FENLAND District Councillor Ken Peachey has died.

Ken was a Conservative councillor, and had represented the St Mary’s ward of Whittlesey for five years.

Ken had lived in Whittlesey for 24 years and moved to the town in 1988 to start a small building business employing local people.

He worked for many years with the Training and Enterprise Council (TEC) and the Business Link Organisation, providing training and guidance for existing and start-up businesses.

Ken served on Fenland District Council’s Planning Committee, Staff Committee and the Overview & Scrutiny Panel at Fenland District Council. At the last election, he had a majority of 40 votes, beating independent Roy Gerstner.

He was a member of Whittlesey Town Council, and a magistrate sitting at Peterborough Magistrates’ Court.

In a statement today from Fenland Council a spokesman said staff and members have been very saddened to learn of the death of Councillor Ken Peachey.

Councillor Alan Melton, Leader of Fenland District Council, said: “Ken was an exceptionally good councilor. He was a hard questioner on Overview and Scrutiny and a very diligent member of the Planning Committee. He always spoke up strongly on Whittlesey matters.”

Paul Medd, Chief Executive of Fenland District Council, said: “Councillor Peachey was a first-class local councillor – a passionate advocate for his own local community and a great ambassador for Whittlesey and Fenland as a whole. He was a down-to-earth character with a great sense of humour and he will be very sadly missed by all those who knew and worked with him.”

Cllr Peachey had also been a Whittlesey Town Councillor for four years and was a long-serving secretary of the Whittlesey Conservative Club. He was also a serving magistrate in Peterborough.

The flag at Fenland Hall is flying at half-mast as a mark of respect. It will remain there until after his funeral.