Former colleagues and friends gathered at Newcastle's civic centre to pay tribute to long-time city council leader Lord Jeremy Beecham, who died in April. The memorial service heard praise for his commitment to the city and to local government.
Tree Planting and Tributes
Family members joined civic dignitaries to plant a tree in his honour close to the civic centre before hearing tributes. Former city council leaders Tony Flynn, John Shipley and David Faulkner attended, along with North East mayor Kim McGuinness, former Labour Minister Baroness Quinn, Newcastle lord mayor Henry Gallagher and Tyne and Wear lord lieutenant Lucy Winskell.
The event was opened by current city council leader Colin Ferguson, who said: "Jeremy believed deeply in the power of local government to change people's lives. I saw that myself through the committees we served on together."
Ferguson added: "He understood that politics matters most when it made a difference to the streets where we live, to the schools our children attend, to the services we rely on and the opportunities available to all."
55 Years of Service
The service heard that Lord Beecham served as a city councillor in Benwell and Scotswood for 55 years and was council leader for 17 years. He was instrumental in setting up the Local Government Association and became a front bench spokesman for Labour in the House of Lords.
He served as leader of the city council from 1977 to 1994, was knighted in 1994, awarded the Freedom of Newcastle in 1995, and appointed to the House of Lords as a life peer in 2010.
The service was preceded by a medley of Geordie songs played from the civic centre carillon tower, while tributes were paid by political colleagues, members of the Jewish and inter-faith communities, and his family.
Northern Star
Former council leader Tony Flynn, who succeeded Lord Beecham in the role, said: "Jeremy was an outstanding leader of the council and probably the foremost national advocate for local government in the country."
Flynn added: "I like to think of him as our Northern star who will always shine brightly, pointing the way forward. He was loyal, public spirited and devoted to his constituents, and above all, to the people of Newcastle."
