(RETIRED MARKETING REPRESENTATIVE)
(531)
Born in Leicester on 20 June 1940 and educated at Catherine Street Junior and Ellis Avenue Schools.
On leaving school at the age of 15 years he worked in the retail trade. Following training, he was employed as a window dresser in both upholstery and shoe retail outlets.
Councillor Taylor worked as a professional entertainer and went on to play in cabaret clubs all over Europe. He was then employed in marketing for several years.
He married Margaret Batty on 18December 1965 at St Matthew’s Church, Leicester. They had three sons Wayne, Corey and Philip.
He became involved in politics largely through the inspiration of an uncle in Canada who was active in Local Government there. This resulted in him joining the Labour Party when he was aged 30 years. Councillor Taylor was first elected to the City Council in 1971 as the representative for the North Braunstone Ward. He served on a number of Committees including Housing, Public Control and Fire Brigade and the Social Services Committee of which he was the Vice-Chairman.
Upon the re-organisation of Local Government in 1973, Councillor Taylor was elected to serve on both the new Leicester District Council and the new Leicestershire County Council as the representative for the Rowley Fields Ward. He was a member of the City Council’s General Purposes Sub-Committee and the Recreation Committee in addition to which he was the Labour spokesman on Social Services on the Leicestershire County Council.
Councillor Taylor was the Secretary of the Braunstone Labour Party Branch. He also devoted a great deal of his time to voluntary work and served as the Chairman of Playscope the inner area programme for improving playground facilities – having acquired a keen interest in how children played. He was the Chairman of the Governors of the Imperial Avenue Infants School.
He was appointed High Bailiff of the City on 16 May 1985 for the year 1985-86.
Councillor Taylor was elected to the office of Lord Mayor of the City on 18 May 1989. He chose his former wife Margaret as his Lady Mayoress.
Councillor Taylor’s Year of Office was memorable for the number of Royal visits to the City. The Lord Mayor greeted Her Majesty The Queen on 17 November 1989 upon her arrival at the NSPCC Training Headquarters at Beaumont Leys. Her Majesty was visiting the Society in her capacity as Patron. Earlier in the year Councillor Taylor had also met Her Royal Highness The Princess Margaret upon the occasion of her visit to the NSPCC on 8 June 1989.
Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Kent visited the City 11 July 1989 to open Leicester’s refurbished Town Hall Square and she officially opened the Royal Leicestershire, Rutland and Wycliffe Society for the Blind’s new Resources Centre in Gedding Road. On 7 November 1989, the Lord Mayor was introduced to His Royal Highness The Duke of Gloucester when he visited the John Ellis Community College.
To complete a busy year of Royal engagements in the City, Their Royal Highnesses the Duke and Duchess of Kent visited the Ashfield School for Disabled Children, the Leicester and County Mission for the Deaf and the Headquarters of the British Shoe Corporation in Sunningdale Road on 7 March 1990.
Civic Visits were made by Councillor Taylor to the twin cities of Krefeld and Strasbourg. During a weeklong visit to Krefeld in October 1989, the Lord Mayor saw for himself life on the other side of the wall in East Berlin. He also visited Kilkenny and hosted visitors from America, Australia, China, Japan, Spain and Russia.
On 19 August 1989, Councillor Taylor attended the opening ceremony of the Special Olympics for Disabled Athletes held at the Leicester Tigers Rugby Football Club stadium. During the weeklong event, he hosted a reception for the athletes from all over the world.
The Lord Mayor’s 26th Annual Carol Concert at De Montfort Hall, was held on 15 December 1989, during which Councillor Taylor gave an impromptu rendition of ‘White Christmas’ before inviting the audience to join in with him.
A Playmobile Appeal was inaugurated by the Lord Mayor. The aim of the Appeal was to buy a double decker bus, convert it with a hoist and equip it as a playbus for disabled children. The Appeal raised £30,000.
Councillor Taylor’s Year of Office was concluded on 3 May 1990 whereupon he was appointed Deputy Lord Mayor for the year 1990-91.
He died in Leeds on 10 September 1996, aged 56 years.
