Page 139 - Redditch People

Redditch People

Cllr. Robert J Smith

Redditch Mayor in 1982

He was elected to the borough council in 1976 as
councillor for Crabbs Cross and then moved to the
Central Ward and was the first Mayor to occupy
Redditch's new mayoral parlour in the Town Hall. He
was the last Conservative Mayor before the change of
power in 1983. He served on the Redditch
Development Cooperation and during his term as
Mayor opened the town hall in Alcester Street. He
became a freemason in 1988.

1932 - 2003

Robert J Smith
(Source: Redditch Advertiser)

Cllr. Ken Somner

Redditch Mayor in 1993

Ken Somner was a Labour concillor and represented 1920 - 2005
Church Hill. A keen champion of pensioners rights
and was co-founder of the town's branch of Age Ken Somner
Concern. He was born in Redditch in 1920 and his (Source: Redditch Standard)
first job was as a machinist at Royal Enfield before
moving to BSA in the second world war. He served in
the RAF in India and Ceylon during the war and then
worked for a shipbuilding firm in the East before
moving to Essex to work for Ford. He returned to
Redditch with his family in 1975 and founded the
Church Hill Residents Association and became
Chairman of the Carnival Committee.

Source/Researched by: Redditch Standard

© RLHS 2015 Page: 139