Bob Blizzard: Former Waveney MP dies aged 71

The former Labour MP Bob Blizzard has died at the age of 71.

Mr Blizzard, who was born in Bury St Edmunds, served as MP for Waveney in Suffolk from 1997 until he lost the seat in 2010.

He started his political career as a councillor for Waveney District Council, where he was leader for six years.

A jazz enthusiast, he founded the Lowestoft Jazz Weekend and supported many other local projects in the town.

He was a patron of Lowestoft Town Football Club and a director of the Seagull Theatre in the coastal town.

The theatre has just been awarded a £240,000 Arts Council grant that Mr Blizzard had applied for.

While a serving MP, he played a role in securing funding for the Orbis Energy Centre in Lowestoft and campaigned for a third water crossing in the town, but that was not approved until 2015 and work on it is now well under way.

Peter Byatt, leader of the Labour group on East Suffolk Council, the successor to Waveney District Council, said: "I would not have entered politics if it had not been for the encouragement of Bob Blizzard.

"He was a larger than life character. In the best way, you could not miss Bob. He was warm, encouraging and kind."

He said Mr Blizzard was "passionate" and spoke so loudly for the need for the third crossing that "you could stand one one side of the [water] and hear him talking about it on the other".

Following his narrow defeat in the 2010 election Mr Blizzard stood again as a candidate in 2015, but was unable to retake the seat from Conservative MP Peter Aldous.

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said: "It is incredibly sad to learn of Bob's passing. He served the people of Waveney, firstly in local government and then in Parliament, for more than 20 years and was an inspiration to so many in the Labour Party in Suffolk. "He brought his joy for life to everything he did. My thoughts are with his family and friends."

Mr Blizzard also wrote a report on why the Labour Party performed badly in the East of England at the 2010 election.

Posting a message on Twitter, Mr Aldous said: "It's terribly sad to learn of Bob Blizzard's passing.

"He was a formidable political opponent, a man who held passionate and strong beliefs and was a staunch advocate for Waveney.

"My condolences are with his family and loved ones."

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