Meet Your Councillor…
Henry Biscoe is one of the Councillors for Redruth (North) Ward. He was born in Redruth Hospital and then said he was ‘dragged’ out to live in Stithians for 16 years, where he lived with his brother Bert, mother and father.
When his mother (in Henry’s words) ‘departed’ from his father, Henry and Bert moved to Truro with her. Henry lived with them there for five years until he bought a home in Tolvadon at some point in the eighties.
“ I bought a house of my own which was unheard of in 1980-something-or-other.
Henry then married Alison Biscoe, who also happens to be a councillor for Redruth (South) Ward. Together they lived in Tolvadon where they had their eldest daughter before moving to Redruth. The move in part was for more affordable housing, but Henry and his family were following in the footsteps of a former neighbour who was a painter decorator and was selling a house that he had renovated.
“I really wanted that house… I’ve stayed in it ever since.
Henry worked for Dixons for years, however in his forties following an annual review that left him ‘disillusioned’ after 22 years of service he had a change of heart. Sat in a pub, wondering what to do next, Henry bought a window cleaning round off a friend and shortly after got to work.
After six months, Henry thought ‘What on earth had I done?’ leaving Dixons behind for 4 am starts, and hard work he found himself unable to do anything but go home and go to bed.
However, the community of Redruth inspired Henry to carry on, he remembers fondly ‘When I was window cleaning I would go out and pick up me wages on a Friday morning – I wouldn’t charge much. But if I didn’t meet six or seven people coming down the street I couldn’t say hello to it was a bad day.’
“The nicest bit of Redruth is, no matter who I talk to whether it be the lord lieutenant of the county or dangerous Brian (a litter picker), they are all such nice people.
It was actually Henry’s brother, Bert who suggested he take on the role as a councillor. Henry said that he wanted to ‘give something back’ to the community he was earning a good living from and was extremely fond of. A happy coincidence also meant that Henry and his brother Bert were both Mayor of their respective areas at the same time.
“At one point my mother had two sons as mayors of different towns – Redruth and Truro. She was very proud.
Henry hopes that in the future Cllr Alison Biscoe will get a chance to become Mayor because ‘it would be quite a proud moment to have had both husband and wife as the Mayor.’
Henry’s favourite quote comes from Winston Churchill, however, it does not originate from a famous speech, but instead one of his most famous insults. The quote comes after a woman accosted him as he left the House of Commons one late evening in 1946.
Henry’s Favourite Quote:
“A lady came up to me one day and said ‘Sir! You are drunk’, to which I replied ‘I am drunk today madam, and tomorrow I shall be sober but you will still be ugly.” – Sir Winston Churchill
Henry, although stating his most used phrase is ‘sorry, I’ve forgot’ is a fountain of knowledge and critical thought about the history of both world wars.
His favourite book series, which would be the only books he could ever read again is a collection of eight volumes about the history of World War One. Henry joked ‘I can sit down and start at volume one and by the time I get to volume eight I would have forgotten everything.’ He would also include Johnathan Bastable’s Voices of Stalingrad, which Henry described as a ‘pointless battle’ full of brutal murders.
“History shapes your future.
Henry’s historical knowledge helped Redruth Town Council’s Engagement Team put on an exhibition to celebrate D-Day. Henry supplied letters and photographs from his mother’s time as the only female Redruth Air Raid Patrol member.
Aside from an interest in history, Henry’s other great passion is his car, an Audi TT RS in Sepang Blue. Henry purchased this ‘dream car’ last December and it is his third one, with his last going to Cllr Stephen Barnes. 
Compared with a Ferrari that accelerates from 0 – 60mph in 4.2 seconds, Henry’s car does it in a respectable 4.7 seconds. However, this was not enough for daredevil (although always keeping to the 20mph limit within Redruth) Henry who had the engine remapped, which is the process of plugging a computer into the car’s computer to change how the engine runs to improve power or fuel efficiency. This was initially unsuccessful, and Henry was unable to drive his car for four months due to the ‘remapping falling apart.’
“I like fixing things – not that I’m very good at it!
As well as enjoying owning a vehicle, Henry enjoys fixing things. He enjoys treating cars ‘like a jigsaw puzzle’ pulling them apart and putting them back together again with the help of YouTube.
It is clear that Henry has deep roots in Redruth, from being born in the hospital to living there for 38 years raising his family. His passion and dedication to giving back to his community shines through his work as a former Mayor and being a councillor for just shy of 20 years.
Henry Biscoe was kind enough to stop in for this ‘Meet Your Councillor’ interview on Tuesday 27th August 2024, and it has been lightly edited for length and clarity. Make sure to stay tuned for Vol. 7 and our next councillor. Or read our other Councillor Blogs here and follow us for more on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn.