Ronald Carrington, OBE, was chairman of Hereford-Worcester County Council from 1989 to 1993.

The bridge and road have become the city's main lifeline during the current flooding, which has left the old bridge and New Road impassable.

It was during his five-and-a-half-years chairmanship of the county strategic planning and transportation committee that he played an important role in the planning, design and construction of the new bridge, including a number of personal visits to Government Ministers to persuade them to allow the multi-million pound scheme to go ahead following a major public enquiry.

Eventually, Mr Carrington officially opened the road and bridge in 1984. Accompanied by the then chairman of the council Coun Joan Hadley, he drove along the road in an open top bus.

During his chairmanship of the SPAT committee he introduced radical changes to rural bus services in Herefordshire. The Herefordshire Trial Area experiment was later used by the Government as the basis for deregulation of bus services in the Transport Act of 1985.

Ron Carrington was first elected to the county council in 1977 and was re-elected in 1981, 1985 and 1989, for the Hallow electoral division, increasing his majority on each occasion.

He became chairman of the council's property committee in 1985, with responsibility for disposing of the authority's surplus land and property.

He was awarded an OBE in 1989, for public services. In May of that year, he was elected chairman of the council - a position he held for the next four years.

In December 1989, he hosted a visit by Diana, Princess of Wales, to County Hall to commemorate the centenary of the establishment of county councils in England and Wales.

When he retired from Hereford-Worcester county council in 1993, he was appointed a Deputy Lieutenant of the county.

Born in Birmingham, he first made his mark in the transport industry when he ran his own car delivery business.

He later became chairman of the Longbridge group of delivery agents, a position he held for 20 years. He was also a Fellow of the Institute of Directors.

Ron Carrington was a great supporter of village life and held numerous posts in local organisations including the chairmanship of the Hereford and Worcester Parish Councils Association.

He was a member of the Little Witley Parish Council for 27 years; president of the Abberley and District Young Farmers' Club, vice president of both the County Young Farmers' and the County Scouts associations.

He was president of the Worcestershire Association for the Blind and master of two Freemasons Lodges - the Three Shires and the Vernon Lodge.

At the start of Worcestershire County Council's executive committee meeting on Monday, a minute's silence in memory of Mr Carrington, was observed by councillors and officers.

He leaves a wife, Dorothy, a son, a daughter, three grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. A private funeral will be held at Little Witley Church. A Service of Thanksgiving for his life will be held at a later date.