A RESPECTED former councillor, described as the driving force behind major regeneration efforts in Northumberland’s biggest town, has died following a lengthy illness.

Dave Stephens, 58, passed away at St Oswald’s Hospice in Gosforth this week after losing his battle against cancer, which he had been bravely fighting for several years.

A staunch and long-serving Labour Party member, he was leader of the former Blyth Valley Borough Council for more than a decade, and continued in his role as constituency party chairman right up until his death.

Yesterday tributes were paid by both political colleagues and rivals of Mr Stephens, a divorcee with two children who lived in Tate Street, Blyth.

As leader of the borough council he was at the forefront of efforts to regenerate Blyth’s quayside and town centre areas, develop the seaside links, improve facilities at Ridley Park and build new beach huts on the seafront.

After losing his council seat three years ago, Mr Stephens worked as a press and communications officer for Blyth Valley MP Ronnie Campbell, and as a network manager with the Warm Zone energy efficiency agency. He had two spells as leader of the borough council, the second lasting 12 years, and held the post when it was abolished under local government reorganisation in April 2009.

He failed to win a seat on the new unitary Northumberland County Council at the May 2008 elections, after previously campaigning for the two-unitary option which had been rejected by the Government.

He was defeated in the Blyth Wensleydale ward by Lib Dem candidate Ian Tompkins, as Labour took a mauling at the polls and relinquished its 19-year control of the county.

Yesterday Mr Campbell said: “Dave had foresight and vision and will be a tremendous loss to the Labour Party, because he never stopped working for the party, even when he was very ill.

“He will be hard to replace and achieved a lot of good things as leader of the council.”

County council Labour group leader Grant Davey said: “Dave will be an enormous loss to the Blyth Valley party because he did so much work for both local people and the local MP.

“His work rate was phenomenal and most of the regeneration which took place in Blyth was his idea. He was really big on ideas, his thinking powers were immense and he was someone with the ability to think outside the box.”

County council leader Jeff Reid, who was leader of the opposition Lib Dem group on Blyth Valley Council for nine years, said, despite their political differences, he always respected and liked Mr Stephens.

“You always knew where you stood with Dave, and even when we were having political arguments I still enjoyed his company. He was passionate, principled and believed in what he was doing.”