David Taylor

David Leslie Taylor M.P., President of the Leicestershire & Rutland Area of the Ramblers Association and also President of Coalville Group, collapsed while out walking with his family on Boxing Day and his funeral service took place on January 9^th attended by many parliamentary colleagues and representatives of numerous voluntary organisations.

Labour MP for North West Leicestershire and a keen walker, he was with his family in the grounds of Calke Abbey, Derbyshire, when he suffered a heart attack. He died at Queen's Hospital, Burton-upon-Trent, Staffordshire, aged 63 and is survived by his wife Pam and four daughters.

As a member of the Ramblers he walked with Coalville Group on many occasions, joined in numerous Area and Group social activities and was always very proactive on walk related issues.  He participated in protest walks putting contentious footpath cases before the public eye. Back in the 1980s David was a keen long distance runner, competing in several half and full marathons including the 1989 London Marathon in which he finished in just over three hours. He had played cricket to a modest standard and in the 1990s cycled many long distance routes including the Pennine Way and Coast to Coast.

He worked as an accountant and computer manager at Leicestershire County Council for 20 years up to 1997, and served as a member of Heather Parish Council and North West Leicestershire District Council. David became an M.P. in 1997 and his majority in 2005 was 4,477. He had been due to step down as the MP at the next general election when he hoped to be able to spend more time enjoying his walking.David made his presence felt whilst serving in parliament and gained a reputation as a fine constituency M.P. Indeed in 2007, he was voted Backbencher of the Year. Colleagues described him as a great campaigner for the East Midlands and on national issues, a very caring person and a popular local MP who believed deeply in the principles of social justice and co-operation. "indefatigable campaigning, constant attendance in the Commons and his independence of mind - no greater tribute can be made to David's lasting legacy as a local champion for North West Leicestershire". He served on various select committees, including the Environment and Food and Rural Affairs Committee. He was chairman of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Smoking and Health and Deborah Arnott, director of the anti-smoking campaign group Ash, said he was "crucial in getting the smoking ban legislation through parliament". Other issues close to his heart were flood prevention and care of the elderly. Harriet Harman, Leader of the House and who attended David’s funeral commented “The good that he did as an MP will endure in the improved lives of the many, many constituents he personally helped. More widely, the good that he did in the House will endure - for example, his private Member's Bill, the Management of Dementia in Care Homes, laid the basis for, and lives on in our national dementia strategy”. A committed Christian, he had been Church Warden and served on the commons ecclesiastical committee. As a lay magistrate he was an assiduous attender of Justice Questions in the house and shortly before his death David had played his part in getting The Marine and Coastal Access Bill through parliament. In addition to managing the demands we make upon our seas and improving marine conservation this legislation opens up, for the public, access to most of the English coast, a cause close to the heart of all walkers.

David was a stalwart supporter of many campaigns and proposals to protect the environment and particularly to prevent climate change. If he thought it the right thing to do, David was never afraid to speak out, or add his name to motions that made life difficult for the leadership of his own party. A representative of ‘Friends of the Earth’ is quoted as saying “Parliament would be a much more effective place with more independent and thoughtful MPs like David.”  A former member of ‘Greenpeace’, David had been a long standing member of Leicestershire Campaign to Protect Rural England and supported their work and aims to protect the countryside and played a big part in promoting the new National Forest being developed in the Midlands.

The Prime Minister, Gordon Brown paid tribute to David, describing him as "one of the most hard working MPs locally and nationally", who had been "a strong campaigner and representative of his community for decades". David was a true gentleman and very supportive to me personally during difficult times in my role and to the Ramblers as a whole. He will be sadly missed. David was in many ways a role model for the perfect constituency and backbench MP. He had an impressive record for parliamentary attendance and for eloquent debating skills and a sense of humour which he often deployed to great effect. Always fond of alliteration an example was given at the funeral service which is close to my heart as a Manchester City supporter. Speaking after the club had been taken over by one of the series of apparently wealthy foreigners, he inquired of the house: "Is it forever the fate of football fans to be fleeced by flaky foreign financiers?"I recall many amusing incidents with David, none less than when he turned up unexpectedly for the Area Quiz when the novelty round I had organised was the images of 30 politicians which members were asked to identify. Needless to say being the gentleman he was he declined to help his team with that round.

The affection David was held in by his local community and the gratitude of the many voluntary organisations he supported was evidenced by the turn out for his funeral. It was held in his home village of Heather, one of the higher villages of Leicestershire. The church was entirely appropriate for this ‘local man’ but totally inadequate for the needs of the occasion. Despite snow on the ground and gently falling on their heads, literally hundred listened to and joined in with the service broadcast by loud speakers, standing heads bowed in the churchyard and closed nearby streets. The Eulogy was by The Rt. Reverend Tim Stevens, Bishop of Leicester and the service conducted by David’s old friend Canon David Jennings Rector of Burbage with Aston Flamville. I and four other members of the Area Executive and numerous members of Coalville group were there in that crowd to represent the Ramblers and a suitable floral tribute had been sent from Area bearing the words: ‘Enjoy walking the ultimate uplands David, thank you’.

Roy Denney

Page last modified 23 January, 2011

Webmaster John Samson, Loughborough and District Group

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