The flag at county hall is flying at half-mast today as a mark of respect to Robert Gordon, the leader of Hertfordshire County Council who died on Friday following an “unfaltering” battle with cancer.

Mr Gordon, who was 65, had been the leader of the council since 2007, and a councillor since 1989.

The Conservative councillor represented the Nascot Park ward until 2009, when he was elected member for Goffs Oak and Bury Green, near Cheshut.

He was awarded a CBE by the Queen in 2012 for his services to local government.

David Williams, deputy leader of Hertfordshire County Council, said: “I am so saddened at this news. Rob was a wonderful colleague, hugely respected locally and nationally, and a public servant in the truest sense of the word.

“Robert made Hertfordshire the county of opportunity, and worked relentlessly to achieve this. He will be sorely missed by all those he knew.”

Council chairman Richard Thake added: “We have suffered such a terrible loss for the whole county. He was a remarkable man who used his immense knowledge of Hertfordshire to work tirelessly and deliver cost effective services.

“Everyone who had the privilege of working with him fully understood the huge contribution he made for the whole county.”

These warm sentiments were echoed by Mr Gordon’s political rivals, including Cllr Judi Billing who, speaking on behalf of the Labour Group at the county council, said: “I was shocked and tremendously sad to hear of the death of Rob Gordon on Friday afternoon.

“He and I were, of course, poles apart in our political beliefs and world picture but I had tremendous admiration for his quiet and considered style of leadership, his personal kindness to me at a very difficult time in my life, and mostly for his genuine commitment to local government and the role of elected councillors.

“Rob went to considerable lengths to ensure that every single county councillor had the resources, even at a time of huge government cuts, to make a difference in the communities that they represented, and to ensure that all political voices were heard in every debate on every subject of the council’s business.”

Cllr Stephen Giles-Medhurst, speaking on behalf of the Liberal Democrat group, added: “Rob’s passing is not only a sad loss for his friends and family but he was also a true champion for Hertfordshire.

“Whilst we may have been political opponents, he was always someone you could talk with to reach agreement on common issues to improve and protect the county.”