Death of Sir Simon Milton - ‘a man of the people’ - Tributes from all sides of political divide for former council leader

Published: 15 April 2011
by JOSH LOEB

FORMER Westminster City Council leader Sir Simon Milton, who has died of leukaemia aged 49, was elected as a local councillor in the Lancaster Gate ward in the late 1980s but rose to become a political powerhouse in Mayor Boris Johnson’s administration.

Praised by current council leader Colin Barrow as “one of the leading Conservative politicians of his generation” and described by leader of the opposition Paul Dimoldenberg as “the best leader that Westminster City Council has ever had”, Sir Simon was involved in plans to regenerate Paddington and helped rebuild Westminster’s reputation in the aftermath of the Dame Shirley Porter scandal. 

In his personal life he was devoted to his family and his partner of more than 20 years, Councillor Robert Davis, with whom he celebrated a civil ceremony four years ago. Sir Simon was knighted in 2006 and became one of Mr Johnson’s deputy mayors in 2008.

His funeral this week at Edgwarebury Cemetery was attended by figures from across the political spectrum including Mr Johnson, who said the Conservative Party had been deprived of a leading light regarded by many as worthy of a seat in the House of Lords.

Born in 1961, the son of a German-Jewish war refugee and businessman who founded patisserie chain Sharaton’s, Sir Simon was educated at St Paul’s School and then Cambridge, where he became chairman of the Conservative Association. 

In 1988 he was elected as a Westminster councillor and served as leader of the council from 2000 to 2008, during which time the local authority achieved high Audit Commission ratings.

Mark Field, the MP for Cities of London and Westminster, described Sir Simon as “the power behind the throne” of Mr Johnson. His death was “a grievous loss to Conservative politics in the capital”.

He added: “Sir Simon epitomised better than anyone the quote from the past US President Ronald Reagan that ‘there is no limit to what you can achieve politically if you do not care who takes the credit’.”

John Zamit, the chairman of the South East Bayswater Residents’ Association, remembered Sir Simon as a “fantastic” local councillor. He said that despite having spent his formative years during the Thatcher government, Sir Simon was known for his “compassionate Conservatism”.

Mr Zamit added: “Sometimes, if you closed your eyes when he was giving speeches in the council chamber, you would almost think it was a left-wing politician speaking. 

“He was a man of the people.” 

Residents and council employees left tributes in a book of condolences in the lobby of City Hall this week. As of Wednesday, a full five pages of it had been filled with messages.

Sir Simon died on Monday at the London Clinic and is survived by Mr Davis, his mother and his sister.