Deputy mayor dies suddenly

From the Lancashire Evening Telegraph, first published Monday 31st Jul 2006.

A WELL-known and popular Darwen councillor has died suddenly at the age of 64.

The devastated family of Conservative councillor Fred Slater are coming to terms with his death after he collapsed and died on Friday evening.

Coun Slater lived in Minster Crescent, Darwen, with his wife Jacqueline.

He was one of Blackburn with Darwen Council's longest-serving councillors.

He was deputy mayor, and that would mean he would have become mayor of the borough from 2007.

He held on to his East Rural seat in 2004, beating his only rival, Labour's Bernard Matthews, by 609 votes to 185 at the last election.

Coun Slater was joined on the council by his wife and also his son John, who both represent the Fernhurst ward of Darwen.

The leader of the Conservatives on the council, Coun Colin Rigby, said that Mr Slater had been invaluable both on a personal and professional level.

He said: "Fred was definitely a stayer and he was a mentor to me.

"At a personal level he was very family orientated and took great joy in his children and grandchildren.

"On a political level his great delight was to act as devil's advocate.

"He was a shrewd politician and one you could listen to very closely.

"He knew the Labour members and what reaction he could engender from them.

"You could always learn from Fred.

"I'm really going to miss the guy."

And tributes also came from across the political divide with Labour councillor for Shear Brow, Hussain Akhtar, acknowledging the hard work Coun Slater had put in.

He said: "I worked with him for 11 years and he was a really good friend of mine. We had some good battles during debate and we share in the sadness that his family is going through at the moment."

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