Tributes as Cllr Robert Blundell steps down

10.30.29am BST (GMT +0100) Thu 20th Oct 2005

Following Cllr Robert Blundell's decision to step down as borough councillor for Friary and St Nicolas due to ill-health, council colleagues have paid tribute to his long service to the council and to his community. Cllr Blundell has been the 'father' of the council for some time. He was first elected to the council in 1972, and during 1999 - 2000 he was an energetic and enthusiastic Mayor.

Liberal Democrat Group Leader Cllr Jayne Marks says "We are very sorry that Robert has had to resign from the council and wish him all the best in his retirement. We all owe him a huge debt of gratitude for his long service to our community. During his 33 years on the council, Robert has been passionate about many things, but the most enduring was his championing of the disadvantaged. As a local GP, he brought to his membership of the Housing committee his considerable knowledge of the difficulties that people face in every day life with poverty, poor housing and ill health. He made sure that no-one overlooked the human element of the issues that sometimes seem simply procedure. He is fiercely proud of Guildford and has always put what he thought was right for the town ahead of something that he thought might be political. In that sense Robert has been the best kind of councillor - local champion first and politician second."

Long-serving councillor Lynda Strudwick (Lib Dem, Onslow) says "Before I was elected in 1983, Robert Blundell was already something of a local legend. When residents heard of my civic ambitions, they always used him as a reference point. "Oh you mean like Dr. Blundell," they would say. Robert's reputation is formidable, whether as a doctor or as a councillor and often, both. Everyone knows him, and everyone respects him. After I was elected, he became a friend as well as a wise elder statesman to whom those of us who were novices could go for advice. His range of interests is very wide, but it is on the subject of Housing that he knows the most. As a doctor, he has experience of the misery of those without homes, or who were living in unsuitable housing, and as a councillor, he would try to help them. His long experience and compassion will be greatly missed on Guildford Borough Council."