Mourners line streets of Dunblane to pay tribute to Councillor Houston
Mourners lined the streets of Dunblane this week to pay their respects to Councillor Graham Houston, who died aged 74.
The SNP member for the Dunblane and Bridge of Allan ward passed away on Sunday, December 18 following a short illness.
A service of remembrance was held at Dunblane Cathedral on Wednesday afternoon – attended by family, friends and council colleagues. Councillor Houston was described as“one of life’s good guys”following his sad passing.
Stirling Council leader Scott Farmer last week led the tributes, saying:“this is extremely sad news for everyone in the SNP group and I would like to share my heartfelt condolences with Graham’s wife Jennifer, his family and friends.
“Graham was a man of integrity and a dedicated public servant, representing his constituents with distinction to the very end despite his illness. That’s no surprise to me as Graham was a really caring individual, whose first instinct was always to think about other people other than himself.
“Graham was pragmatic, had a fine-tuned sense of wit and was passionate in ensuring a better future for the people he represented. I looked up to him so much in the way he conducted himself in public life especially in how he managed challenging situations. He really was a cut above the rest.”
Councillor Houston was first elected as a councillor in May 2007.
He served across a wide range of roles at the council – including as council leader from 2008 to 2012 and depute convener of the council from 2017 to 2022.
Cllr Houston also served as vice president of COSLA (2017-2022), chair of the Scottish Qualification Authority (2009-2017) and as a board member of the Scottish Police Authority (2012-2018) as well as being on the Integration Joint Board (2017-2022) that oversees the Clackmannanshire and Stirling Health and Social Care Partnership.