The Mayor of Basingstoke and Deane Cllr Colin Phillimore has paid tribute to Sean Keating, a former Mayor and borough councillor, who died earlier this month.

Sean represented the South Ham ward on Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council from 2000 until he retired in 2021 and was Mayor of the borough from 2018 to 2019. He served as Cabinet Member for Communities and Regeneration in 2005 and was Chair of the Scrutiny Committee in 2006. He took a keen interest in local housing matters and sat on the board of Kingfisher Housing Association, the predecessor to Sovereign Housing Group.

During his term as Mayor Sean, accompanied by the Mayoress Gwen, particularly enjoyed attending music and arts events. He was known for his love of talking to people and chose to support local ‘people’ charities – Mencap, Basingstoke NeighbourCare and Naomi House & Jack’s Place – during his Mayoral year.

Born in Blarney, Ireland, Sean came to England at the age of 17 in search of work. It was a chance encounter with a trade union leader while working in a coal mine in Wales that set 18-year-old Sean on his career path and a lifetime of looking after the welfare of others.

After leaving the coalface, he retrained in engineering and worked at Perkins Engines in Peterborough where he became a senior trade union representative. In 1978, he began a two-year scholarship at Ruskin College in Oxford. From there he became a full-time trade union official.

In 1983 Sean moved to Basingstoke to become the National Secretary to the Association of the Professional, Executive, Clerical and Computer Staff, based at the AA – a job that he did for 10 years. He later became National Secretary of the General, Municipal and Boilermakers’ Union.

Over 60 years Sean and Gwen had four children, Karen (now deceased), Michael, Penny and Tanya, as well as nine grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

Mayor of Basingstoke and Deane Cllr Colin Phillimore said: “Sean often joked that before he left Ireland he kissed the legendary Blarney Stone to receive the ‘gift of the gab’ and didn’t stop talking after that.

“It was this passion for talking and his genuine interest in people that gave him such a successful career in the trade union movement and made him a well-liked and respected borough councillor.

“While his health allowed Sean, accompanied by Gwen, continued to regularly attend Mayoral events long after his retirement from the council and he will be much missed in the future.

“We will always remember his sense of humour, his commitment to his community and his caring nature. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends at this very sad time.”

The details of Sean’s funeral will be announced by his family soon.

The flag at the council offices will fly at half-mast on the day of Sean’s funeral and there will be two minutes’ silence at the Council meeting on Thursday 26 February for councillors to remember and reflect on Sean’s long service to Basingstoke and Deane and also to remember Martin Biermann, another former Mayor who died last month.