Ken Thornber CBE served for 40 years after first being elected in 1977. Leader of the county council, councillor Roy Perry said: ‘He was a hugely respected politician, both locally and nationally, and a public servant in the truest sense of the word.’
In 1993, Ken was awarded a CBE for services to politics and the public.
In May 2017 he was made Honorary Alderman in a unanimous decision by Hampshire County Council.