The family of the late former Tory councillor for Dulwich Village, Toby Eckersley, says all are welcome to attend a memorial service held in his memory at Southwark Cathedral on October 22, at 3pm.
Mr Eckersley sadly died at 76 years of age while standing as a local election candidate for London Bridge and West Bermondsey in May. A minute’s silence was observed at the count in his memory.
The politician was a well-known and hugely popular councillor who in recent years had given his support and fine-grained knowledge of planning matters to Aylesbury Estate leaseholders challenging Southwark Council’s Compulsory Purchase orders to buy demolish their homes as part of the estate’s regeneration.
The Conservative councillor had successfully fought to save his own home – a Walworth terraced house – from demolition.
After his death tributes poured in, with colleagues and friends describing him as ‘the quintessential English gentleman’ and an ‘exemplary public servant’ after 37 years serving as a councillor, including the position as cabinet member for resources during the Lib Dem-Tory coalition.
Tobias William Hammersley Eckersley, MBE, was born on July 22, 1941 and educated at Charterhouse School in Surrey before reading philosophy, politics and economics at St John’s College, Oxford, where he was president of the Oxford University Conservative Association.
He joined the Foreign Office after graduating in 1963 but resigned four years later after a posting to Ghana and went on to work for the International Monetary Fund in the USA, Williams & Glyn bank in London, and then ICI before retirement in 1993. Mr Eckersley was given an MBE for his public service in 1989.
Mr Eckersley never married and had no children, but is survived by 20 nieces and nephews.