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Cllr Roy Shaw
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Record-breaker bows out as hon alderman
Veteran Labour councillor quits after 50 years service
WAR veteran Roy Shaw – with more than 50 years service as a councillor – is to be awarded a new title of Honorary Alderman of Camden after it was confirmed he will step down due to poor health.
The Town Hall released plans for the tribute on Tuesday morning, following the New Journal’s revelation that the 81-year-old Labour councillor with record service is being looked after in a care home. A by-election to fill his Haverstock council seat will be held on Thursday, July 12.
But before campaigns begin in what is likely to be a straight contest between Labour and Liberal Democrats, Cllr Shaw will be honoured as the first ever Honorary Alderman of Camden, a mark of appreciation for his extraordinary service.
He first joined the council – then Hampstead Council – in 1956.
Former council leader Dame Jane Roberts said: “Roy was for me, as for many, a wise, concerned and shrewd guide through the labyrinth of local government – and we loved his mischievous sense of humour too.”
Cllr Shaw was re-elected against the tide of the Labour landslide defeat last May but has missed most council business since.
He has lived in the borough all his life and attended Beckford and William Ellis schools. A former tank operator, he was among British troops that broke across the Rhine in World War II.
Cllr Shaw, a former mayor, was leader of the Town Hall between 1975 and 1982.
Current Labour leader Councillor Anna Stewart said: “It is entirely fitting that Roy will be Camden’s first honorary alderman. His contribution to Camden over the past 50 years has been immense.”
Aldermen performed a similar role to councillors, but were elected by other members of the council and not residents, generally for a term of six years. Their role was abolished in 1972. However, councils can still appoint honorary aldermen.
Cllr Stewart added: “Roy truly embodies the spirit of public service and he has innumerable friends in local government, as was evident last year at the many celebrations to mark his long service on the council.”
Camden will hold a special meeting to present the award on June 6 when Cllr Shaw will officially step down. He will be unable to attend but his sister is due to receive the award on his behalf.
The by-election is the second since the borough-wide Town Hall elections last May. The Lib Dems gained a seat in Kentish Town in December – only two wards away from Haverstock – after Labour’s Lucy Anderson quit to take a politically sensitive job working with London Mayor Ken Livingstone.
Haverstock was once a Labour stronghold but is now split with the Lib Dems.
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