A long-running city councillor and former mayor has passed away.

'True gentleman' Fred Whitemore, of Oaten Hill, Canterbury, died peacefully on New Year's Day aged 79 following a chest infection.

He was the longest serving Labour councillor in Canterbury history and became Lord Mayor of the district in 2001, during which time the Queen visited the city.

Photos show Mr Whitemore meeting Her Majesty outside the Cathedral.

Friends also say he was a 'major driver in the transformation of Labour politics' in the city and was a 'brilliant teacher'.

He had read politics at Worcester and Nuffield Colleges Oxford, before arriving at the newly opened University of Kent in autumn 1965.

He was appointed as an assistant lecturer in politics, specialising in the British Labour Movement, and would become the 'senior member' for the newly formed University Labour Club.

Mr Whitemore would also become a key figure in the development of the Canterbury Labour Party, which sparked a 'long period of revival' for membership and leadership.

This led to Labour taking outright control of the council in 1972, with members for the party being elected in every seat.

Among those elected that year was Mr Whitemore, who won what was then the Dane John Ward.

He would become the longest serving Labour councillor at the authority, becoming at various times deputy leader and then leader of the Labour Group, Chair of the Housing Committee, and Parliamentary Candidate in the 1992 General Election.

An early victory was the use of major 1940s prefab housing sites at Downs Road and Thanington for new social housing, in preference to the private housing that had been planned there.

He also advocated the creation of the Northgate Community Centre to support one of the most deprived areas in the city, and was an early activist in the Scrine Foundation, a homeless charity and the forerunner of what is now Catching Lives.

Dr Reg Race, an ex student of Mr Whitemore and former Labour MP, said: "In this long-term transformation of local politics, Fred Whitemore was key.

"In effect he created the local political leadership that had been lacking and brought sophisticated campaigning to the city, which culminated in the election of Rosie Duffield to the House of Commons in 2017 in a seat that had been consistently Tory since 1868.

"He wanted an end to the dominance of what he called the local shopocracy and a voice for the marginalised and forgotten families, many of them on housing waiting lists."

When he became Mayor in 2001, Mr Whitemore opened Tower House to the public, transforming it from being the Mayor’s Parlour to a venue that could be used by all.

After losing his council seat in 2007 Fred became one of the first lay members of the Cathedral Chapter.

He also became a Cathedral guide and enjoyed imparting his deep knowledge of the history of the Cathedral to visitors.

Dr Race added: "Fred Whitemore has had a significant impact on local politics and has influenced major policy developments in the city for nearly 50 years, as a councillor, civic activist, community campaigner, and as a lay member of Chapter.

"As an academic, Fred was a fine teacher, a long term supporter of students, active in changing individual lives for the better.

"His most wonderful attribute was his empathy for students, supporting them and helping them get on courses and get a career, when otherwise they might have sunk without trace.

"A true gent, if I may say so."

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