Sir Christopher James Clarke Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire, usually known as Chris Clarke, was a British Liberal Democrat politician, leader of Somerset County Council and of his party"s group in the Local Government Association.
Education
Originally from Essex, where he was educated at Westcliff High School for Boys, Clarke first entered politics as an Social Democratic Party councillor in Richmondshire, North Yorkshire, before moving to Somerset where he worked for the shoe manufacturer Clarks.
Career
He was elected to Mendip District Council, rising to become its leader for four years. He was also elected to Somerset County Council, serving as member for the City of Wells from 1985 to 2005 and leading the county council from 1993 to 2001. In 2005 Clarke moved from Somerset to Gloucestershire to marry Liz, settling at Tibberton and standing unsuccessfully for Gloucestershire County Council.
He went on to become Chairman of the South West Region of Arts Council England and of the National Health Service South Gloucestershire Trust Board, a Specialist Adviser to the Department for Communities and Local Government, and implementation manager at the Improvement and Development Agency.
On 15 October 2007, Clarke intervened in a Liberal Democrat Party leadership crisis, appearing on British Broadcasting Corporation television"s World at One with Menzies Campbell"s deputy Vince Cable. Cable conceded that Campbell"s position was "certainly under discussion", adding "I don"t think it"s under threat", but Clarke advised Campbell to "go with dignity and go back to being foreign affairs spokesman, where the world listens to you." Later the same day came an announcement by the party that Campbell would step down as leader.
In May 2009, in defence of a former Somerset County Council colleague accused by its chief executive of bullying, Clarke offered to give evidence to the Adjudication Panel for England to the effect that there was a "culture of bullying" within the county council. The affair was debated in the House of Commons on 21 April 2009.
We will remember Chris as a great liberal, a hard working councillor and a person whose dry humour brought life to many an interminable meeting on arcane matters of local government finance and administration.
Politics
He was then leader of the Liberal Democrats in the Local Government Association from 2001 to 2005.
Membership
He was also a board member of the Stroud Theatre and the Somerset Arts Partnership and worked as a consultant as Director of Word on the Street Limited.