Hertsmere politicians have paid tribute to Conservative councillor rabbi Alan Plancey, who died over the weekend aged 84.
Cllr Plancey was first elected to the borough council in 2015 as a representative for Borehamwood Brookmeadow, and also served as a county councillor between 2009 and 2021.
He served as the mayor of Hertsmere twice and was appointed an MBE in 2023 for political and public service.
Cllr Plancey also held the interfaith relations portfolio in the cabinet of Chief Rabbi Sacks.
He was a leading activist in the Soviet Jewry movement and served in chaplaincy roles at the police and Luton Airport.
Cllr Harvey Cohen, chairman of Hertsmere Conservatives, said: “Cllr Plancey was admired and respected by people of all politics and of none.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with his wife Miriam and family at this saddest of times.
“May his memory be a blessing.”
A spokesperson for Hertsmere Conservative Association added: “Alan never considered stepping back from his life of public service and remained a truly dedicated public servant until his very last days, attending full council three weeks ago and various community events in the days before he was admitted to hospital.”
Jeremy Newmark, the Labour leader of Hertsmere Borough Council, said: “Cllr Plancey epitomised what it meant to contribute to civic society.
“We were on different ends of the political spectrum, but you didn’t need to agree with his politics to admire the immense leadership role he played within the local Jewish community around here, which he dedicated decades to building into the thriving examples of British Jewish life that it has become.
“He was steadfast in his commitment to wider civic life, taking on roles in both borough and county councils and on a national level as one of the pioneers of interfaith activity.
“He was equally at home representing the Chief Rabbi at a national service in Westminster Abbey as he was in his local synagogue.
“Alan Plancey’s style was always to separate the politics from the personal.
“You could have a blazing row with him in the chamber one week, and the next week, if you were unwell, he would be the first to call to see how you are and turn up at your door with a tub of chicken soup.
“Local life will certainly be poorer without him.
“May his memory be a blessing.”
Cllr Chris Shenton, leader of the Liberal Democrat group at Hertsmere Borough Council, said: “Rabbi Alan Plancey was a great servant to the people of Borehamwood, both as their representative on Hertsmere and Hertfordshire councils as well as being an esteemed Rabbi.
“I always found him friendly and welcoming – he once even suggested I join his political party.
“I send my sincere condolences to his family, friends and colleagues.”
Cllr Marc Amron, leader of the Hertsmere First group at Hertsmere Borough Council, said: “I met Alan properly when I was first elected in 2023.
“He was very, very welcoming. In fact, the first thing he said to me was that I should have joined his group.
“Every time we ever saw each other, whether it was at council or in Borehamwood, he would ask when I’d cross the floor.
“He was a really, really amazing man, a wonderful man. He did a lot for charity, he did a lot for Borehamwood, which he loved, and he had an amazing humanity.
“He was a man of the people. He could talk to somebody in a doorway or he could meet with the Queen.
“A lot of people are going to miss him, and I will personally miss his smile and his sense of humour.”
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