Remembering Cllr Daphne Sleigh

Former Lord Provost, Eric Milligan, remembers former councillor, Daphne Sleigh, who has died aged 82, as 'feisty'. He said: "I remember her so well.

She was a forceful determined Conservative and unafraid to express her opinions in support of the Conservative cause, but never in a personal way - always from a position of policy and principle.

"I remember in particular her accompanying me to Buckingham Palace for the Queen's Golden Jubilee. She was delighted to be there and later to receive her honour. I extend my condolences to her husband Lindsay Walls. I have known him even longer. He served as a Conservative councillor and I consider him a personal friend albeit a political opponent."

Former Council Leader, Donald Anderson remembers her with admiration. He said: "I thought Daphne Sleigh was a fantastic person. A robust and forthright politician who was fundamentally decent and passionate about Edinburgh. I particularly remember three encounters that showed the measure of the woman. Firstly, when Nelson Mandela got the freedom of the city there was a reception at the ‘Caley’ hotel.

"I was completely star struck meeting one of the world’s greatest statesmen, and mumbled a few words. Not so Daphne, when she was introduced as the leader of the Conservative group, Nelson responded by saying, “Ah like

Mrs Thatcher”. “Absolutely”, she responded and they had a long chat with many jokes and laughs. She was at home with everyone and had a great sense of humour.

"She was also responsible for the development of one of Britain’s finest visitor attractions, as she was the first person to call for

Mary King's Close to open as a visitor attraction. We used the money from selling a building for the Edinburgh Dungeon to fund the development. I still think it’s one of the best visitor attractions anywhere, and that’s down to Daphne. She was full of ideas and passionate about the city. Daphne didn’t just criticise for the sake of it, she always wanted results. At a time when our politics seem as divided as ever, Daphne is a great example that there are good and decent people in all of the political parties, and we’d do well to remember that. She’s a great loss to the city and I’ll miss that mischievous grin and great sense of humour. I also remember Daphne telling me after one heated debate we had after a council meeting on housing. “Donald," she said, turning her head to one side with one of her cheeky grins, “you know I think you should be in the Conservative Party”.

"Not for the first time I was lost for words with her. I didn’t know what to say."