Councillor pays moving tribute to her Robin

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THE WIFE of former councillor Robin King has spoken of her heartbreak at his death saying she had lost her 'best friend'.

Coun King passed away on March 10 after losing a long battle with blood cancer and a brain tumour.

In a statement read out on her behalf at a Full Council meeting on Monday his wife Wanda, also a councillor for Greenlands, said: "The last four and a half weeks have left me and the children feeling lost, very empty, very lonely and and very angry that Robin was taken away from us so quickly. Redditch has lost a very hard working councillor and he will be a very hard act to follow. The support that me and the children have had over the last few weeks has helped us all get through these very long and very dark days.

"I've lost my Robin, my best friend, and the person who was always there for me. One in a million."

Councillors also took the first formal opportunity to pay tribute to the ex-Labour councillor for Church Hill.

Council leader Carole Gandy said: "I was touched by how many people referred to Robin as a family man. His death has taught me we should never forget that although politics is an important part of our lives, our families are the most important. Robin seemed to have got the right balance".

Labour group leader Bill Hartnett called him a 'larger than life, emotional character, who was a dedicated father and husband and a good comrade'.

He added: "He will be sadly missed by all that knew him."

Coun Greg Chance added: "Robin had fire in his belly. There aren't enough around like Robin but there was only one Robin."

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