Discussions are under way to find a fitting way for a town to remember one of its most famous residents.

At a council meeting on Monday (July 17) ideas will be debated as to the best way to honour late showbiz legend Len Goodman in the year his Dartford-based dance school prepares to celebrate its 50th anniversary.

Shadow deputy council leader Kelly Grehan (Lab) is putting forward a motion to Dartford council to ensure the Strictly Come Dancing judge is never forgotten in his hometown.

Options up for discussion include naming a road after the dance icon, giving a building his moniker or creating an award in his honour which recognises a business which has left a lasting legacy.

Cllr Grehan, who lives in Dartford, is keen to capitalise on the enormous regard and affection in which the British treasure is held by the people of Dartford.

She said: “Len was part of the childhoods of so many Dartfordians, and was such an advocate for the town that I think it's really important we honour his legacy.

“He made an immeasurable contribution to the childhoods of countless Dartford children through his dance school.

“I'd love to see a building named after him.”

She added: “I also think naming a business award after him, for a business that makes a difference in the community, would be a really appropriate step.”

Len’s son James said the family are fully behind the idea for a permanent memorial to his dad.

“I think it’s a wonderful idea,” he said. “My dad was always a huge advocate for Dartford and always had positive things to say about the area so it would be fitting to honour him in this way.”

James particularly likes the idea of having a street named after his father or a monument.

Council leader Cllr Jeremy Kite (Con) said: “I wrote to Len's son James in April, asking whether the family would be kind enough to allow us to mark Len’s amazing life and achievements in some permanent way.

“I’ve always been a big believer that Dartford’s history, its story, isn’t just written by our ancient predecessors but by those who have shaped recent generations too.

“If there was ever a man for whom it was true that you can take the man out of Dartford but not Dartford out of the man, it was Len Goodman. As we chatted about a fitting memorial some weeks ago, James told me that whenever Len was asked if he loved being in Los Angeles he would always reply that it ‘wasn’t as good as Dartford’.

“Graciously, Len’s family were encouraging and I met with Len’s son, on behalf of his wider family, to chat through some ideas as to what it a tribute might look like.

“Quite apart from his role in teaching many Dartford men and women to take (quite literally) their first steps to learn to dance, Len’s name became a ‘byword’ for bringing ballroom dancing to front rooms in streets all over Dartford so it would seem appropriate for the ‘streets’ to recognise him now.

“So, we are already awaiting opportunities for street naming based around Len and some of the dances made popular by him. I have also agreed with Len's son to work on designs for a permanent tribute in the town centre, close to the Goodman Dance Academy, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year.

“This may not necessarily be a statue because it seemed to both of us that it might be possible to create something that allowed people to interact with the art and have some playful fun while remembering the huge contribution that Len made to dance, to the popularisation of ballroom and to his adopted home town and the place where his business changed so many lives.

“I'd be delighted to hear from everyone - either with suggestions for street names or to know whether you support our plans to mark the life of this incredible man.

“We thought that an area close to the Goodmans Centre in Brewery Square would be particularly appropriate but when we met James did tell me – and I didn't know – that Len's original business was around the corner in Market Place.

“James also told me that one of his dad's more lucrative early entrepreneurial activities was to run a nightclub in what is now the dance centre.”

The showbiz world was saddened when Len died of bone cancer in April at the age of 78, just days before his 79th birthday.

Following a long career in the dance world, Len became a judge on the BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing in 2004 before his final appearance on the 2016 Christmas Day special.

He announced his retirement from TV just six months before his death.

As well as Dartford, Len had links to other areas of Kent having bought the Grade II-listed pub The Chequers Inn in Sevenoaks and converting it into his home. He died at a hospice in Tunbridge Wells.

The Goodman family is planning to invite 500 people from Goodman’s Dance School alumni to a party at The Orchard Theatre in Dartford on September 23 to celebrate its birthday.