A FAMILY man and Wiltshire councillor of 30 years has died aged 81.

William Moss, very well known in lots of circles in Salisbury, will be remembered for “passion for the council work, which he absolutely loved”, his wife said.

William, known affectionately as Bill, was born on October 20, 1937, and as a young boy was sent to a boarding school in Switzerland as part of treatment for his asthma.

Despite having no second language, Bill quickly learnt German, and took well to rowing, competing in the school team.

Bill, an insurance broker, married his wife, Natalie, in 1982, and they moved from Winchester, where Natalie used to lecture at the university, to Salisbury, where Bill’s insurance company was based, in the same year.

Natalie, who has been an academic all her life and used to be a chief Ofsted inspector, said: “He had a wonderful sense of humour, he was a very generous person, and the best word that can be used about him is enthusiastic.

“Everything he did, he did at 100 per cent.”

Bill has two children, a step son, and three "absolutely gorgeous grandchildren" - two grandsons and one granddaughter, Natalie said.

After living in Salisbury for about six years, he was convinced to stand for election as the Salisbury District Councillor for Farley and Pitton by a local Conservative, which he won.

During this time as a district councillor, he was also chairman of the council’s planning committee, and was also asked to run in the county council, a much larger role encompassing Whiteparish and parts of the New Forest, a role he also won.

Natalie added: “He was also absolutely passionate about planning, as well as being a history buff.

“History was his great joy, and the planning was a natural spin-off of that.”

Some of Bill’s many other roles within the community included being the council’s representative at Salisbury Museum, being governor of Greentrees and St Mark’s Primary Schools, and for a time, chairman of the Wiltshire Council Licensing Committee.

Bill also spent eight years as a governor of the Salisbury District Hospital NHS Trust.

His main hobby, Natalie said, was sailing: “He was a very keen sailor.

“He and a friend had quite a large yacht which they kept moored in Portchester.”

Natalie said: “I do and will just miss him desperately.”
John Glen, Salisbury MP, said: “Bill was a true gentlemen and a dedicated councillor who served Salisbury with sincerity and care.”

The funeral is at All Saints Church, Winterslow, on Monday, December 17 at 11am.