by Jane Midwood
Derek was a stalwart of local government and gave me a great deal of help and support when I was first elected to Suffolk County Council in 1997.
We worked closely together in the following years and I found his vast knowledge and experience of the inner workings of council life to be invaluable. He gave me a great “crib sheet” explaining everything about parish precepts – essential information for a rookie councillor!
As I got to know the ropes and began to understand how much work Derek put into his role my admiration grew. He never missed a Parish Council meeting in his patch if he could help it and always sent in a report when he was not able to attend. His usual reason for absence was because he had a prior meeting at St Edmundsbury Borough Council to attend on behalf of his electorate – all of us!
Jane Midwood