THE MAN who led some of Leicester’s most significant urban regeneration programmes of the 1990s has been given the Honorary Freedom of the City.
Keith Beaumont was honoured for his remarkable and lasting impact on life in the city, having successfully delivered schemes that brought huge social, cultural and economic benefits to the people of Leicester.
Mr Beaumont was brought in to lead Leicester’s £37.5m City Challenge programme in the early 1990s, steering a complex and ambitious initiative that cleared scrapyards and derelict sites in the Bede Island and riverside areas, paving the way for new housing, employment and leisure uses.
Under his leadership, the initiative attracted millions of pounds of private sector investment, breathing new life into neighbourhoods that had faced long‑term decline and delivering projects that reshaped the city’s landscape.
The redevelopment of the former Cattle Market site, the creation of Bede Park, the remediation of the land that would provide the site for the King Power stadium, and dozens of neighbourhood schemes across the West End were all delivered as part of the City Challenge programme.
Mr Beaumont then went on to lead the delivery company for the city’s Millennium Project: the National Space Centre. Since opening in 2001, the space centre – which was supported by £23.25 million of National Lottery funding from the Millennium Commission – has become one of the UK’s most successful science-based attractions.
Finally, in the early 2000s, Mr Beaumont took on the challenge of leading the £49.5m New Deal for Communities initiative in Braunstone, which delivered many long-term benefits for local residents.
City Mayor Peter Soulsby said: “Keith Beaumont’s contribution to Leicester is simply unparalleled.
“His leadership changed the physical landscape of our city, but more importantly, it changed people’s lives – creating opportunity, attracting investment and helping to build pride in Leicester.
“His work on City Challenge, the National Space Centre and the New Deal for Communities in Braunstone has helped shaped the city we know today. We owe him a tremendous debt of gratitude,
“There are many illustrious names on the list of Leicester’s Honorary Freemen, but I can’t see a single one who deserves it more than Keith.
“This honour is long overdue and I am delighted that he finally has the recognition he deserves.”
Speaking at the conferment ceremony at the Town Hall, Keith Beaumont said: “I am deeply moved to be able to stand here and thank all of you in in this room who worked so hard to change Leicester’s West End.
“We worked together to change negatives into positives. We worked as a team, and I am very grateful that I was able to make a contribution to that team.
“I am deeply honoured to receive this recognition from a city that means so much to me.”
The Honorary Freedom of the City – the highest honour the city can bestow – acknowledges individuals who have rendered eminent, outstanding service to Leicester and whose contribution is recognised as truly exceptional.
In March this year, members of Leicester City Council voted unanimously to award the honour to Mr Beaumont.
The conferment ceremony took place in the Tea Room at the Town Hall last Friday (2 October).
The Lord Mayor of Leicester, Cllr Kulwinder Singh Johal – who hosted the ceremony – said: “It was an enormous privilege to confer the Honorary Freedom of the City upon Keith and share the opportunity to recognise a man whose extraordinary service has quite literally shaped the city that we love.”
Previous recipients of the Honorary Freedom of the City of Leicester include former prime minister James Ramsay MacDonald (1929), Sir David and Lord Richard Attenborough (1989), footballer Gary Lineker (1992) and the author Sue Townsend (2009). In 2022, the honour was bestowed on Leicester City Football Club, following the team’s Premier League title success in 2016 and FA Cup victory in 2021.
Picture caption: Keith Beaumont at the conferment ceremony, with the Lord Mayor of Leicester Cllr Kulwinder Singh Johal (left), City Mayor Peter Soulsby (right) and members of his family