Brian Clark Taylor 5th August 1948 – 18th April 2008 RIP

Local district council leader John Fuller gives an appreciation for the life of Cllr Brian Clark-Taylor, who died on 18th April 2008 aged 59.

"I spent time with him on the day before he died and it was clear that he was losing an unequal fight against his cancer. It was a desperately sad situation but the truth was that there was no hope and he was been spared further suffering.

For someone without any remaining family, the constant procession of visitors to his bedside was a tribute to the mark he made on local life. When I visited him in Mulbarton ward at the Norfolk & Norwich on several occasions there hardly seemed to be a moment when either Councillor so-and-so from the District or Town Council, or the Mayor, or the Chief Executive had just been to visit. And of course, he loved to tell all the other patients and staff about his important visitors – what a show man!

What isn’t widely known or appreciated with the benefit of hindsight is the key role that Brian played serving the Conservative Party in Diss. As recently as 2003, the Liberal Democrats held all three District Council seats in Diss. But Brian worked hard and won a seat in 2003 and campaigned tirelessley for the town, building a powerful coalition that paved the way for Tony Palmer’s and Glyn Walden to represent their town.

His devotion to the Party only followed a pattern well established in London over nearly forty years before his move to Norfolk.

But his service and wise counsel wasn’t just at district level, where his experience in personnel management was used to Chair the District Council's Employment Committee. It is a tribute to Brian that one of his most regular visitors in hospital was the Unison shop steward. Brian was a staunch Tory but his fair-mindedness was recognised and appreciated by the Union representatives. Brian gave an example of how our Conservative administration has a human heart. He was an essential bridge to the staff and our conscience in these matters. I will miss his influence in this respect terribly.

Brian was a Champion for Diss, his adopted town. He served with distinction on the town council and I remember that during his service as Diss Town Mayor, not a week passed without a photograph of him in the Express or Mercury dressed in his flowing Mayoral robes & tricorn hat making some comment on something or other. The Show Man! He loved it and I enjoyed seeing the real pleasure he derived from it. And his vision for Diss will live-on… the years in opposition laid the foundations for the new plans we have for Diss and which we hope to deliver over the next year or so [read later].

Three years ago I attended the funeral of his twin sister, with whom he lived in Diss. Neither were married although many who knew them may have assumed they were man-and-wife. Elaine was taken with cancer and Brian nursed her but it left a terrible mark on him. And this was why he continued to put-off seeking medical help for his own growth. He confided in me that he’d known about his lump for over a year. Why didn’t he seek help? His faith sustained him and we’ll never know but he’s now with his sister.

So, Brian has passed away. We will miss him and his quirky laugh. We will miss the way in which he conducted himself with dignity and panache in his Council work. The funeral date has not been set but when it is, I expect you to make space in your diary to give him the send-off he deserves please. That will be our opportunity to say Thank You for his life of service to the people he represented and to our Party.

Thank you Brian.

The Funeral Arrangements