ALDERMAN J W Hughes, who was a member of Redditch Urban District Council for 30 years and three times its chairman, has died at his home in Plymouth Road after a long illness.

He would have been 80 next month. Mr Hughes was well known for his work on behalf of the people of the town, both as a Redditch councillor and as a council representative on Worcestershire County Council.

His particular interest in latter years was as chairman of the Public Works Committee and on the Sewerage and Sewage Disposal Committee in the formation of plans for assisting people to build their own houses and in the formation of an association for building houses to let.

He was also associated with the first scheme for selling council houses to their tenants and the houses concerned, in Holloway Lane, are now fully paid for.

He was associated with and supported many other local and county organisations.