Tributes pour in for civic man Hutchison Sneddon

Nov 19 2009

GLOWING tributes have been paid to Hutchison Sneddon, one of Lanarkshire’s most respected former civic leaders, who died recently aged 80.

He was the last provost of the old Burgh of Motherwell and Wishaw between 1971 and 1975, and the first chairman of Motherwell District following local government reorganisation in the mid-seventies.

Mr Sneddon, known affectionately as Hutchie, was the first ‘commoner’ to be appointed Lord Lieutenant of Lanarkshire, the Queen’s representative in the county.

That was one of an impressive list of appointments and honours conferred on him in a lifetime of public service.

North Lanarkshire Provost Tom Curley summed-up the thoughts of county business and local authority representatives when he said: “I was extremely saddened by the death of Hutchison Sneddon.

“Hutchie was a respected councillor and prominent member of the community in Motherwell and Wishaw. He was a very popular man within the council and the community, and he was dedicated to representing the interests of his constituents.

Mr Sneddon was born in Cambusnethan and educated at Cambusnethan Public School, Wishaw Academy and Wishaw High School.

He continued his education with nine years’ study at night school in a variety of engineering subjects.

He left school and worked with Wishaw firm Bone Connell & Baxter, serving his time as a structural design draughtsman.

He joined the Scottish Gas Board in 1964 as a new building representative and was promoted to the job of technical sales manager for the West Central Group in Uddingston and later Glasgow.

In 1971, he became manager for the board’s western area covering Wigtownshire, Ayrshire, Renfrewshire, Dunbartonshire, Bute and Argyllshire.

A Labour Party stalwart, Hutchie became a councillor in 1958 and a Baillie in 1960.

He served as burgh council housing committee chairman from 1960 to 1971 - pushing through a whole batch of much-needed slum clearance and house building programmes - and was chairman of the council’s policy committee from 1974 to 1977.

He served as leader of the Motherwell and Wishaw council from 1960 to 1977 and was deputy president of the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities from 1974 to 1976.

In 1977, he was awarded the Gold Medal of Schweinfurt in recognition of his tireless work in establishing a twinning link between the German town and Motherwell. That same year, he retired from local politics but remained active in both public life and Labour Party activities.

Hutchie and wife Elizabeth were members of Chalmers Church and both served as Sunday School teachers.

He took the youth service every Sunday for many years and was always interested in helping young people.

He was also in great demand as a preacher, and was regularly invited to conduct services in many churches throughout Lanarkshire.

Mr Sneddon was awarded an OBE in 1968 in recognition of his sterling work in the community and that was followed in 1983 by the CBE which acknowledged almost 30 years’ work in local politics and service to many Government committees.

He was chairman of the Burns Heritage Trail for 12 years; senior vice-president and then president of the World Federation of Burns Clubs; honorary president of the Royal Marines Lanarkshire; vice-chairman of Scottish National Housing and Town Planning Council and a member of the Building House Corporation.

He served on the Consultative Committee of the Scottish Development Agency and the Scottish Advisory Committee on Housing Rents.

In addition he was a member of the Anderson Committee on Commercial Rating. He served on the Scottish Tourist Board for 14 years and was director of the National Building Agency; chairman of Cumbernauld Development Corporation and chairman of the Gas Higher Managers’ Association of Scotland.

Mr Sneddon was appointed a deputy Lord Lieutenant of Motherwell, Hamilton, Monklands, East Kilbride and Clydesdale Districts in 1989 and then took on the prestigious role of Lord Lieutenant of Lanarkshire in 1992, a post he held until 1999.

He was always a proud family man and deeply appreciative of the support of his wife, Elizabeth, daughters Joanne and Irene, and son Cleland.

On his appointment as Lord Lieutenant, he spoke of the pride he felt in the county’s towns and villages and said of the honour and of his life: “My cup’s full and running over.”

Hutchieson Burt Sneddon, who died on November 7, was buried at Cambusnethan cemetery on Friday following a funeral at South Wishaw Parish Church.