Remembering Kevin White: The ‘firebrand’ councillor who ‘started it all’ for the Liberals in Maidenhead

Tributes have been paid to a ‘courageous and inspirational’ campaigner and former Royal Borough councillor remembered for practically launching the Liberal party in Maidenhead.

Kevin White was an RBWM councillor between 1979-87. He made headlines in ‘79 when he ousted a long-standing Conservative member to win Belmont for the Liberals.

A Maidenhead boy, Kevin attended Furze Platt Senior School (then Furze Platt Secondary) and was one of the first pupils there.

He is known for starting the Focus newsletter for his ward in 1975 – a series of Liberal publications examining local issues, still going to this day – writing columns for it as chairman of the Belmont Liberals.

Very quickly after being elected, Kevin attracted a lot of attention, notable for his ‘firebrand’ way of pressing his point home and for getting things done – earning the nicknames ‘Shadow Mayor and ‘Mr Fix-It.’

He was described by historic editions of the Advertiser as the ‘most controversial figure on the local political scene.’

Kevin took firm stances on nuclear weapons and spoke freely of his views on the Royal Family, among other topics that never failed to spark vigorous debate.

He was very focussed on local issues too – and ‘no local issue seemed too small,’ his fellows remember.

An engaged community figure, Kevin was a big fan of Maidenhead United. He is remembered for his charisma and ‘great sense of humour.’

When he left Maidenhead in 1987, he was described by his contemporaries as the ‘The man the opposition loved to hate’.

But ‘off-stage’, he was ‘one of the quietest-spoken and most likeable people you could wish to meet,’ they said.

After leaving the Maidenhead to become a Parliamentary candidate in Wigan, he moved to Merseyside and lived there for many years, remaining active in the Lib Dem sphere.

He remained at the centre of some major moments in politics – such as pushing back against the notorious Poll Tax in 1991.

Kevin stayed connected to the Borough and was very active online, posting his views regularly to his audience of 900 Facebook friends.

Paying tribute to him online, leader of the council Simon Werner said he ‘started it all’ for Liberals in Maidenhead – and was ‘instrumental’ in keeping the Liberal flag flying there.

“I might not have agreed [with] him all the time, but I know that it was his charisma that drew together so many of the 1990s activists,” wrote Cllr Werner.

Kathy Newbound, a Royal Borough councillor from 1991 and Mayor in 1998-1999, met Kevin as her local councillor when she first moved to Maidenhead in ‘79.

She remembers how hard he worked fighting for residents over key local issues and described his as ‘courageous and inspirational.’

Kathy said her joining the Liberals in 1980 was ‘very much driven’ by witnessing ‘the sheer amount of work’ Kevin put in for the local community.

He made sure he communicated with the people he represented, and to do this as a Liberal in the 1980s ‘was no easy task,’ she said.

“Kevin would deliver the [Focus] leaflets to the approximately 2,500 houses in his ward using a shopping trolley,” Kathy said.

“The sheer volume and weight of the leaflets was a challenge for even a fit young man.”

‘Tenacious and passionate about his beliefs’, Kevin was ‘a true liberal’, she added. He believed in a fair, free and open society and was ‘a real community champion.’

“His indomitable courage drove him to take on really difficult issues and he had the resilience to see them through,” Kathy said.

“Kevin was the lone Liberal voice for Maidenhead at the time – which took a lot of courage.

“Kevin laid the foundation for the Liberal Democrats in Maidenhead, and he certainly inspired me and many others to get involved.”

Others paying tribute on Facebook also said Kevin was an instrumental reason why they joined the party.

Current Belmont ward councillor Simon Bond (Lib Dem) remembers Kevin from the old days. He said: "He was a good listener and communicator, great company, and I think of him as a traditional liberal.

"He is still remembered by some long-standing residents of Belmont ward.

"When I moved into Belmont in the late 1970s, the lights in our road were not working, then a leaflet was put through our door saying he had taken up the issue, and shortly afterwards they got switched on.

"Seeing how effective he was at getting things done was one of the reasons I got involved, and got to know him as a friend."

Over the years, Kevin continued to be a source of comfort for his fellow party members facing majority Conservative councils, and remained connected after leaving Maidenhead.

Fellow Lib Dem Cllr Julian Tisi (Eton and Castle) came to RBWM after Kevin’s time there – but remembers Kevin from Lib Dem party conferences and discussion groups.

“He was a real stalwart campaigner, really passionate about what he believed in,” Cllr Tisi said. “I admire anyone who’s like that, whatever their political position.

“Politically we were probably in different wings of the party – but he was just always such a nice, engaging person.

“I will miss his contributions.”

The Advertiser understands that Kevin passed away in early October after a battle with cancer.