Hansard Society Chair pays tribute to Lord Holme

Peter Riddell pays tribute to his Hansard Society Council colleague and the former Chair of the Society, after the sad news of the death of Lord Holme over the weekend. Peter said:

"Richard Holme, Lord Holme of Cheltenham, who died at his home in Sussex on Sunday after a long battle with cancer, was central to the expansion of the Hansard Society to its current size and prominence. He served for three decades on our Council and for six years as our Chairman, until June last year. Throughout, he displayed an uncanny skill and astuteness, both in spotting where the next opportunities lay for the Society and in his dealings with members of the Council, with staff, and supporters in Parliament and outside. He always saw the big picture and ensured that the Society was actively involved in new challenges affecting Parliament. Apart from the expansion of the Society under his Chairmanship - which largely overlapped with Clare Ettinghausen's period as Chief Executive - he set up a successful and influential commission under the Hansard Society's auspices into how Parliament should communicate with the public. This was chaired by Lord Puttnam, now a Vice Chair on the Hansard Society's Advisory Council.

"But, above all, Richard Holme had a zest and enthusiasm for politics, combined with a commitment to improving the way we are governed. His long involvement with the Hansard Society went alongside his leading part in the debate over constitutional reform and his role as a close adviser on strategy to David Steel and Paddy Ashdown as leaders of the Liberals and, then, the Liberal Democrats. Richard Holme was a generous, warm and witty man who will be much missed by all who knew him and everyone at the Hansard Society."

There are also obituaries of Lord Holme in The Times, The Guardian, The Daily Telegraph, The Financial Times and the BBC.