Tributes have been paid to a ‘visionary’ former Lord Mayor of York who has died at the age of 88.
Mick Bradley served as a councillor for more than 30 years, and was York’s first Liberal Democrat Lord Mayor in 1997.
He was first elected to Flaxton Rural District Council in 1970, then Ryedale in 1973 and later served as councillor for Heworth Without on City of York Council.
He retired at the 2003 election.
Cllr Richard Watson served with Mick Bradley. He said: “He was one of the very few councillors who saw local government reorganisation not just once, but twice, and the wisdom learned from the first served him well during the second.
“Mick was a competent ‘all rounder’ as a councillor and his presence was gratefully reassuring to any inexperienced councillor.
“Above all, he was a visionary: in the early 1980s, with the British economy in recession, Mick was a founding father of the Ryedale Festival, an arts festival which now is thought to be one of the most exciting and enterprising musical festivals in the country.
“Later, and during my first experience of ‘heavy planning’, being the first Monks Cross planning consent, Mick saw the opportunity of planning gain and was instrumental in the negotiations for an upfront contribution from the developer which allowed us to build the original Ryedale Stadium.
“Avuncular in nature and very inclusive, he was a naturally cohesive force at social events, contributing significantly to our fund raising campaigns.
“Always concerned for others and always with a cheery greeting, he was a friend to so many. Very rightly, he was an Honorary Alderman of both Ryedale (and, now, North Yorkshire) and City of York Council.
“But perhaps the milestone most apposite to his memory is that he was the first Lib Dem Lord Mayor of what is now the city of York.”
After leaving the council, the former BT engineer retired to live in Spain, returning to York last year.
A dedicated family man he is survived by his widow Cath, son Glen and grandsons Tom and Joe.
Former Lib Dem leader of the council Steve Galloway paid tribute on his blog.
He said: “The former Post Office engineer will be remembered for his energetic interest in promoting sport and leisure in the city.
“He was a mainstay of the Hopgrove Playing Fields Association for many years.”