Sandy Bruce-Lockhart, Baron Bruce-Lockhart

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Alexander John Bruce-Lockhart, Baron Bruce-Lockhart OBE (born May 4, 1942 in Wakefield , West Yorkshire , † August 14, 2008 in Maidstone , Kent ), known as Sandy Bruce-Lockhart , was a British politician ( Conservative Party ). As chairman of Kent County Council and later the Local Government Association (LGA), he was an influential figure in British regional policy. After resigning as chairman of the LGA, Bruce-Lockhart became chairman of English Heritage in 2007 . Since 2006 he sat as a life peer in the House of Lords .

life and career

Bruce-Lockhart was born to a Scottish family with close links with the Church and the diplomatic service. His father was the assistant director of MI6 in Wakefield , West Yorkshire . He attended the Dragon School in Oxford , the Sedbergh School and the Royal Agricultural College in Cirencester . He left Great Britain to run a large farm in what was then Rhodesia for a South African owner. After a stay in Australia , he returned to Kent in 1968 , where he owned a farm in Headcorn . There he was elected to the Kent County Council in 1989 , where he became chairman of the opposition Conservatives in 1993. In 1997 Bruce-Lockhart was elected chairman of the council. He resigned from this office in 2005. He was succeeded by Sir Simon Milton , Chairman of Westminster Council . As chairman of Kent County Council, Bruce-Lockhart became a controversial figure on the UK political scene as he introduced a local version of Clause 28 against “promoting homosexuality” after it was repealed nationally. In an article in the Guardian from October 2000 Bruce-Lockhart is described as probably the most powerful Tory in Britain ("probably the most powerful Tory in Britain").

In July 2004, after two years as vice president, he became chairman of the Local Government Association after the Tories won a majority there. In December 2002, he was named a Knight Bachelor on the New Year 's list of honors, having previously been awarded the OBE . On June 9, 2006, he was promoted to Life Peer as Baron Bruce-Lockhart of The Weald in the County of Kent . On May 24, 2007, it was announced that he had been appointed Chairman of English Heritage .

Bruce-Lockhart was a passionate advocate of decentralized administration and sought more authority for the counties and individual parishes. In 2006 he told Ruth Kelly , then Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government : "We must give people back power and influence over their lives, their local services, and the future of places where they live."

Lord Bruce-Lockhart had been married to Tess Pressland since 1966. They have two sons and a daughter. On June 17, 2008, he became an honorary citizen of Canterbury . After suffering from cancer, he died in August 2008.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c Obituary in The Independent , No. 6814, August 16, 2008, p. 42
  2. ^ UK Parliament: Member Profile Lord Bruce-Lockhart , accessed August 24, 2008
  3. ^ Obituary on Telegraph.co.uk , August 15, 2008, accessed August 24, 2008
  4. ^ Guardian.co.uk: How the garden grows. Sandy Bruce-Lockhart, at the helm of Kent council , October 18, 2000, accessed August 24, 2008

Web links


personal data
SURNAME Bruce-Lockhart, Sandy
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Bruce-Lockhart, Alexander John; Bruce-Lockhart, Baron
BRIEF DESCRIPTION British politician (Conservative Party)
DATE OF BIRTH May 4, 1942
PLACE OF BIRTH Wakefield , West Yorkshire
DATE OF DEATH August 14, 2008
Place of death Maidstone