Norman Kay, who has died aged 77, was the first Green party chair of Stroud district council and was still in office as vice-chair. He served the council for 21 years, first as Labour and later a Green party representative, as well as being a Nailsworth town councillor for 14 years, including three as mayor.
Norman was first elected as a Labour councillor in 1983, for the village of Leonard Stanley and then Nailsworth. He became deputy leader of the Labour group, chief whip and chair of the housing committee. Following the Iraq war, he resigned from the Labour party and was re-elected to Stroud district council as a Green councillor in 2016. Besides being chair and vice-chair, he served on a wide range of committees. A Stroud Green party spokesperson described him as “irreplaceable”.
