Roy Shaw (politician)

Roy Shaw OBE (1925-2008)[1] was a Labour Party politician in London, England. He was the Leader of Camden London Borough Council from 1975 to 1982. He served on Camden Council and its predecessor councils continuously for 51 years until just before his death, making him the longest-serving councillor in the country.[2]

Shaw was a councillor in the Metropolitan Borough of Hampstead from 1956 and an alderman in the Metropolitan Borough of St Pancras, two of the three boroughs that merged to create Camden, before serving on Camden Council from its creation in 1965.[3] Shaw was elected to represent the safe Labour ward of Grafton in 1964 and was re-elected in the ward in 1968, 1971, 1974, 1978, 1982, 1986, 1990, 1994, and 1998. He was elected to represent Haverstock, Grafton's successor ward, in 2002 and 2006 (when he almost lost his seat). He resigned from office in 2007 and died a few months later.

Shaw became the leader of the Labour group and of the council on the resignation of Frank Dobson. He led Labour into the 1978 and 1982 elections, both of which they narrowly won. He was replaced as leader the day after the 1982 election by Phil Turner.

Shaw worked for Tribune magazine.[3] However, he was a leading 'moderate',[4] including being a founding member of the Labour Solidarity Campaign and backing Roy Hattersley for leader.[3]

He played a key role in the foundation of the Audit Commission and later sat on the London Fire and Civil Defence Authority and London Fire and Emergency Planning Authority.[2]