Tributes have been paid to a former Burnham-On-Sea town councillor who has passed away this weekend.
David Poole was in politics for almost 50 years and was a familiar face about Burnham and Highbridge. He passed away on Friday March 18th aged 73.
He was most recently a Labour councillor on the Town Council until 2007, representing the ward around Love Lane.
David was delighted to be elected Burnham and Highbridge’s Second Deputy Mayor ten years ago in 2006, as reported here at the time (and pictured below with former Mayor Eric Gill and Mayoress Gilly Gill).
Among those paying tribute to him this weekend is former Burnham and Highbridge Mayor Derek Cooper, who led the Labour group of town councillors.
He told Burnham-On-Sea.com: “David was a hard working councillor who was very passionate about local issues.”
“One of his biggest successes in Burnham was leading the pressure against Sedgemoor District Council to drop parking charges for coaches in the Somerfield car park. It made a big difference.”
“David was well known and well liked – he was a ‘man of the people’. He stood in the district council elections in Highbridge one year, and was beaten by the winning Conservative by just half a dozen votes.”
Cllr Peter Burridge Clayton also remembers him well and told Burnham-On-Sea.com: “David was a very principalled person who strong on politics and contributed lots to the local commnunity.”
David, a Bristol Alderman, was a passionate campaigner on local issues.
In 2007 we reported here how he’d organised a petition to get a derelict Highbridge church improved, and here how he had called for improvements to Burnham’s Love Lane.
He also had a long family history in the town, telling Burnham-On-Sea.com: “My parents were heavily involved with Burnham and my grandfather saw out the last train at Burnham Railway station.”
