Tributes to councillor after Italy climbing death

Tributes have been paid to a councillor who died in a climbing accident in Italy.

Stephen Lismore, 71, a Labour councillor on Chesterfield Borough Council, died in Cogne, a town in northern Italy, on Saturday.

Lismore, who represented the Staveley North ward and was first elected to the authority in 2024, was described as a "man of remarkable energy and vigour".

His family said climbing was "core to Steve's identity".

Labour MP for Chesterfield, Toby Perkins, said: "I was shocked to hear of Steve's sudden death.

"He was a man of remarkable energy and vigour who put those attributes to great use in support of the Labour Party, his constituents in Staveley North and in Whittington and Dunston before then, and in support of deprived communities through his pioneering work as founder of Touchstone [a charity based in Staveley].

"He will be sorely missed and my heartfelt condolences go to his partner Sue and his family, and I hope that in time their shock at the abruptness of his passing will give way to their pride and joy at a life well lived."

Lismore, who was also appointed the council's cabinet member for health and wellbeing, was born in Canada but moved to the UK, where he studied, and later settled in the Peak District.

In a tribute, the councillor's family said he was "warm, outgoing, and effortlessly at ease with strangers".

They added: "Climbing was core to Steve's identity, and he went whenever life allowed.

"His natural charisma and passion for a better world drew him into public life, and after working as a civil servant, he founded the charity Touchstone.

"Steve also served as a county and borough councillor, and remained a committed Labour advocate, animated by a stubborn belief that things could be better, and therefore should be."

Chesterfield Borough Council leader Tricia Gilby said the authority was "devastated by the sudden loss of our valued colleague".

She added Lismore fulfilled his role as health and wellbeing lead with "great passion and real commitment to achieving the very best for the people and places of Chesterfield".

Derbyshire Police and Crime Commissioner Nicolle Ndiweni-Roberts said: "He was a genuinely kind person with a true heart for the community, and he will be greatly missed by many.

"My thoughts are with his family and loved ones at this difficult time."

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