Dartford Council have sadly announced the death of its managing director, Graham Harris, after he suffered a heart attack and passed away last week.

Leader Jeremy Kite said the whole council "will miss him terribly," and his loss at a time when they had all believed he had recovered from a long illness was "devastating."

A minutes silence was held during a virtual planning meeting on Friday, marking the death of Mr Harris on Monday last week.

Graham had been Dartford Borough Council's managing director for almost 20 years, originally coming to Dartford in 1989.

Cllr Kite said he had ensured the council ran "with probity, decency and financial responsibility," making him a privilege to work with.

“It is hard to summarise in a few words Graham’s enormous contribution to the Council and to Dartford.

"It is no exaggeration to say that every one of the new facilities, public spaces and initiatives that have been delivered over many years - from the football stadium to Central Park, from the Bridge development to business centres - bore Graham’s signature.

"It has been his leadership and control of the Council’s finances over many years that has put us in such a strong position today.

“He frequently understated his talents and rarely sought recognition for his achievements.

"It was a privilege to work with him and his loss at a time when we all believed he had recovered from a long illness and was planning to return to work is devastating."