Tributes paid as ‘caring’ mayor dies after illness
TRIBUTES have been paid to Bradley Stoke mayor Michael Hill, who has died after a “very short illness”.
Mr Hill was elected to Bradley Stoke Town Council in 2019, representing the South Ward, and was elected mayor/chair of council in May 2021.
He was described as a “caring, proactive person” who would be “sorely missed by everyone who came in contact with him”.
A statement released by the town council described Mr Hill as a man who had a “wealth of councillor experience stretching back many years”.
It added: “Michael John Hill was born and educated in north London. He started his career in a weekly newspaper, then moving on to become a press officer of London Transport.
“Michael spent most of his career on media duties with the Ministry of Defence.
“At different times, he was head of public relations at the Royal Air Force Headquarters at High Wycombe and latterly at the Royal Navy’s Fleet Headquarters at Northwood.
“His travels took him from Hong Kong to the Falkland Islands and from the West Indies to the Persian Gulf.”
It described his political career, which started at the London Borough of Barnet, where he was first elected in 1974.
He served as a Barnet councillor for 12 years before moving to Northampton, where he served on Northampton Borough Council for 18 years, rising to the role of mayor in 2009-10.
He also served four years as a Northamptonshire county councillor, from 2005 to 2009.
He moved to Bradley Stoke with his wife, Margaret, in 2019.
His hobbies included railways,
photography and football, and he was often seen walking his cockapoo dog.
In its tribute, the 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 digital editor of BBC West, Chris Kelly, described the news of Mr Hill’s death as “exceptionally sad”.