Cllr Sean Neeson said: “I would like to extend my deepest condolences to the family and friends of Sir Rhodes. I got to know him quite well during the 1980s when he was a Minister in the Northern Ireland Office.
“I would like to pay tribute to the work he did here. It was obviously a difficult time but he put forward a number of innovative proposals to help get our economy moving forward.
“It was through this work that I got to know him on the various economic committees that we were members of. With both of us being former teachers, we had a lot in common and I admired his dedication to the problems he faced. “