Family and colleagues mourn New Milton town councillor and former mayor Keith Craze after his sudden death

TRIBUTES have been paid to New Milton councillor and former mayor Keith Craze after his sudden death.

The town council has said it is “deeply saddened” by the news of the loss of the respected member, who had been serving since 2015.

In a statement, a council spokesperson said: “Our sincerest condolences are offered to his family at this time, especially to Madalaine, his wife and fellow councillor currently serving as deputy mayor and vice-chair of the council.

“Cllr Craze was a well-respected member of the council, and also a member of New Forest District Council and will be remembered for his public service.

“We will fondly remember his Welsh wit, HR experience and his strong family commitment.”

Raised and educated in Wales, Keith, the eldest of four children, studied history – Russian and Chinese – and international politics at Aberystwyth University.

He completed a full-time IPM (CIPD) course, before going on to spend 40 years working in HR for various companies.

Having met Madalaine in Cardiff, the couple married and had three sons, Matt, Duncan and Ed.

Matt is an ex-cathedral chorister based initially in London, then Buenos Aires and now Chile. He owns seafood industry intelligence and data firm Spheric Research.

Duncan works as a financial planner in Surrey, and Ed is a deck officer for Wightlink’s Lymington-Yarmouth ferry service.

Keith was elected to the town council in 2015 and New Forest District Council in 2019, representing the Barton ward on both.

He served as mayor and town council chair from 2021 to 2023.

The district flag was lowered at NFDC’s Appletree Court headquarters in Lyndhurst as a mark of respect.

Its chairman, Cllr David Hawkins, who also sits on the town council, said: “We are deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Cllr Keith Craze, who served the district with dedication and distinction.

“He was a committed public servant, passionately representing the Barton ward from 2019 to 2023 and most recently the Barton and Becton Ward.

“It is a sad loss to the residents of the New Forest. On behalf of the district council, we extend our heartfelt condolences to his family, friends, and colleagues during this difficult time.”

NFDC leader Cllr Jill Cleary added: “Cllr Craze made significant contributions to our community, and his keen involvement in public service and his thoughtful insight, particularly as vice-chairman of the audit committee, will be sorely missed.

“My thoughts are with his loved ones.”

Keith had also previously chaired NFDC’s appeals committee and the community, partnerships and wellbeing overview and scrutiny panel.

He chaired a number of its internal working groups, as well as acting as representative on several outside bodies, most recently the Road Safety Council and Wessex Water Southern Customer Liaison Panel.

Keith was also involved with local education as a governor at New Milton Junior School.

He was vice-chair of directors at the Gryphon Trust, which oversees both Arnewood and associated free school Eaglewood.

Keith Craze is survived by his wife Madalaine, their three sons and seven grandchildren, five of whom live in the UK and the other two in Chile.