Lib Dem Councillor for Teddington and one of the longest-serving members on Richmond Council, Martin Elengorn, has died at 79. 

In a post on X, formerly Twitter, his colleague Cllr Charlie Engel said: "I will be forever grateful for his support and advice as a new councillor. A beautiful soul, forever missed. 

"He leaves a lasting legacy of compassion and dedication." 

Funeral and memorial arrangements will be made in due course to allow the community to come together and pay respects. 

Cllr James Chard, Twickenham Riverside, said in a post Mr Elengorn was a "king, witty and hugely knowledgeable man." 

He added: "Martin used to proofread all our leaflets. Get ready for a dramatic decline in standards of grammar in Lib Dem literature locally." 

Many commentators, including colleagues, spoke of his wit, "wise counsel and mischievous sense of humour". 

Mr Elengorn was the Vice-chair of the Environment, Sustainability, Culture and Sports Committee for Richmond Council. He was also a member of the Planning Committee. 

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He led on major environmental areas including the continued fight against expansion of Heathrow airport. Mr Elengorn also focussed on improving the borough's recycling rate, reducing fly tipping and working with local groups to protect parks and green spaces.