Sir Richard Marchant Knowles (20 May 1917 – 18 February 2008) was a British politician known for his work in local government in
Birmingham
Birmingham ( ) is a city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1.145 million in the city proper, 2.92 million in the We ...
. He led the
Labour Party administration on Birmingham City Council from 1984 to 1993.
Knowles was brought up in
Kent
Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces ...
and worked in the building industry from the age of 14. After brief service in the
Royal Engineers
The Corps of Royal Engineers, usually called the Royal Engineers (RE), and commonly known as the ''Sappers'', is a corps of the British Army. It provides military engineering and other technical support to the British Armed Forces and is head ...
during
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...
, he became a builder and shipbuilder in 1941. In 1950 he became a
trade union
A trade union (labor union in American English), often simply referred to as a union, is an organization of workers intent on "maintaining or improving the conditions of their employment", ch. I such as attaining better wages and benefits ...
organiser in the building trade, working in
Sevenoaks,
Dover
Dover () is a town and major ferry port in Kent, South East England. It faces France across the Strait of Dover, the narrowest part of the English Channel at from Cap Gris Nez in France. It lies south-east of Canterbury and east of Maids ...
,
Leeds
Leeds () is a city and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds district in West Yorkshire, England. It is built around the River Aire and is in the eastern foothills of the Pennines. It is also the third-largest settlement (by popul ...
and eventually ending up in
Birmingham
Birmingham ( ) is a city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1.145 million in the city proper, 2.92 million in the We ...
.
From 1971, he became national organiser of the
Co-operative Party
The Co-operative Party is a centre-left political party in the United Kingdom, supporting co-operative values and principles. Established in 1917, the Co-operative Party was founded by co-operative societies to campaign politically for the fair ...
and began to consider a career in local government. He was elected to
Birmingham City Council
Birmingham City Council is the local government body responsible for the governance of the City of Birmingham in England, which has been a metropolitan district since 1974. It is the most populated local council area in the United Kingdom ...
in 1972 and was swiftly made Chairman of the
Planning Committee. In 1974 he was elected as an
Alderman
An alderman is a member of a municipal assembly or council in many jurisdictions founded upon English law. The term may be titular, denoting a high-ranking member of a borough or county council, a council member chosen by the elected members ...
and moved on to the Policy Committee, of which he was a member for three years until the Labour Party lost power. He also served on West Midlands County Council from 1973 to 1977.
In 1980, Knowles returned as Planning Committee chairman for two years. He was promoted to be Labour group leader and became Leader of the Council in 1984 when Labour won control.
Knowles played a key role in the transformation of Birmingham city centre during the late 1980s and early 1990s. He was influential in bringing about the
International Convention Centre and
Symphony Hall on Broad Street, which were to prove hugely important in the regeneration and reinvention of the city.
He was
knighted
A knight is a person granted an honorary title of knighthood by a head of state (including the Pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church or the country, especially in a military capacity. Knighthood finds origins in the G ...
in 1989. Knowles was sued in 1990 by
John Hemming John Hemming may refer to:
* John Hemming (historian) (born 1935), British explorer and author
*John Hemming (politician) (born 1960), British politician
See also
*John Heminges, co-publisher of Shakespeare's works after his death
*John Hemings
J ...
over a leaflet which Hemming considered libellous; although Knowles had not written the leaflet, he had helped distribute it door-to-door. Lacking the resources to defend the case, Knowles agreed to pay damages of £1,000 to charity plus Hemming's legal costs.
Knowles stood down from the leadership in 1993, being succeeded by
Theresa Stewart and was made
Lord Mayor of Birmingham
This is a list of the Mayors in England, mayors and lord mayors of Birmingham in the West Midlands (county), West Midlands of England.
Birmingham has had a mayor (and elected council) since 1838. The office was raised to the dignity of lord ma ...
in 1994. He was defeated for re-election to the council in 2000.
On 2 May 2007, the then British Prime Minister, Tony Blair, paid tribute to Dick Knowles's contribution to the regeneration of Birmingham, during
Prime Minister's Questions
Prime Minister's Questions (PMQs, officially known as Questions to the Prime Minister, while colloquially known as Prime Minister's Question Time) is a constitutional convention in the United Kingdom, currently held as a single session every W ...
at Westminster.
He was still politically active as a governor of
University Hospital Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust well into his eighties.
Death and legacy
Knowles died of
bladder cancer
Bladder cancer is any of several types of cancer arising from the tissues of the urinary bladder. Symptoms include blood in the urine, pain with urination, and low back pain. It is caused when epithelial cells that line the bladder become ma ...
, aged 90. His son, Bill Knowles, added that his father had lived "a very full and complete life".
The Knowles stand, one of four stands for spectators at
Alexander Stadium is named after him.
References
External links
ObituaryPicture of Dickat the Birmingham Carnival 1994.
Obituary in The Times, 28 February 2008(£)
Obituary in the Guardian, 21 February 2008
{{DEFAULTSORT:Knowles, Dick
1917 births
2008 deaths
Military personnel from Kent
Deaths from bladder cancer
Labour Party (UK) councillors
Co-operative Party politicians
Politicians from Birmingham, West Midlands
People from Kent
Deaths from cancer in England
Councillors in Birmingham, West Midlands
Knights Bachelor
Lord Mayors of Birmingham, West Midlands
Leaders of local authorities of England
British Army personnel of World War II
Royal Engineers soldiers