Tributes as former Shropshire Council speaker David Lloyd dies at 86

Mr Lloyd was a councillor for more than half a century and held a number of distinguished roles in the county.

He was made an MBE for his work as a media spokesman with the National Farmers' Union during the foot and mouth crisis in 1967

Mr Lloyd was also a former chairman of Shropshire Health Authority and was last year made an Honorary Alderman to mark his public service to the county.

His family said he passed away peacefully on Saturday.

Mr Lloyd's son, Mark, said details of the funeral would be released in the coming days.

Robert Wright, who worked for the NFU, said: " He was a remarkable journalist, a loyal and valued friend, and will be missed greatly – not just by his loving family, but by an enormous ‘family’ of people he served so well in his other life."

During his 51 years in local government, Mr Lloyd was mayor of Oswestry Borough Council and a Conservative candidate for both the European and the United Kingdom Parliaments.

He was a member of Shropshire Council for 40 years, only stepping down last year.

'A man of real substance'

Shropshire councillor Joyce Barrow said: “It is a very sad day we have lost a man of real substance who was a leading light to many.”

Mr Lloyd combined his career in journalism with his work as a councillor. He was only 33 when he was co-opted onto the Selattyn and Gobowen Parish Council, joining the council because he felt he could make more of a difference than on the outside.

During the foot and mouth crisis in 1967 he was working for the National Farmers’ Union. He called into the command centre at Oswestry Police Station and took on the role of media spokesman, working round-the-clock to help the media. He was awarded the MBE for his role.

Mr Lloyd was the county representative on Shropshire Health Authority and the West Midlands Regional Health Authority, being appointed chairman of the SHA from 1990 to 1996.

Mr Lloyd retained his interest in the health service, helping to get a primary care centre for Oswestry.

He recently said bureaucracy was out of control in the National Health Service and called for a decision on an emergency care centre for Shropshire to be decided quickly.

Although he stepped down from Shropshire Council in 2017, he remained on Selattyn and Gobowen Parish Council.

Mr Lloyd was last year made an Honorary Alderman to mark his service to the county of Shropshire. He was presented with the honour by councillor Ann Hartley.