My wife, Hazel Ball, who has died of pancreatic cancer aged 60, worked for Exeter city council for 35 years, becoming head of environmental health in 1996 and strategic director in 2001. She retired in 2012 as director of community and environment, having been, in the chief executive’s words, an “outstanding public servant”.
Poor housing in the city politicised her; she had joined the Labour party in her 20s, but because of her strong belief in the need for council staff to be politically neutral was not able to campaign until she retired. Hazel was also active in her trade union and always said that this taught her more about what makes a good manager than any training course. She was trying to encourage hospital staff to join Unison right up to her death.
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