Leaders pay tribute to local government guru John Stewart

Local government has paid tribute to Professor John Stewart, one of the most influential local government academics of the 20th century, after he died peacefully at home on Wednesday.

Professor Stewart was a founder of Birmingham University’s Institute for Local Government, now known as Inlogov, in 1966 until the late 1990s.

Announcing his passing, his son Henry Stewart said his father had died peacefully at home at the age of 93.

My father, John Stewart, died peacefully this morning at the age of 93.

He had a good life. A thread@inlogov @birminghampost @lgcplus @lgiu @lgacomms @themjcouk pic.twitter.com/CWYkmorowe

— Henry Stewart (@happyhenry) November 23, 2022

Henry said his father had been a 'huge supporter' of his mother Theresa Stewart - the first female leader of Birmingham City Council from 1993 to 1999.

Former chief executive of the old West Yorkshire CC and Westminster City Council Rodney Brooke has described Professor Stewart as “the most significant British thinker on local government in the last half of the 20th century” and a “key influence on several generations of local government workers”.

Crispin Derby, editor of Local Government Chronicle, said: 

“His subtle influence empowered all who loved local government. His wonderful insight helped so many people to be massively more effective than many of us thought possible"

Read John Stewart's INLOGOV Blog.