the mayor’s death, Bradley Stoke Town Council wrote:
“Michael was a very caring, proactive person who had a wealth of councillor experience stretching back over many years. He will be sorely missed by everyone who came in contact with him.”
The flag outside the town council offices at the Jubilee Centre, Savages Wood Road, has been flown at half-mast and a one minute’s silence was held at the start of a meeting of the town council’s Planning & Environment Committee on Wednesday 24th November.
Michael Hill and his wife, Margret, moved to Bradley Stoke in 2017 to be nearer their family. He stood as a Conservative candidate in the May 2019 town council elections and was elected to represent the Bradley Stoke South ward.
When attending his inaugural council meeting in Bradley Stoke, Cllr Hill declined to be photographed with the sole Labour member in a ‘new councillors’ photo for the Journal, saying he thought it “inappropriate”. Consequently, two separate photographs had to be taken, in line with party political affiliations.
Later in 2019, he put forward a motion to change the council’s standing orders (constitution) to require proportional representation along party lines to be observed in the allocation of members to each of the council’s three committees. The motion was successful, thanks to the support of most of the majority Conservative group. It was opposed by the non-Conservatives (one Labour and two Independents).
Michael Hill previously lived in Northampton, where he served as a local councillor for many years.
An announcement published on the Northampton Town Council website on 24th November reads:
“It is with great sadness that we are sharing the news that Cllr Michael Hill, Mayor of Bradley Stoke, former Mayor of the Borough of Northampton 2009-2010 and Honorary Alderman, has passed away. Cllr Hill served Northampton Borough Council for 18 years and the County Council for 4 years. Northampton Town Council pass on our deepest condolences to Cllr Hill’s Family and friends.”
It is with great sadness that we announce that Cllr Michael Hill, former Mayor of the Borough of Northampton has passed away https://t.co/LSmxZmSC0n pic.twitter.com/3KgZPo8ZOg
— Northampton Town Council (@Northampton_TC) November 24, 2021
Related link: Meet the new mayor: Councillor Michael Hill (The Journal, June 2021)
