Simon Baxter: the loss of a colleague and a friend

HE LOVED Tower Hamlets.  And Tower Hamlets loved him back. The announcement that Simon Baxter, Corporate Director for Communities, has died after a short illness has been met with genuine sadness across the borough.

The news that Simon had passed away was broken to staff earlier in the week, but at the meeting of the Tower Hamlets Cabinet on Wednesday, Chief Executive Stephen Halsey made the announcement to the public that he he doubtless did not want to make.

Stephen said that Simon had been committed to the public sector, where he had spent the majority of his working life Simon had worked in Tower Hamlets for many years – helping to drag the waste services out of the doldrums it had been in since being taken in-house. The Cabinet stood in silence to remember their colleague.

Mayor Lutfur Rahman also spoke very fondly of Simon Baxter, whom he had known for some 20 years.  He had visited Simon before Christmas, when he was first taken ill.  At the point, they had hoped that Simon would return to work.  It was not to be.

Cabinet Members spoke in turn to express their sadness and to send condolences to Simon’s family. Cllr Saied Ahmed and Deputy Mayor led the way, and Cllr Bodrul Chowdhury ended the meeting by saying that Simon was a gentle man who will be missed.

Cllr Kabir Ahmed also spoke about Simon Baxter, whom he had known since 2010. Cllr Shafi Ahmed echoed others’ thoughts about Simon.  As Lead Member for the Environment, Shafi had worked with closely with Simon. He had seen how Simon loved Tower Hamlets and worked hard to deliver the Mayor’s vision.

Simon enjoyed his retirement before coming back to Tower Hamlets – initially as an interim appointment to cover the vacant post of Director of Public Realm. He spoke fondly of having the freedom, as a retired man, to cycle around London and the joy of meeting his sister for lunch on a regular basis. Once he was back in the Town Hall, however, the bug got him. Tower Hamlets was in his blood and although the challenges were enormous, there was so much to enjoy in this unique place.

Simon was driven by a determination to do a good job – to mend a broken service. It was a big challenge – one that was best met with a sense of humour and a lack of pomposity. At one annual staff meeting, a series of Corporate Directors spoke in turn about the passion they brought to their job. Simon – neatly kitted out in sharply pressed pastel suit – said he also brought passion but, uniquely, he also brought fashion to the shop floor. He will be a hard act to follow.

●Two books of condolence have been opened: one in the Town Hall and a second one at the Blackwall Depot.