The former leader of Hertfordshire County Council was laid to rest in a ceremony at St Albans Cathedral on Monday.

Robert Gordon died at the age of 65 at the beginning of October following an “unfaltering” battle against cancer.

Hymns and readings at the service - which was conducted by Dean of St Albans the Rev Jeffrey John - were personally selected by Mr Gordon weeks before his death, and included I vow to thee my country and a passage from William Shakespeare’s Hamlet.

Many councillors from across Hertfordshire represented their local authority as part of the large congregation.

Council chairman Richard Thake said: “We have suffered such a terrible loss for the whole county. He was a remarkable man who used his immense knowledge of Hertfordshire to work tirelessly and deliver cost effective services.

“Everyone who had the privilege of working with him fully understood the huge contribution he made for the whole county.”

David Williams, deputy leader of Hertfordshire County Council, added: “Rob was a wonderful colleague, hugely respected locally and nationally, and a public servant in the truest sense of the word.

“Robert made Hertfordshire the county of opportunity, and worked relentlessly to achieve this. He will be sorely missed by all those he knew.”

Mr Gordon had been the leader of the council since 2007, having first been elected as a councillor back in 1989.

The Conservative councillor represented the Nascot Wood ward until 2009, when he was elected member for Goffs Oak and Bury Green, near Cheshunt.

He was awarded a CBE by the Queen in 2012 for his services to local government.