Warwick councillor will stand down at district level after giving decades of service to the town

Cllr Guest, who currently represents the Conservative Party in the Warwick West ward and will be hoping to retain his seat on the town council in Thursday’s election, is now 84 and sees this as the best time to let younger councillors come through at district 
level.

He said: “It’s time some fresh blood to come in but I will be around to offer advice for the town.

“The problem is that the council is going to lose some very good councillors this year with 22 standing down for various reasons.

“For me its been something I have thought about for a while but then someone has always come along and asked me to carry on.”

Cllr Guest’s life in public service started as a parish councillor in Castle Bromwich in the 1950s after he had joined the Young Conservatives in 1948.

After moving to the Warwick area he was elected as a member of the district council in 1976.

He was a mayor of Warwick during three different decades in the 1980s, 1990s and most recently in 2001 and chairman of the council in 1991.

During his second term as mayor he met the Queen when she visited Warwick in 1997 and had lunch with her at Warwick Castle’s main dining room.

Cllr Guest said he has been a councillor for the Warwick wards of West, South and Central over the years.

He added: “I have always found Warwick to have a 
close community where the people knuckle down when there are problems.”

Cllr Moria-Ann Grainger (Con, Warwick North) is the current mayor of Warwick and Cllr Guest’s daughter.

She has served on the council with him for eight years and said he inspired her to follow him into local politics.

Cllr Grainger said: “I hope that I have made him proud.

“He has always been someone I can talk over council issues with, even though we often don’t agree and everyone will miss his clever, succinct, caustic, amusing comments at full council.

“I’m also pleased he has decided not to retire completely and that he will, hopefully continue to represent Warwick as a town councillor following the elections.

“Warwick Town Council will certainly need his 
experience and knowledge
as we appoint a new Town Clerk.

“But whatever happens I am immensely proud of my father and his life-long commitment to public service as a borough, a town and district councillor and will work to live up to his example.”