Alexander John Bruce-Lockhart, Baron Bruce-Lockhart, (4 May 1942 – 14 August 2008), commonly known as Sandy Bruce-Lockhart, was a British

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization in ...

politician and a senior figure in English local government. He was the leader of

Kent County Council Kent County Council is a county council that governs most of the non-metropolitan county, county of Kent in England. It is the upper tier of elected local government, below which are 12 non-metropolitan district, district councils, and around ...

and then Chairman of the

Local Government Association The Local Government Association (LGA) is the national membership body for local authorities. Its core membership is made up of 339 English councils and the 22 Welsh councils through the Welsh Local Government Association. The LGA is p ...

. He was succeeded in the latter post by Simon Milton, ex-Leader of Westminster Council.

Early life

Bruce-Lockhart was born on 4 May 1942 into the Scottish

Bruce Lockhart family The Bruce Lockhart family is of Scottish origins, and several members have played rugby football for Scotland, but since the early 20th century most have lived and worked in England or Canada, or else overseas, in India, Malaya, Australia, Russi ...

, which held close ties to the diplomatic service.Policy Review TV speaker profile
/ref> His father, John Bruce Lockhart, was deputy director of MI6 and a university administrator. His mother was Margaret Evelyn Hone. He was educated at the

Dragon School ("Reach for the Sun") , established = 1877 , closed = , type = Preparatory day and boarding school and Pre-Prep school , religion = Church of England , president = , head_label = Head , head = Emma Goldsm ...

Sedbergh Sedbergh ( or ) is a town and civil parish in Cumbria, England. The 2001 census gave the parish a population of 2,705, increasing at the 2011 census to 2,765. Historically in the West Riding of Yorkshire, it lies about east of Kendal, no ...

, and the

Royal Agricultural College ;(from Virgil's Georgics)"Caring for the Fieldsand the Beasts" , established = 2013 - University status – College , type = Public , president = King Charles , vice_chancellor = Peter McCaffery , students ...

Cirencester Cirencester (, ; see below for more variations) is a market town in Gloucestershire, England, west of London. Cirencester lies on the River Churn, a tributary of the River Thames, and is the largest town in the Cotswolds. It is the home of ...

. He was the younger brother of James Bruce Lockhart (1941–2018), a diplomat, intelligence officer, author, and artist.

Career

He left the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

to work in the then

Rhodesia Rhodesia (, ), officially from 1970 the Republic of Rhodesia, was an unrecognised state in Southern Africa from 1965 to 1979, equivalent in territory to modern Zimbabwe. Rhodesia was the ''de facto'' Succession of states, successor state to th ...

(now

Zimbabwe Zimbabwe (), officially the Republic of Zimbabwe, is a landlocked country located in Southeast Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo Rivers, bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the south-west, Zambia to the north, and Mozam ...

), managing a large farm for a

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring count ...

n owner. After a period in Australia, he returned to live in Kent in 1968, where he had a dairy farm, then a fruit farm, in

Headcorn Headcorn is a village and civil parish in the borough of Maidstone in Kent, England. The parish is on the floodplain of the River Beult south east of Maidstone. The village is 8 mi (13 km) southeast of Maidstone, on the A274 road to ...

. He became a county councillor for Maidstone Rural East in 1989. At the time he was chairman of a rail committee in the Weald of Kent preservation society, which had been protesting about what he then regarded as the destructive route of the Channel tunnel rail link. He became leader of the opposition Conservative group in 1993 and leader of the Council in 1997, retaining the post until 2005.Sir Sandy quits as council leader
/ref> While leader of Kent County Council, Bruce-Lockhart became a controversial figure on the national political stage for his introduction of a local version of the recently repealed anti-gay Section 28 legislation. In July 2004, having been vice-chairman for two years, Lord Bruce-Lockhart succeeded

Sir Jeremy Beecham Jeremy Hugh Beecham, Baron Beecham (born 14 November 1944) is a British Labour politician and a senior figure in English local government. He was leader of Newcastle City Council and the first Chairman of the Local Government Association. He ...

to become Chairman of the

, following the Conservatives becoming the largest political group in the Association as the result of the local elections in May. He was made a

Knight Bachelor The title of Knight Bachelor is the basic rank granted to a man who has been knighted by the monarch but not inducted as a member of one of the organised orders of chivalry; it is a part of the British honours system. Knights Bachelor are t ...

in the New Year's Honours List of December 2002, having previously been appointed

OBE The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

. On 11 April 2006, it was announced that he was to be elevated to a

life peerage In the United Kingdom, life peers are appointed members of the peerage whose titles cannot be inherited, in contrast to hereditary peers. In modern times, life peerages, always created at the rank of baron, are created under the Life Peerages A ...

, and on 9 June 2006 he was

gazetted A gazette is an official journal, a newspaper of record, or simply a newspaper. In English and French speaking countries, newspaper publishers have applied the name ''Gazette'' since the 17th century; today, numerous weekly and daily newspaper ...

as Baron Bruce-Lockhart, ''of The Weald in the County of Kent''. On 24 May 2007 it was announced that he had been appointed as Chair of

English Heritage English Heritage (officially the English Heritage Trust) is a charity that manages over 400 historic monuments, buildings and places. These include prehistoric sites, medieval castles, Roman forts and country houses. The charity states that i ...

.Lord Bruce-Lockhart to be new English Heritage Chairman
/ref> On 17 June 2008, Lord Bruce-Lockhart was made an honorary Freeman of the City of Canterbury.Lord Bruce-Lockhart to be Freeman of Canterbury
/ref> After a battle with

cancer Cancer is a group of diseases involving abnormal cell growth with the potential to invade or spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Possible signs and symptoms include a lump, abnormal bl ...

, he died in 2008, aged 66."Former KCC leader Sandy Bruce-Lockhart dies"
, Kent News, accessed 14 August 2008.

Personal life

In 1966, Bruce-Lockhart married Tess Pressland, and they had two sons and a daughter.

Death

He died on 14 August 2008.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bruce-Lockhart, Sandy Bruce-Lockhart, Baron 1942 births 2008 deaths Alumni of the Royal Agricultural University

Sandy Sandy may refer to: People and fictional characters *Sandy (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters * Sandy (surname), a list of people *Sandy (singer), Brazilian singer and actress Sandy Leah Lima (born 1983) * (Sandy) ...

Conservative Party (UK) life peers Knights Bachelor Officers of the Order of the British Empire People educated at The Dragon School People educated at Sedbergh School People from Maidstone Politicians from Wakefield Deaths from cancer in England Members of Kent County Council Life peers created by Elizabeth II Chairs of the Local Government Association