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30
Jan
Funeral takes place for former Knaresborough mayor
The funeral has taken place for John Smith, who served as mayor of Knaresborough and deputy mayor of Harrogate Borough Council. He was 81.
Mr Smith, who was born and raised in London, moved to the area due to work.
He was first elected to Knaresborough Town Council in the late 1980s, and subsequently served as mayor. His wife, Diana, was his mayoress.
Later the roles were reversed when she became mayor, and he was her deputy.
In the 1990s Mr Smith was also elected to the then Harrogate District Council and was re-elected in 2002 to Harrogate Borough Council. He chaired the council’s area planning committee and was also a member of its licensing committee.
He and Diana became deputy mayor and mayoress of Harrogate Borough Council in the early 2000s, shortly before his political career ended. They were both elected as Conservative councillors for Knaresborough King James ward.
In a eulogy at a packed St John the Baptist Church in Knaresborough on Tuesday (January 27), friend and political ally Philip Allott described Mr Smith as a patriot and keen traveller who had “an enthusiasm for life and especially cooking, engineering and military history, which frankly was infectious”.
Mr Allott added:
John threw himself into civic life and was active with the local Knaresborough town twinning committee, including hosting German guests and visited Bebra regularly. including on occasions taking his own car.
Mr Smith, who died on December 21, leaves Diana, their two children and three grandchildren.
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