TRIBUTES have been paid following the death of a local councillor and community champion.

Richard Burnip, the Durham County Council member for Easington, died in hospital on Monday after taking ill at the weekend.

The 60-year-old former colliery fitter served as a parish and district councillor in Easington, for many years alongside elder brother Alan, before being elected to the new unitary county council, representing Easington, last year.

Deputy county council leader Alan Napier, the former leader of the now disbanded Easington District Council, said: "I first met Richard during the historic struggle of the 1984/5 miners’ strike.

"He was a fitter at Easington Colliery and was very active within Durham Colliery Mechanics’ Association, which was part of the National Union of Mineworkers.

"He served his political apprenticeship as a parish councillor in Easington and was elected to the district council in 1995 representing the Easington Colliery ward. He was then elected to Durham County Council in May 2008.

"Having known him for a quarter of a century I have never heard Richard say a wrong word about anyone and never seen him lose his temper.

"He was an amiable, affable and placid-natured chap, but what he always did as a councillor was give 100 per cent in his work, to the best of his ability and in the best interests of the people who he served and represented.

"This is a sad loss for the county council and a sadder loss for the community where he served.

"But it is a massive and sad loss to his family and his friends and our thoughts and hearts are with those people at this, the saddest of times."

Fellow Easington ward county council member David Boyes described councillor Burnip as his "political mentor".

"I would describe Richard Burnip as an excellent community politician. He knew the community of Easington like the back of his hand and the people knew and respected him.

"He took me under his wing and showed me the ropes. We had a very good working relationship and he would tell me where I was going wrong."

Councillor Burnip leaves a widow, Jean, sons, Raymond, Robert and George, plus five grand-children.

Funeral arrangements will be announced later.