RODNEY Rose, who has died aged 70, was a much-loved councillor whose tenacity has ensured the people of Oxfordshire will be protected for years to come.

Mr Rose played an instrumental role in both the East West Rail and Oxford Flood Relief Channel projects and fought to protect the county’s fire service.

He served as county councillor for Charlbury and Wychwood for 20 years and was a popular figure across all parties.

His wife, Ann, said he was a very kind man whose life was dedicated to helping Oxfordshire and its people.

Rodney Rose was born on February 23, 1948, at Chipping Norton War Memorial Hospital to parents Anthony and Jean Rose, who owned and ran Churchill Heath Farm in Kingham – now owned by former Blur bassist Alex James.

He grew up on the farm with his two brothers, Angus and Thomas, and was educated at Chipping Norton Grammar School.

Mr Rose never moved out of West Oxfordshire apart from a short stint at Leeds University before he eventually dropped out and returned to help his father on The Mount Farm, which the family had moved to by this time.

He ran his own building business for a number of years and moved to Milton-under-Wychwood with his wife Ann – who was originally from London.

The couple had one son, Neil, who was born in 1981.

Mr Rose devoted his life to Oxfordshire and was first elected to the county council in 1997 as the councillor for Charlbury and Wychwood.

The Conservative councillor lost his seat in May 2017 to current Lib Dem councillor Liz Leffman.

His wife Ann said he was ‘devastated’ and received an enormous number of letters from upset constituents.

In those 20 years he had an immeasurable impact on the county, serving as cabinet member for transport and deputy leader.

His tenacity and determination has ensured his legacy will be felt across the region for years to come.

Most notably he was heavily involved with the East West Rail project – to reinstate train services and create a link between Oxford and Cambridge.

He was chairman of the project’s consortium up until last year and worked tirelessly to promote it.

At times it seemed the new railway would never come to fruition but Mr Rose was not prepared to let it drift away and just months before his death the Chancellor, Philip Hammond, announced funding to accelerate the scheme.

Another major project that arguably would have fallen by the wayside without Mr Rose was the Oxford Flood Relief Channel.

He took responsibility for the £120m four-mile channel through Oxford and despite a tricky few years the project finally received all of its funding earlier this year.

But it was the county’s fire service that held a special place in Mr Rose’s life.

One of his proudest moments was laying a wreath on behalf of Oxfordshire Fire and Rescue Service at the First World War remembrance service at the Menin Gate in Ypres, Belgium.

He was also extremely proud of his efforts to save the county’s fire service from joining a regional control centre – a move which other local authorities are still paying the price for.

Away from politics he enjoyed driving trips with his wife all over Europe and visiting air shows with his son.

He even used some of his old building skills to help Neil with his new house.

Shortly after becoming cabinet member for transport in 2009, he was first diagnosed with bladder cancer and underwent major surgery.

He fought through with a positive approach but it returned last year.

He died on March 18 and is survived by his wife Ann, his brothers Angus and Thomas and his son Neil.

His funeral took place yesterday.