CIVIC leaders have paid tribute to former Oxford politician and health campaigner Tom Richardson.

Mr Richardson, former chief officer of Oxfordshire Community Health Council, Labour Party leader on Oxfordshire County Council and industrial relations manager at Morris Motors in Cowley in the 1960s, died in his sleep on September 9. He was 80 and had suffered a number of strokes.

Oxford City Council leader Bob Price said: “He was a passionate, committed socialist all his life and made a huge contribution to Oxford. He is someone who will be fondly remembered.”

County council leader Keith Mitchell said: “Tom and I were political opponents but formed a friendship despite this. He was old, old Labour through and through. Red in tooth and claw and proud of it. He was passionate about local democracy, education and social care.We have lost a great character and a great community activist.”

Mr Richardson was born in Hampstead, London, on January 22, 1930, the only child of Henry and Helen Richardson. His father was a Metropolitan Police officer.

He was educated in Watford and joined London County Council after leaving school at 16.

After National Service with the Scots Guards in Malaya from 1948-50, Mr Richardson returned to work with the council but trained as an electrical engineer at night school.

In 1957 he saw an advert for probation officers and studied social science at the London School of Economics. He joined Oxfordshire Probation Service in 1960, working in Oxford, Kidlington, Woodstock and Chipping Norton He married Alice Hooson in 1962, and they had two daughters, Hannah and Jane.

He joined Morris Motors at Cowley as a welfare officer in 1965, then became industrial relations manager of the British Motor Corporation a year later.

Shortly after he had taken a job as industrial relations officer at the London Fire Brigade in 1970, his wife died suddenly, aged 33. He moved the family to London, but in 1975 resigned and moved back to Oxford with his daughters.

After six months on the dole, he joined the newly-formed Oxfordshire Community Health Council, an NHS watchdog, as assistant secretary. He became its secretary a year later, a post he held for 15 years, before taking a regional development role with the CHC in 1993. Mr Richardson first served as a Labour city councillor in the mid-1960s, representing Headington and Marston. He was elected in 1981 to the county council as member for New Marston, serving the division for 20 years until he stood down, serving as Labour group leader for some of that time.

He married his second wife Penny Douglas in 1984 and they had one son, Sam. They separated in 2002. Mr Richardson’s funeral took place in September in Dundee.

An informal celebration of his life will be held on what would have been his 81st birthday, on January 22, next year, at the Old Bookbinders pub, in Victor Street, Oxford, between 2pm and 5pm.