County Council stands in silent tribute to Peter Jackson

County Councillors held a minute's silence earlier today in memory of Peter Jackson, County Councillor for Grange who died recently. Paying tribute to his friend and colleague Council Leader Rex Toft said: 

"Everyone was very saddened to learn of the death of Peter Jackson, who represented Grange on this Council for some 14 years. He was an outstandingly successful Councillor and it is a measure of the man that he has received so many glowing tributes from those who knew him. Despite being seriously ill, he continued his council work with great enthusiasm and passion, never allowing his own personal physical difficulties and pain to get in the way of his commitment to those that he represented. You could not be in Peter's company for long without knowing that he represented Grange; I can hear him now telling us all (on many occasions) that Grange was Cumbria's premier resort. He was passionate in his beliefs, even to the point of being pugnacious at times - but he was always fair and never held a grudge. He undertook many responsibilities, and played an important role on the Lake District National Park Authority, and was a great advocate for Cumbria's Library and Archives Services. For the last two years he had been a Member of the Cabinet. He was never afraid to strike a discordant note in Cabinet - not being afraid to argue for increased spending on his pep projects at a time when we were struggling to find savings. For many years he was a Conservative Group Spokesperson on Educational and Youth issues for a number of years. He was a religious man, warm and friendly, loyal and trustworthy; I like to think that he was a personal friend as well as a colleague. He has made a great contribution to this County. He will be missed. Our hearts and our sympathy go out to Vera, his three children and their families."