Tribute to Ian Sayers 1940 -2019
It is with great sadness that we announce that Ian Sayers one of our campaign team, a deputy agent and fellow councillor, died quietly at home yesterday. Our condolences go to his partner Jean and his family. Ian was the archetypical balanced intelligent gentleman, a good friend, loyal and dependable. He will be sorely missed by his family, friends and the Association.
He was involved from the start of our current council election campaign, sat on appraisal committees for candidates, and as an executive member on a large number of candidate selections both in South Ribble and the Ribble Valley. He attended virtually every Saturday since early February on canvass and leaflet distribution and helped to oversee the submission of all 59 candidate nomination papers. He attended campaign and officers meetings every Monday morning, a tireless worker in the Conservative cause who attended whenever there was an need for assistance.
Ian had a distinguished record of public service. He was for 12 years a Borough councillor for Ribchester first elected in 2007 and a parish councillor on Ribchester Parish Council which he served as Chairman of for just over 6 years. Ian always felt there was a benefit in integrating the work of the Borough, Parish and as he put it “at times” the County Council. He was justifiably proud of the improvements that the Parish Council had brought about to the Village Hall in Ribchester under his stewardship as Chairman. He served as Mayor of the Ribble Valley in 2016-17 and before that Deputy Mayor in 2015-16. He was a member of the constituency management team and executive for many years. A biochemist by profession with not just one but two PhDs. A very modest man who never used the title Doctor he was Chairman of the Lancashire Waste Partnership and attended regular meetings at County Hall and had been all over the country and across Europe to look at new technologies to find solutions to Lancashire's waste recycling problems. On the council he had been Vice Chairman of Planning and Chairman of Licensing. Ian was also passionate about Community Transport and had been Chairman of the Clitheroe-based Community Transport Company the Little Green Bus CIC of which he was a vocal advocate. His abiding aim as a Borough Councillor was to “continue to support all aspects of Ribchester life”. He was above all a very local man in terms of his outlook and worked hard on behalf of the community to ensure that Ribchester had adequate flood defences to ameliorate the threat of flooding following on from the Boxing Day floods in 2015.
He will leave a huge hole but has left behind a very strong impression of goodness. I’m sure that all the Conservative Group Members will endorse the comment that he was an absolute gentlemen. Not only will he be sorely missed but we can all learn many lessons from him regarding good conduct.
It was the mark of the man that on his application form when it asked, “How much time would you be able to give to working in your ward/division if selected?” he answered simply, “As long as necessary.”
God Bless Ian
