A “committed and hard-working” county councillor who served his division for 12 years has died.

Colleagues have led tributes to Charlie Simkins, who lived in Egerton, following his death last week.

He represented the Ashford rural west division at County Hall following his first election success in 2013 but had been ill for some time.

Fellow Ashford Conservative and KCC cabinet member Cllr Clair Bell said: “Charlie was a lovely, kind man who was very hard-working as a councillor.

“He was someone for whom people had respect.”

A short statement was released by Kent County Council (KCC) which said: “We regret to report that Mr Simkins passed away on February 27. We extend our deepest sympathy to his family.”

Cllr Simkins polled 3,098 votes in 2021, a massive 2,466 ahead of his Green Party rival.

He was admired for his strength on issues such as pensions, given his background in finance.

Cllr Bell said Cllr Simkins had already decided he would not be standing at the next election in May.

Fellow Conservative and former KCC chairman Cllr Gary Cooke added: “I believe Charlie had been very poorly for a while and I don’t think his passing was a huge shock to those who knew him.

“He had served on KCC for a long time and he was somebody who was regarded as very committed, hard-working and incredibly loyal. Naturally, our thoughts are with his family.”

On his profile page on the local Conservative association website, Cllr Simkins wrote: “As your county councillor for Ashford Rural West, I have been fortunate to serve in a beautiful part of Kent stretching from Challock down to Smarden.

“The area encompasses 11 parish councils and I work with them with the aim of ensuring that local services are sufficiently robust to withstand the pressures of life in the 2020s whilst preserving the local countryside.”

Cllr Simkins lost his wife Wendy four years ago and is survived by three grown up daughters.