Former councillor, Geoff Taylor, has died of cancer, aged 70, on 11 October with his wife at his bedside.
Mr Taylor served as a Labour councillor for Victoria ward for sixteen years, standing down from his role in May 2018 after he became unwell. He was transferred to St Joseph’s Hospice last week, where he died with his wife, Elizabeth, holding his hand.
Labour MP, Diane Abbott, said of his death: “So sad to hear that former Hackney Labour councillor Geoff Taylor has died. A thoroughly decent man. All my commiserations to his friends and family.”
During his tenure as councillor, Mr Taylor, a former teacher, campaigned for better secondary school provision in his ward, and served as a governor for Orchard Primary School in Holcroft Road. He chaired the Children and Young Person’s Scrutiny Committee (CYPS) from 2006-2009, and was the cabinet member for finance from 2014–2017.
Mayor of Hackney, Philip Glanville, said Mr Taylor’s “passion for education, Hackney, local history, young people and Europe was second to none”.
In addition to his duties as a councillor, Mr Taylor was a local historian, and wrote a book about South Hackney, called A Parish in Perspective. He also founded a community choir in South Hackney, and was the organist at St John of Jerusalem church for a number of years.
Victoria ward councillor, Katie Hanson, described Mr Taylor as “my mentor and my friend”, who was “kind, thoughtful and principled”.
Mr Taylor’s funeral will take place on Thursday 17 October at 11:00am, at St John of Jerusalem in South Hackney. All are welcome to attend.
