I learned on Thursday that Peter Jutsum, not just a community councillor but a Cadoxton man to his finger-tips, had died last Tuesday. It was a heavy blow.

Peter was the last of the ward residents to attend my first monthly councillor surgery. He was straight with me from the start: if he had been in better health, he would have stood in the Labour cause for Cadoxton in the council elections, and was certain he would have won. (He never varied in his support for Labour, and was particularly disgusted when my party went into coalition with the Conservatives.) But he also made it clear that, as far as he was concerned, party labels were irrelevant when it came to serving the community. We quickly realised that we had one cause in common: keeping the footpaths open in and around Cadoxton. I did my best in that respect, and wish it could have been more. There are no doubt many things Peter achieved which I shall never know about, but one result of his pressure that occurred in my time as councillor was seeing the “missing link” in the Tennant Canal footpath closed. It is now possible to walk from Neath Abbey to Aberdulais without leaving the canal-side.

One cause which he brought to me has not been seen through to a conclusion – making Cwmbach Road safe for pedestrians. I promise all those who signed his and Glen Clarke’s petition that I am not going to let that rest.

By a terrible coincidence, at the same time as I learned of Peter’s death, I was also told that Sylvia Clarke had passed away. My thoughts are with Glen and both families.

Mavis Hewitt has advised that Peter’s Funeral will be this Thursday at 2.00pm in St Catwg Church.

[Updated 2011-05-16]

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