Photograph: None
My friend Tony Hams, who has died from motor neurone disease aged 75, was a promoter of sustainable development who spent many years pushing the environmental agenda as a policy adviser to local government. He also helped to shape policy at a national level, and took on a number of roles promoting conservation, including as chair of the Peak District national park.
Born in Devizes, Wiltshire, Tony was the son of Maurice, a baker, and Edna (nee Winter). After attending Devizes grammar school he gained a geography degree from London University and an MA in town planning from Nottingham University. His early career was spent as a planner with Cornwall, Monmouthshire and Derbyshire county councils.
In 1989 the Association of Metropolitan Authorities recruited Tony as their environmental policy adviser. Shortly afterwards he was appointed local government adviser on sustainable development to the UK government.
In that role he was part of the UK delegation to the 1992 Rio Earth Summit, the key output from which was Agenda 21, the UN Programme of Action for Sustainable Development. This challenged local authorities everywhere to prepare their own local Agenda 21s (LA21s), aimed at securing a more sustainable future for their areas.
Later, as head of the sustainable development unit at the Local Government Management Board from 1993 onwards, Tony set about unlocking the potential of LA21. Within a few years, thanks partly to his tireless encouragement and best-practice guidance, 90% of UK councils had produced an LA21. Most had also appointed officers to coordinate efforts to develop more sustainable ways of operating. Tony organised annual conferences for these environmental coordinators to help them share experiences and good practice.
Between 1993 and 1998 he was also a UK delegate to the UN Commission on Sustainable Development in New York. In 1998 he was appointed to the board of the Peak District national park, soon becoming the park’s chair, a position he held with pride and distinction until 2008. He then became chair of the Derbyshire Wildlife Trust and a board member of the East Midlands Heritage Lottery Fund.
Tony’s strength lay in his calm ability to inspire and persuade partners in the public and NGO sectors to work towards common goals. He was appointed OBE in 1999 for services to sustainable development. With typical self-deprecation he maintained the letters stood for “other buggers’ efforts”.
He lived in Tideswell in Derbyshire, where he loved walking the local hills with the family’s Irish setter, Gina, supporting Tideswell United football club and enjoying a pint in the Horse and Jockey.
He is survived by his wife, Angela (nee Beresford), a graphic designer, whom he married in 2000, and their son, George.
