THE
P RTAL
December 2016
Page 7
A Catholic Politician
who is a member
of the Ordinariate
Jackie Ottaway and Ronald Crane meet Richard Eddy
W
e sat beneath a, not very good, portrait of Lady Thatcher in the Council House in Bristol. Richard
Eddy was his usual smiling self. He is a pleasant man with an easy bearing. A bachelor, he has been
a member of Bristol City Council for almost twenty five years, and all for the same Ward – Bishopsworth.
Richard’s vibrant Catholic faith comes to the fore as he tells us, “Mgr Keith Newton has kindly agreed to be
Principal Celebrant at Solemn Mass on Saturday 10th June 2017, at 12.00 noon, at Holy Cross Church, Dean
Lane, Bedminster, Bristol. How else could I celebrate my Silver Jubilee?”
“I’m very local, a Bristolian.
My parents were Bristolian. They
met at a Salvation Army meeting.
Mother was heavily involved. Many
of her relations were Salvation
Army Officers. They moved to
the area I represent now, which
is Bishopsworth in South Bristol.
There’s a nearby council estate
which has significant problems. The
SA bought a builders’ hut and made
it into a centre.
lady approached me, congratulated
me and said ‘you probably won’t
recall me Richard but I was your
community nurse when you were
a young baby and I actually gave
you an injection into your naked
posterior!’ So after that one could
never get too big for one’s boots.
“I lost my seat when all the
council came up for re-election in
1995. I wanted to get back, even if
it took me a few chances. At almost
every council meeting, I brought a
“Eventually they moved to the
petition or made a submission or
Anglican Parish Church which
asked questions of the then Labour
was then broadly evangelical. I
and my siblings were baptised there. A couple of leader. He said ‘Richard’s here more often now since
years later I was confirmed. By my early 20s I was he’s not been a councillor than he was when he was
deeply unsatisfied and was seeking for something a councillor’. I’m sure I was considered a complete
more sacramental. I went to the local Anglo-Catholic nuisance.
shrine, All Saint’s, Clifton. I loved it and got heavily
“The then Labour council in Bristol decided to reinvolved with parish, the Glastonbury Pilgrimage and
designate some of the Greenbelt in my ward. I led the
with Forward in Faith.
campaign. The community came together, practically
“I joined the Conservative Party in the mid 80s while every home had the billboard ‘Keep it Green’ in their
in secondary school and created in Bristol South, window. We printed t-shirts and the council withdrew
which is a solid Labour seat, the first branch of the their plans. I stood for election the following May and
Young Conservatives there. I stood for election for the won it comfortably.”
local Ward which was mainly a solid Labour seat and
won the third seat in 1992.
Richard told us of other campaigns, the replacement
of post-war prefabs, providing more care for local
“The Ward had three members, two city councillors people that was sheltered housing, but not called that.
and one county councillor, so I was the single Tory.
There was a Labour county councillor and a Labour
“The whole notion is people don’t need to move out
city councillor, and me. We coped very well. I was of the home as their circumstances change. Initially
motivated because it was my area. I knew the issues. I they can live an independent existence and then
knew the people. About two weeks after being elected, a perhaps they can have half care, support care, if they