Malcolm Barron

So sorry to hear that Malcolm has died. We were going to contact him as we had some more family history questions-dad last contacted him in 2007. If anyone is taking on the family history please do get in touch. Sorry we are so late to all of this.Thinking of you. Xxx

Very sorry to hear of Malcolm's death. We were in the same form at Hutton Grammar in the 1950's.

Malcolm was a good loyal customer over several years and a good friend to Hesketh Bank Silver Band. A great bloke who will be sadly missed.

I was so sorry to hear about your loss. Malcolm was a true gentleman and an excellent representative for his community. His knowledge of the local area and its people was without equal. He will be much missed by us all at County Hall. May he rest in peace.

Letter from Angie Ridgwell Chief Executive and Director of Resources at Lancashire county council: Dear Antony and Lisa, I was extremely saddened to hear the unexpected news about your dad. On behalf of all officers across the County Council please accept our deepest sympathies. Malcolm was a true gentleman and was, without doubt, a real ambassador for the County. He was well respected by his peers and colleagues and will be sadly missed by his local community which he served with dedication and commitment. He will be remembered fondly for all the hard work he did in the service of others. Our thoughts are with you and your family at this very difficult time. Yours sincerely Angie Ridgwell Chief Executive and Director of Resources

Lisa and I also received over 50 email messages of consolation from friends and colleagues from Lancashire county council via David O'Toole the deputy leader. Thankyou to David for sending these onto us. There are too many to individually put here but David puts it best when he said: "You should be very proud of your father , I can honestly say in the 20plus years I have been a CC I have never known such an outpouring of respect and love . Kind regards, David. We have also received a great many messages from the other district and parish councils and conservative associations Malcolm worked on or with. Many thanks to you all, it has given Lisa and myself a great deal of comfort at a difficult time. They also provided a much greater insight into this aspect of Dad's life, his achievements and his effect on other people and the communities he served.

A very kind letter from the chairman of Lancashire County Council Paul Rigby which highlights how active Malcolm was on so many fronts at the council: Dear Antony and Lisa, I am writing to you to express my very sincere condolences on the loss of your father, Malcolm. As you are aware, Malcolm was elected as a Conservative member to the County Council in May 2005 to represent the electoral division of West Lancashire North. He was currently serving on the Development Control Committee and Full Council and, over the years, in addition to being appointed as the Lead Member for Highways and Transport, he also served on the following committees: Children's Services Scrutiny Committee, Commons and Town Greens Sub-Committee, Corporate Complaints Committee, Joint Advisory Committee for Strategic Planning, Lancashire Combined Fire Authority, Main Meeting/Planning/Resources/Strategy Group, Regulatory Committee (Deputy Chair). Malcolm was a diligent and effective representative of all his constituents, having served his community for several years. He was readily approachable and many, many people appreciated the work he did in helping them and representing their interests. He will be remembered fondly by all who met and worked with him and I hope in your present time of grieving, that these remembrances will bring you some comfort. On behalf of Lancashire County Council please accept my thanks for all that Malcolm did for the people of Lancashire. Under normal circumstances, I would have attended his funeral, but I understand you will be holding a memorial service for him in due course. My thoughts are with you and your family at this difficult time. Yours sincerely County Councillor Paul Rigby Chairman of Lancashire County Council

Letter to Barry Bryan a good neigbour, friend and colleague of Malcom from the South Ribble Conservative Association. Dear Barry, South Ribble Conservatives are all hugely saddened by the death of one of our Association stalwarts, County Councillor Malcolm Barron, who passed away on Wednesday. Malcolm was a former Association Chairman of South Ribble Conservatives, and represented West Lancashire North on Lancashire County Council. Born and bred in Tarleton, Malcolm’s family have been local in the area since the time of the Tudors! Malcolm continued the political line of the Barrons begun by his ancestor William Barron, who signed the Protestation of 1641 which was presented to Charles the First and was one of the causes of the Civil War. Locally, Malcolm’s main priorities were supporting local farms and improving highways infrastructure- he was one of the leading champions of the Green Lane Link road proposals to remove heavy wagons from the village centres of Tarleton, Banks and Hesketh Bank. His campaign for the new road will continue! Conservative MPs past and present have paid tribute to Malcolm. Our new MP Katherine Fletcher said “An hour before I heard about Malcom's sad passing I was pointing at his emails with the Department for Transport. To the last he was advocating for his community, and if we gain agreement for the Green Lane Link I don't feel we will have to look hard for a road name. RIP Malcom, I will pick up your torch on this.” Former MP Seema Kennedy, meanwhile, commented “I was so very sad to hear of Malcolm’s passing. Malcolm was a man of real energy and passion, who knew so much about the world, and particularly that corner of West Lancashire which had been his home and that of generations of the Barron family. I used to love canvassing with him, as every other house contained a friend, relative or workmate, and they would reminisce about Tarleton in the old days. But Malcolm was not stuck in the past. He loved the village and campaigned relentlessly for projects to improve it, like the Green Lane Link. I am only sorry that I never managed to deliver that road scheme for him but know that when it does get built, it will be entirely due to Malcolm’s doggedness. I send my deepest sympathies to all who knew and loved Malcolm, especially his children and grandchildren.” And Lorraine Fullbrook, who represented South Ribble between 2010 and 2015 in addition to fighting the constituency in 2005 said “I was very sad to hear the news that Malcolm passed away. He was a lovely man, who worked tirelessly for his constituents both on Lancashire County Council and West Lancs Borough Council. He loved his council work and of course loved his politics. Malcolm was a great friend of mine and he was a decent, honourable man, who loved his dogs. He was a true-blue, liberal Conservative with a great sense of humour. I send my deepest sympathy to Lisa, his daughter and Antony, his son. I am very grateful to have known Malcolm.” Personally, I have known Malcolm for many years as a dedicated and hardworking member of South Ribble Conservative Association, of which he was an officer and past Chairman. He worked tirelessly as a County Councillor always supporting his local community. Above all he was a good man. He will be sadly missed. Got a memory of Malcolm you'd like to share? Click here. May Malcolm rest in peace. Best wishes Phil Smith Association Chairman