John Powley: Tributes paid following death of ex-Norwich MP

John Powley was chairman of Cambridgeshire County Council from 2011 to 2013

A former MP who spent almost half a century in public service has been praised as "tremendously hard-working and very straight-speaking".

John Powley, Conservative MP for Norwich South from 1983 to 1987, died on 16 October, aged 84.

Mr Powley also served as chairman of Cambridgeshire County Council from 2011 to 2013.

Former colleagues paid tribute to his work ethic and "great impact" on East Anglian politics.

Baroness Gillian Shephard, former cabinet minister and Conservative MP for South West Norfolk, said she had "happy memories" of Mr Powley.

"He was tremendously hard-working and very straight-speaking," she said.

"He was a very effective MP - committed to fighting for the best for the people of Norwich and very supportive of a huge number of causes."

Remembering Mr Powley's success in winning Norwich South seat from Labour, she said: "It was considered a great triumph."

'Great impact'

Labour won the seat back in 1987, and has held it ever since apart from 2010-15, when it went to the Liberal Democrats.

Former Norwich North MP Conservative Patrick Thompson, who worked alongside Mr Powley on a campaign to fully dual the A11, said he had made a "great impact in Cambridge" before being selected to run for Parliament.

"I remember his valuable experience of local government in Cambridgeshire and his interest and enthusiasm for issues in Norwich and I know he worked very hard for his constituents," he said.

Speaking to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, Chloe Smith, Conservative MP for Norwich North, said: "John will be remembered as a committed public servant for Norwich and East Anglia."

Mr Powley lived in Soham in Cambridgeshire with his wife Jill, until her death earlier this year.

The couple, who married in 1957, had three children, Stephen, Amanda and Stewart.