Tribute paid to Newcastle-under- Lyme mayor following a traffic collision

A statement from Newcastle-under-lyme borough Council following the death of town mayor, Cllr Barry Panter

”It is with great sadness that we have learned of the death of The Mayor of Newcastle-under-Lyme, Cllr Barry Panter.

It follows a road accident on the evening of Thursday, 13  February.

Simon Tagg, Leader of Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council, said:

Barry’s friends and colleagues are shocked to hear this news. We all saw him on Wednesday, chairing the meeting of Full Council with his usual authority, and now to hear this is simply terrible. My thoughts, and those of the Council, are with his wife Beatrice, family and friends.”

Councillor Panter was serving as the Mayor of the Borough for 2024/25 and was raising money for the Salvation Army and Headway North Staffordshire during his term in office.

Born in Bedford, he left home at the age of 19 to join the RAF. After leaving the military, he then served on the South Wales Constabulary for 23 years, during which the father-of-two received several commendations for his courage and policing work in the community.

Moving to North Staffordshire in 2002, he married again and lived in Madeley.

Having first taken in an interest in local affairs by joining his residents’ association and serving as a parish councillor and school governor, Cllr Panter was first elected to Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council in 2016 to represent the Loggerheads ward.”