Tributes after Great Aycliffe Town councillor Robert Fleming dies

Robert Fleming, also known as Bob, served Great Aycliffe Town Council since 1987

Tributes have been paid after the death of one of the longest-serving councillors in north-east England.

Great Aycliffe Town Council said Robert Fleming, also known as Bob, had died aged 89.

He had previously served in the military before becoming a county councillor and Labour leader.

Town clerk Dan Austin said he was a "master politician" who had an "encyclopaedic knowledge".

Mr Fleming was first elected to the council in 1987, before becoming Labour leader of the council and a sub-committee chairman.

He later became the leader of Sedgefield Borough Council, which later became a part of Durham County Council.

In 2015 he received the Freeman of the Town in recognition of his long service and "relentless support for the local community".

The council said Mr Fleming's work had helped secure "significant investment" in parks and play areas across Newton Aycliffe.

'Truly saddened'

Paying tribute, councillors said he had supported and mentored colleagues, while helping to advise them on the council's protocols.

"He was somebody whom I had the utmost respect for - hugely knowledgeable and wise, a master politician, calm, dignified, softly spoken, tough when he needed to be, a strong leader, and above all a gentleman," Mr Austin said.

"I am truly saddened by his passing and will dearly miss his sage advice, stories, and encyclopaedic knowledge of all things Great Aycliffe Town Council."

Mr Fleming commanded a Durham Light Infantry (DLI) Battalion, while he had also climbed the ranks of the Territorial Army to Lt Col.

He had also been a school headteacher, before becoming the chair of governors for Greenfield School, Woodham Comprehensive and Woodham Burn Primary School.