At the the meeting of Westminster City Council on January 25th, Councillor Rachael Robathan, Leader of the Conservative Group, led the tributes to Philippa Roe a former Knightsbridge & Belgravia ward Councillor and Leader of the Council.
Philippa Roe Tribute
The news just before Christmas that Philippa Roe, Baroness Couttie, had lost her long battle with cancer was devastating for all of us who knew her. She was brave and kind, with an acute intelligence and great charm. Only just 60, with a career she loved in the House of Lords and a family she adored, this was a cruel blow.
I first met Philippa many years before we were elected when she already had a stellar career in finance under her belt. Having already had one brush with this dreadful disease and with brand new baby twins, Angus and Genevieve, she decided to take a step back to spend more time with her children and give something back to the community in which she lived - of course, it didn’t turn out to be much of a step back, but rather the first step on a new career in public life.
And so, in 2006, Philippa was elected to Westminster City Council for the ward of Knightsbridge & Belgravia. As a long term resident, she was deeply committed to the area of Westminster in which she lived and campaigned tirelessly to improve planning controls around sub basements, address rat running through quiet residential roads and ensure that the streets and green areas which make this part of London so special were protected and well maintained. As the mother of tiny children, she was also very conscious of the importance of early years provision. She was always ready to tackle problems and it was Philippa who was one of the first on the scene when a skip collapsed through the pavement on Chester Row, narrowly avoiding serious injuries, but sending shockwaves through the local residential community. She ensured that all the necessary services were on the scene without delay and also managed to soothe nerves with her calm assurance.
Philippa’s abilities saw her progress very rapidly in the Council. Promoted to the Cabinet first in 2008 with the Housing portfolio, where she developed innovative ways to deliver the much needed regeneration of our Housing stock, she then took on Strategic Finance in 2011. In this role her acute grasp and understanding of financial detail helped ensure the financial stability of the Council which was one of her key legacies. Indeed, Cllr Harvey who was her Deputy in the role commented that she had a deftness of touch and comprehensive understanding of how things worked and, in particular, the impact of financial decisions on the residents of this great City.
She was elected Leader of the Council in 2012, a role she held until she was elevated to the House of Lords in 2016. She was passionate about ensuring young people have the right opportunities and improving employment and growth - both areas where she achieved a huge amount. Collegiate in style, she was particularly good at involving all colleagues in the workings of the Council and bringing together all spectrums of opinion. Cllr Scarborough remembers how welcoming she was to new Councillors, inviting them to lunch and involving them from day one. Cllr Mitchell commented on how kind, calm and thoughtful she was as Leader.
While Leader, she also played a key role in London wide politics where she demonstrated her ability to work with people of all political persuasions and backgrounds in order to deliver the best outcomes for London and Westminster specifically. A woman of great charm and style, Philippa nevertheless had a steely determination which meant that she invariably succeeded in what she set out to do. She was also one of the finest orators the Westminster Council chamber has seen and few of us will forget a particularly rousing performance when she set out her vision for ensuring our housing estates were fit for the future and supported the communities living there. In 2016, the final stage of her political career began when she was elevated to the House of Lords and I know from my husband, how well regarded she was by her peers there and the full role she played, not least as a Government whip.
I will never forget the phone call I received from her about 18 months ago. I was Leader at the time and I remember standing in my office as we talked. Back in 2016 we had both had persistent coughs. Mine turned out to be whooping cough. Hers was far more serious. I remembered how brave she’d been, wanting very few of us to know, continuing to work as she fought it and keeping up a front for her children who were only ten at the time. After a few months she told us the treatment had been successful, but what she didn’t tell us was that she knew it was terminal and the treatment would only keep it at bay, not cure it. She had kept this secret so that her children could have as normal a childhood as possible. When we spoke she said that she would see that Christmas but not the next - a prediction which sadly proved all too accurate. I remember looking out of the window of my office being totally in awe of her courage - it was me who was in tears, not Philippa. She had come to terms with the fact that her life would be cut off far too early and that she wouldn’t see her beloved twins grow up. Her only thought was how to make it easier for them to bear when she was no longer there.
Tony Devenish and I were both fortunate to have served as fellow ward Councillors with Philippa. As a colleague she was a joy to work with, never losing her cool at even the most stressful times, always supportive and with a ferocious work ethic as well as a sharp sense of humour. I’ll never forget in 2014 visiting one of our residents who’d agreed to sign our nomination papers He’d clearly forgotten as we found him at 7.30 well refreshed and in a very bizarre and extremely short dressing gown. As she followed him up the stairs to his flat keeping up a flow of talk about pot holes and resident parking bays, Tony and I followed in her wake very glad not to have to speak.
But most important of all, was her fierce determination to make sure that her family came first and she fiercely guarded her time with her young twins - even when it meant that she had to go back to work after putting them to bed. Westminster has lost one of its finest citizens. Our deepest condolences go to her husband Stephen and her children Angus and Genevieve. She was a class act and we are all fortunate to have known her.
You can watch the debate here: https://civico.net/westminster/17232-Council