A DEDICATED county councillor who served his community in several roles during his life has died at the age of 92.

Peter Hutchinson CBE, who served on Northumberland County Council from 1973 to 1993, died on January 17.

Born in Ponteland in 1926, Peter attended St Bees School and was captain of the school cricket team, as well as setting a 100-metre sprint record that lasted around 50 years.

He went on to study agriculture at King’s College of Durham University, before graduating and joining J.M Clark & Partners to train as a land agent.

He eventually became senior partner at the firm, and became a fellow of the Land Agents’ Society and then of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors.

Alongside his career, Peter lead the Conservative group on Northumberland County Council from 1983 to 1993, and served as the chairman of the education committee and of the Northumberland Technical College.

He was later elected as an Honorary Alderman of Northumberland County Council, while also serving as chairman of Slaley Parish Council from 1974 until 1999.

Peter contributed to the life in the North-East in a number of other ways, serving as the general commissioner of taxes and acting as a non-executive director of the Newcastle and Gateshead Water Company, North East Water, as well as the Northumbrian Water Group and as a director of Newcastle airport.

Peter was also a member of the Lord Chancellor’s panel of agricultural arbitrators, the management committee of Redesdale experimental husbandry farm, and the Northumbria Police Authority.

Within the Conservative Party, he served as treasurer of the northern area from 1978 to 1981, and was a member of the Conservative board of finance, a member of the national union executive committee and chairman of the northern area from 1981 to 1984.

Peter met his wife, Audrey Dodds, at a Haydon Hunt Ball. They married in Slaley in 1958 and soon settled in Low House, which remains the family home. They had two children, Robbie and Katie.

In 1984, Peter was made a CBE in the New Year’s Honours for political and public service in the North East of England. A service celebrating his life was held at St Mary’s Church in Slaley on January 29.