Sadness at death of the ‘singing councillor’
A COUNCILLOR who was “passionate about his community” has died while out with his family.
Vaughan Hopewell fell ill over the weekend and his death has saddened his council colleagues, friends and family.
Councillor Hopewell, who was elected to represent the Oaktree Ward in 2011, had done much for charity over the years and was known as the ‘singing councillor’. He also hit the headlines with a comedic performance on a live stream of a meeting. Representing Mansfield East on Nottinghamshire County Council at the time, councillor Hopewell was caught out in his waist-high shirt and tie attire when he got up to grab a drink, only for those watching to notice he was wearing blue shorts too. He hoped it brought a smile to people’s faces at the height of the covid pandemic.
Mansfield District Council says during his term of election he had worked hard to ensure that the residents of Oaktree were represented and had access to the services and care they needed especially around housing and quality of life.
Councillor Mick Barton, Group Leader of Mansfield Independents, said: “We are so shocked about the death of our valued friend and fellow councillor Vaughan Hopewell. He was passionate about his community and cared for his constituents. I’ve known Vaughan for more than 20 years and he was a valued member of our group, he always put other people first and loved his family dearly.”
Councillor Hopewell worked for local charity Jigsaw, which works in providing services for vulnerable people. He was honoured to have been nominated for an upcoming award out of 250 supporters of the charity and during his work for Jigsaw, he produced a song to raise money, from which many then referred to him as the ‘singing councillor’.
Executive Mayor for Mansfield, Andy Abrahams, said: “Vaughan was a community champion dedicated to being a ward councillor and supporting local people. He was immensely proud to serve his community and did his utmost to help people. He’ll be sorely missed by the council.”
Details of his funeral are expected to be announced next week.