Councillor Colette Dennis

IT is with great shock and sadness that Reading Borough Council has to announce the passing of sitting Councillor and Deputy Mayoress, Colette Dennis.

Colette, 60, passed away at the John Radcliffe Hospital on 9 June 2023 after she was suddenly and unexpectedly taken ill last Wednesday in Reading and taken straight to Oxford.

The thoughts of everybody at the Council are with her husband, Deputy Mayor Councillor Glenn Dennis, her family and her close friends.

Colette was first elected as a Norcot ward Councillor in May 2022 and was recently re-elected by Norcot residents in May’s Local Borough Elections. As wife to the Deputy Mayor, she held the post of Deputy Mayoress, which she previously held in 2017-18 when Councillor Glenn Dennis was also Deputy Mayor.

Councillor Colette Dennis is survived by her husband, her two sons and her two grandchildren.

Councillor Jason Brock, Reading Council Leader, said:

“Colette was not only a colleague, but a friend. Her unexpected and untimely passing will be felt very deeply in the Labour Group, across the Chamber, and across the whole Council.

“She was passionate about her ward and a real champion for her local community in Norcot. Colette was a regular at the Mission Church lunch club, Dee Caf, and the Oaktree Care Home. She was a great advocate for more community activities and resources in Dee Park, working hard with partners to secure benefits for residents.

“On the Council, Colette was an important member of many committees and forums and showed a particular interest in helping to improve the lives of those who faced challenges and experienced inequities in our town. My own thoughts, and the thoughts of everyone at the Council, are with Glenn and the family. We will, of course, do all we can to support them at this impossibly sad time.”

Reading Borough Council will announce further arrangements when they have been confirmed by the family.