Tributes paid to a ‘kind and gentle man’ (From York Press)

Tributes paid to Geoff Rennie, 85

7:56am Thursday 3rd January 2013 in News By Mike Laycock, Chief reporter

FORMER colleagues have paid tribute to ex-county council and fire authority chairman Geoff Rennie, who has died, aged 85.

Mr Rennie served on North Yorkshire County Council from 1990 until May 2005, holding a number of positions, including chairman in 2001.

He was chairman of North Yorkshire Fire Authority for ten years until 2005 and was also a member of the safer community partnership in Ryedale and of the Malton and Norton Partnership, which aims to encourage economic development in the area.

He was also a parish councillor in Huttons Ambo, where he lived in Low Hutton Park.

He went to Buckingham Palace in 2008 to receive an MBE from The Queen, awarded for services to the community in North Yorkshire. When he met the monarch, he described North Yorkshire as a “very beautiful part of your country, with some wonderful people who it has been a very great pleasure to help over the years”.

County councillor Michael Heseltine, who served with Coun Rennie on the Employers Association, said he had been a “very kind, gentle man, very conscientious and always constructive”.

He said: “He was very well respected and put in countless hours as a councillor and no doubt served his own community very well.”

Martin Dales, a Malton town councillor and chairman of Ryedale Cameras in Action, which manages a CCTV system in Malton, Norton and Pickering, praised the work of his predessor, Mr Rennie, in helping to set up the system some 15 years ago and keep it operating.

“He worked very hard on establishing the scheme, which has since helped to prevent and detect countless crimes,” he said.

Mr Rennie died peacefully in hospital on December 23. A service of thanksgiving will be held at St Peter’s Church, Norton, at 11.30am on Monday, following a private cremation.