From Tony Vines
I came to work in Basingstoke in 1972 after being appointed as a
commercial surveyor to Basingstoke Development Group, the organisation
responsible for expanding the town. My role was to try to attract companies
to move here and to lease sites to them on which to build new commercial
premises. As senior staff departed I was eventually appointed as Group
Estates Surveyor where I first had to report our work directly to the Town
Development Joint Committee which was comprised of councillors from the GLC,
Hampshire County Council and the Borough Council. I first came across Betty
Holmes as one of the local councillors on that committee.
My first impression was of a very strong lady who said clearly what she
thought and asked very direct questions. She was a formidable lady and it
was clear from the start that nothing would escape her attention. However,
this engendered great respect from the professional officers and the other
councillors.
As the Development Group finished its work I was asked to create an estates
department in the recently enlarged Borough Council which was inheriting the
vast housing, industrial and commercial estates that the Development Group
had created. As the Council Chief Estates Surveyor I saw Betty regularly as
she served on various Council committees with distinction.
My family and I moved to Basingstoke in 1974 and in 1982 bought our current
house in Lychpit quite close to Betty's home. I met her socially on
occasions and often met her around and about the village. I was therefore
able to see what a warm and wise person she was in addition to being a
splendid councillor.
As we struggle to come to terms with the corruption and moral turpitude of
our senior politicians I cannot but wish that more of them had the wisdom
and goodness of people like Betty. It almost seems like a bygone age. Betty
will be missed but she left a wonderful legacy of public service and
generosity.