Fond Tributes Paid to Former Mayor and Councillor George Hood

The Mayor of Basingstoke and Deane has led the tributes following the sad news of the death of George Hood, who was a long-serving councillor for Norden and a former Mayor and Deputy Leader

George was first elected to the borough council in 1984. He took a five year break in service and was re-elected in 1992, holding various senior positions, including Deputy Leader in 2004/5, until he retired in August 2018 aged 82.

As Mayor of Basingstoke and Deane from 2008 to 2009, he enjoyed his time as first citizen of the borough, with his wife Davina a former nurse by his side as Mayoress. The flag at the Civic Offices in Basingstoke will be lowered to half-mast in honour of George on the day of his funeral, Monday 2 December. The funeral cortege will leave from the Civic Offices and through Oakridge before making its way to Basingstoke Crematorium.

Born and raised in Peterhead, Scotland, George moved to Basingstoke in 1962 when he was offered a job as an inspector at Thornycroft. He married his wife Davina the following year and the couple settled in Oakridge, bringing up their sons Christopher and Stephen. They celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary in 2013 with their family, including six grandchildren. George worked at Thornycroft for 30 years in various positions.

He was also chairman of Governors at John Hunt of Everest School and held the same position at Merton Infant and Junior Schools. Paying tribute, George’s family said: “We are all so sad at the passing of George. We were all extremely proud of his hard work and achievements in his community and he will be sadly missed as a loving husband, father, grandfather and brother.” The current Mayor of Basingstoke and Deane Cllr Diane Taylor said: “He was a real gentleman and very popular with local people. I served with George on the Development Control Committee and found him a lovely man. We enjoyed many interesting chats and he was very knowledgeable about the history of Basingstoke. Our thoughts are with George’s family at this sad time.”