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Mr Povey passed away this weekend
Friends and colleagues have paid tribute to 'people's champion', affectionately known as 'Mr Leek', after he passed away at his home in Ashbourne Road yesterday afternoon.
The 53-year-old father-of-two was diagnosed with lung cancer in August, but just a month ago rose from his sickbed to challenge colleagues on
Staffordshire Moorlands District Council to cut their allowances.
He was well-known in the town for playing a leading role in organising community and charity events, as well as campaigning for local causes.
The UKIP councillor for Leek North and a former Leek mayor, Mr Povey also ran the well-established Povey's
Oatcakes store in Biddulph's High Street.
He is survived by daughter Olivia, aged 19, and Alex, aged 23, who now runs his oatcake shop.
Friend Keith Harrison, district councillor for Leek North, said Mr Povey began receiving chemotherapy less than a fortnight ago, the Sentinel report today.
Mr Harrison's wife Gillian and two other family friends helped care for Mr Povey as his health deteriorated.
Mr Harrison said: "He has done so much for the community, as a youth leader and later as a councillor. We are very sad and upset."
"His hard work will be very sadly missed, but he will be missed as a friend more than anything."
"My wife said he was fine on the morning of his death and there seemed to be something different about him."
"It was over very quickly. He passed away just after the ambulance arrived. I feel for his children as they have also lost their mother."
Mr Povey's ex-wife Carol, the mother of his children, died at the age of 45 in 2008 after being crushed by a horse in a freak accident.
Neighbour and fellow district councillor Pam Wood said to the Sentinel: "Our thoughts are with Steve's family."
"Both me and my family will miss him tremendously and the people of the town will miss him."
"Since he was 14 he has been involved in some way with this community and nobody had worked harder for Leek than he has."
"He lived for Leek and has done so much. I don't think anybody can fill his shoes."
Friend Ron Locker, district councillor for Cheadle West beat bowel cancer in 2010 and had spoken to Mr Povey about his illness.
He said: "Steve was a Leek man through-and-through. He loved his town, he loved the people and he will be sorely missed as there was such a lot more he could have done.
"He was a people's champion. He was always on the side of the ordinary people."
Mr Povey served as a district and town councillor for more than a decade and was elected as a county councillor for Leek at the second attempt in June 2009.
He underwent a triple heart by-pass in 2008, but resumed his council and community work shortly afterwards.
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