Top civic honours for two political veterans

Peter ‘Mr Gosport’ Edgar and Chris Carter made county’s honorary aldermen

HAMPSHIRE County Council has recognised the “distinguished service” of two Gosport councillors – Peter Edgar and Chris Carter – making each of them an Honorary Alderman.

As well as being a borough councillor, Mr Edgar was one of the county councillors for the Leesland and Town division from 2005 until this year’s local elections.

During that time, the former teacher held a range of posts including being the county’s Executive Member for Education between 2013 and 2018, having previously been the Assistant Executive Member from 2009.

Prior to that, he was vice-chair of the Gosport Peninsula Access Panel, a member of the Regulatory Committee B, County Highway Management & Transport Advisory Panels for Gosport, and of the Health Review Committee which became the Health Scrutiny and Overview Committee.

From 2006 to 2010, Mr Edgar was vice chair of the Hampshire Action Team for Fareham & Gosport.

In bestowing the honour, Hampshire County Council was following the lead of Gosport council which in February 2019, made Peter Edgar an Honorary Freeman of the Borough.

In that ceremony, councillors of all the main political parties spoke highly of his work for the borough and the then council Leader Mark Hook dubbed him, “Mr Gosport”.

For many Gosport people, Peter Edgar is remembered as the leader of the ‘Save Haslar’ campaign which helped keep the hospital open for 11 more years before it finally closed in 2009.

At the same time as Mr Edgar received his Hampshire County Council award, the current Gosport borough councillor for Lee West Chris Carter was also made a county Honorary Alderman, having stepped down as the county councillor for Leesland and Town division which he had represented since 2009.

At county level, Councillor Carter was Chairman of the Southern Area Hampshire Road Safety Committee, a member of the Children & Young People Select Committee, and Vice Chairman of the Health & Adult Social Care Select Committee from 2011 to 2017, and the Culture & Communities Select Committee from 2017 to 2021.

Throughout his time as a county councillor, Mr Carter was a member, and from 2015 chaired, the Hampshire Fire and Rescue Authority – which became the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Fire and Rescue Authority in 2020.

Photo (top): Peter Edgar receives his award from the chair of Hampshire County Council Councillor Mel Kendal with (left) Council Leader Councillor Keith Mans . Reproduced with permission from Hampshire County Council.