Former leader of Bromley Council Dennis Barkway has died aged 89, his family have said.

Dennis lived all but the last three months of his life in Bromley - a place which his family say he "loved greatly".

He developed vascular dementia in 2018 and moved to a care home near family in the summer of this year.

Dennis died after a short illness in Addenbookes on October 17.

His son, daughter, granddaughter and great grandson say they miss him greatly.

Born in August 1933, Dennis was a local councillor and was elected Leader of the Council twice - from 1972 to 1976 and 1981 to 1996 when he retired.

He was awarded first the OBE (1986) and then the CBE (1992) for his services to Local Government.

Dennis was appointed Vice Chair of both the London Boroughs Association and of the London Co-Ordinating Committee. 

He also chaired or was a trustee/member of many other groups and charities, including the London Pensions Fund Authority, the London Channel Tunnel Group and the London Research Centre.

In later years, Dennis co-ordinated the Blue Sky Appeal for Mencap, served as an active Trustee of BYMT and Chaired Bromley MyTime to name but a few of the many local charities he supported.

He was made Honorary Alderman in 2008 and also had a successful career in the City as an Investment Manager.

There will be a Thanksgiving service on Wednesday, November 9 at 3.30pm at Bromley Common Methodist Church in Bloomfield Road, Bromley BR2 9RZ where he was a member for nearly 80 years.

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