(HEALTH AND SAFETY OFFICER)
(540)
Born in Leicester on 12 June 1946 and educated at Lansdowne Road Boys School.
On leaving school at the age of 15 years he was employed as a sheet metal worker. In 1978 he was appointed as Health and Safety Officer at Modern Air Systems and transferred to one of the City’s largest engineering companies, Parker Plant Limited, Manufacturers of Sand and Gravel, Quarry and Asphalt Plant in 1996.
He married Miss Diane Hutchinson on 5July 1969 at Holy Apostles Church, Leicester. They had two children, a son Daniel and a daughter Jodi.
Councillor Mugglestone fought his first local election in 1971 when he unsuccessfully contested St Margaret’s Ward. He was elected, initially, to the City Council in May 1976 as a Conservative Councillor to represent De Montfort Ward. On re-organisation of the Ward boundaries, De Montfort Ward was dissolved and amalgamated into others wards. He then fought the Castle Ward in 1983 and was unsuccessful but was re-elected to represent West Humberstone in 1985 and later the Humberstone Ward where he was elected, in a by-election, in 1991. He held the seat until January 1994 when he resigned on a matter of principle but was returned on 17 March 1994 having won the by-election in his former seat.
Councillor Mugglestone served on virtually every Committee of the City Council, his main interest being centred upon the Arts and Leisure Committee and the Environmental Health and Public Control Committee of which he was the Vice-Chairman.
He was appointed the Conservative Group’s Chief Whip in 1988 a position he held until his election as Lord Mayor in 1998.
Councillor Mugglestone’s interests were varied and included acting as DJ for 50’s and 60’s nights for charity. He was also a football enthusiast and was Chairman of his local side – Willow Football club.
He was appointed High Bailiff of the City on 18 May 1995 for the year 1995/6.
He was appointed Deputy Lord Mayor on 15 May 1997 for the year 1997/98.
Councillor Mugglestone was elected to the office of Lord Mayor of the City on 21 May 1998.
He chose his wife Diane to be his Lady Mayoress. Mrs Mugglestone, who was born in Braunstone Leicester, attended local schools before going to Newarke Girls Grammar School and Charles Keene College. Prior to the birth of her children she worked in the Leicester City Magistrates Court and between 1984-1998 she was employed at the Leicester Law Centre (previously the Leicester Rights Centre).
During his Year of Office, Councillor Mugglestone met Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal, on 16 October 1998, when she visited Chilprufe Limited Knitwear Manufacturers and later toured two wings of HM Prison Leicester in her role as Patron of the Butler Trust. He welcomed His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh on 26 February 1999 upon the occasion of his visit to the Leicester Mercury offices where he unveiled a plaque to commemorate the 125th Anniversary of the newspaper. His Royal Highness later toured Leicester University’s Space Research Centre and visited the Leicester Grammar School.
Twinning links were further strengthened with a Civic Visit to Krefeld in July 1998. Civic visits took place to Kilkenny in March and Cyprus in April 1999. The Lord Mayor also received delegations from Chongqing, civic parties from Kilkenny and Krefeld and a delegation from Rajkot.
A number of important visitors were received by Councillor Mugglestone at the Town Hall including the High Commissioner of India, Mr Lalit Mansingh. On 15 May 1999 the Lord Mayor hosted a dinner for Bertie Aherne the visiting Taoiseach (Prime Minister) of Ireland.
The World Cup for Players with Learning Disabilities was held in Leicester from 30 July until 16 August 1998 at Leicester City Football Club’s Filbert Street Stadium. Councillor Mugglestone attended both the opening ceremony and the Cup Final and the closing ceremony. Another prominent sporting achievement was marked on 2 October 1998 when the Lord Mayor hosted a Civic Reception, at the Town Hall, to honour the Leicestershire County Cricket Club following their winning of the Britannia Assurance County Championship.
On 6 September 1998 Councillor Mugglestone attended the farewell service at Leicester Cathedral for the Lord Bishop of Leicester, The Right Reverend Thomas Frederic Butler prior to him leaving the City upon his appointment as Bishop of Southwark. The Lord Mayor also attended an historic service at the Cathedral on 19 September 1998 to commemorate the centenary of the opening of the Leicester Children’s Holiday Centre (Mablethorpe).
A unique occasion took place on 9 February 1999 when the Lord Mayor presented Harry Halford with the Legion d’Honneur Medal, on behalf of President Jacques Chirac of France, in recognition of his services to France during the Great War. Leicester born Harry Halford, aged 107 years, was the oldest man in the United Kingdom and the oldest surviving British soldier from the First World War.
Councillor Mugglestone decided to support the Leicester Royal Infirmary’s CARIS Appeal for a Computer Tomography Scanning Centre as his chosen Charity. His Appeal raised the sum of £106,401.06 towards the centre, which cost £700,000 in total.
Councillor Mugglestone’s Year of Office was concluded on 20 May 1999.
