Mike Palmer-Jones

His father, Llewellyn Courtenary Palmer-Jones, was a surgeon in the RAF during and after the Second World War had his son educated at

Edinburgh's George Watson College and then at Edinburgh University

where he gained his MA.

When his father retired from the forces, he became a GP in Lincolnshire and made the county their home. It was at Lincoln's Longdales Lawn Tennis Club that Mike met his future wife, Margaret. They married while he was still at university.

Sport was a passion from his early years – he was a talented racket player; a Lincolnshire junior lawn tennis champion who appeared at Junior Wimbledon; he represented his university at tennis and squash and also played tennis for Scottish Universities.

After graduation, he joined Lindsey Council and then took an admin job with Doncaster Borough Council before becoming Grimsby's assistant town clerk (administration). At 31, he became the youngest chief officer in local government in the country when he was promoted to director of works.

In 1973, with local government reorganisation changing the political landscape, Mike moved to Leeds to take up the new post of director of leisure services where his innovative approach and hard work made a huge success of the department which was responsible for sport, parks, museums, art galleries and libraries.

Many of the most visited leisure facilities in Leeds are a testament to his vision including Temple Newsam Home Farm, Lotherton Hall Bird Garden, Canal Gardens and Tropical World.

It was of great importance to him that these facilities were available to all and he insisted that City Fathers maintain free admission to these attractions – entrance fees were only introduced after his retirement.

Most of the Leeds sports centres were built during his tenure as director of leisure services. When Leeds United's owners went cap-in-hand to the council for a bail-out, it was Mike Palmer-Jones who led the negotiations for the authority and secured a deal that brought the Elland Road stadium in to public ownership for what many observers believed at the time was the bargain-basement price of 2.5m

In 1988, Leeds Council's then Labour leader George Mudie sent Mr Palmer-Jones to take charge of the city's troubled public works department where he turned a 2m loss into a 2m profit – a feat achieved despite newly-imposed Government regulations which forced local authorities to open up tenders to private firms

Mike had a life-long interest in rugby union and became chairman of Leeds Rugby Union which was created in 1991 after the merger of the Headingley Rugby Union and Roundhay Rugby Union clubs. He oversaw and finalised the sale of the famous Headingley ground in Kirkstall, a development process which became the most contentious in Leeds City Council's history, and the move of the Leeds Rugby Union team to play its matches at the Leeds Rugby League stadium in Headingley (now known as Leeds Carnegie Stadium).

The sale proceeds enabled the merged club to enter the new professional world of rugby union created in 1995.

In 1996, Mike was involved in the negotiations by which the club's playing operations were merged into Leeds Rugby Ltd (which also controlled Leeds Rhinos) and became known as Leeds Tykes before more recently being named Leeds Carnegie. He remained an active and enthusiastic supporter of the professional team and managed to attend their recent victory against Saracens despite the incapacity caused by his illness

He also took a keen interest in the development of the amateur rugby side of the Leeds Rugby Union club which separately retained the former Roundhay site at Chandos Park.

After a difficult planning process that ground was eventually sold which enabled the club to merge its operations with West Park Bramhope and create West Park Leeds in 2006. Mike acted as president of West Park Leeds from its inception during which time there has been a multi-million pound investment in the development of the best amateur rugby facilities in the county

He took great pleasure in his family and grandchildren, indulging his interest in wildlife, the countryside and golf. He is survived by his wife, three children and six grandchildren. His funeral service is at All Hallows' Bardsey Parish Church on Monday at 2pm.