A dedicated, devoted public servant – Phil Swift 1938-2013

Phil Swift, who served as a member of Leicester City Council for 20 years from 1983 to 2003, and was Lord Mayor of Leicester at the turn of the millennium, has died at the age of 74 after a short illness.

His passion for social justice, especially in the workplace, earned him substantial and lasting respect among the community, and the local Labour movement in particular.

Born in the Belgian Congo to missionary parents, Phil was raised in Wales and Scotland, completing an apprenticeship as a bricklayer after leaving school in Arbroath. An avid motorcyclist, he survived horrific injuries sustained in a crash which kept him in hospital for more than a year and left him with a permanent limp.

After moving to Leicester to join an uncle (local author Eric Swift) in the mid-1960s, Phil worked in a variety of trades, serving as a representative of the National Union of Hosiery and Knitwear Workers for eight years and a health and safety representative for six years. He joined the Labour Party in 1980 and was first elected to Leicester City Council in May 1983.

One of his most notable achievements during his time as a Councillor was the successful campaign to secure a minimum wage for Council staff, long before this policy was adopted at national level.

In addition, Phil also played a significant role in securing funding for the much-needed redevelopment of the St Andrews estate within his ward, and backed the campaign to rename his local park after Nelson Mandela, during a time when the struggle against apartheid aroused considerable enmity from the local British National Party and others.

However, his commitment and principles did not always find favour with the Council leadership. For much of his time at the authority, the incomes of full-time members were heavily dependent upon their membership of Council and external committees, and therefore the patronage of officers of the majority group. There were occasions where Phil endured considerable financial hardship as a result of his stance against the Council’s compliance with government-imposed cuts.

Nevertheless, he continued to enjoy the support of voters in Castle ward, who re-elected him to the City Council on six separate occasions. He was also an invaluable source of help, support and inspiration to constituents, Council staff and colleagues alike.

In May 1999, the Council elected Phil as Lord Mayor of Leicester for the 1999-2000 civic year. He formed a successful professional partnership with Marilyn Hall (mother of the Leicester Voice editor) who became his Lady Mayoress. During their year of office, they represented the city with distinction and grace both locally and internationally, raising over £100 000 in their civic charity appeal for the Leicester Children’s Holiday Home.  

A combination of failing health and deep political disaffection with “new” Labour caused Phil to withdraw almost completely from public life after his retirement from the Council in 2003. A stroke in 2008 forced him to relocate from his beloved flat in Lower Hastings Street to sheltered accommodation elsewhere in the city – a traumatic upheaval from which he never fully recovered. He passed away at Glenfield Hospital after developing a lung infection.

His interests included blues music, art, and snooker. He was also a keen follower of Celtic and Liverpool football clubs, and was particularly delighted to witness the match between Brazil (world champions at the time) and Jamaica in Leicester in October 2003.

While many in Leicester and elsewhere will mourn the passing of a dear and valued friend, the community will lament the loss of a devoted, dedicated and deeply conscientious public servant.

Phil’s funeral service will take place on Tuesday 30 April (1.00 pm) at Gilroes Crematorium in Leicester, followed by a private cremation.

Donations in his memory can be made to Leicester Children’s Holiday Home, either by cheque to Shaftesbury Hall,1 Holy Bones, Leicester, LE1 4LJ or online at http://www.justgiving.com/mablethorpe.

Phillip Ronald Swift – born Ibambi, Belgian Congo 18 July 1938, died Leicester 11 April 2013.