'One of a kind!' Tributes paid as former Mid Wales politician Mick Bates dies after cancer battle
The former Welsh Liberal Democrat politician Mick Bates has died after a battle with cancer.
Mr Bates, who was 74, represented Montgomeryshire for the party in the Welsh assembly - now the Senedd - from 1999 to 2010.
Before he became an AM he was a teacher, farmer and county councillor.
Welsh Lib Dem leader Jane Dodds paid tribute to Mr Bates.
"He was well known for being a tireless campaigner for rural communities, but also for being decades ahead of his time on the need to tackle climate change advocating for action to save the environment years before it entered the political mainstream," she said.
As a County Councillor, he started a community regeneration scheme as Chairman of the Llanfair Town Forum, which successfully obtained Market Towns Initiative status. He also produced and presented the Radio Maldwyn farming programme and organised a scheme for students to visit farms alongside helping to found Montgomeryshire Rural Enterprises in 1997.
While a Member of the Welsh Assembly, Mr Bates campaigned for extra money for rural schools helping establish a small schools fund and fought for better infrastructure in Mid Wales and, the Libs Dems said, was a major driving force behind getting the Newtown Bypass built.
Mick also designed Farming Connect, a free business advisory service to help farmers throughout Wales. During his time as an Assembly Member, he also helped found the cross-party National Assembly Sustainable Energy Group (which sought to promote the development of a sustainable energy industry in Wales.
Ms Dodds, a Mid and West Wales Member of the Senedd, said: "When I first arrived in Welshpool nearly 10 years ago, he was so generous with his time with me.
"His knowledge of the issues affecting his beloved Montgomeryshire was endless. He was one of a kind - there will never be another Mick Bates.
"Our thoughts and prayers are with his wife Buddug, his children Ruth and Daniel, and his five grandchildren alongside the rest of his family and friends."
Other Lib Dems paying tribute included William Powell, another former AM, who tweeted that he was "generous, kind and passionate, a man who stuck to his principles and genuinely worked hard to represent his beloved Montgomeryshire."
