Reg Fitch, Labour opposition leader on Brighton Council in the Sixties and a magistrate for more than 25 years, has died aged 76.

Brighton born and bred, he was part of the dynasty of Labour politicians known as the "Fighting Fitches".

He was the younger brother of the late Stan Fitch and his nephew is the long-serving Brighton and Hove city councillor and former mayor Brian Fitch.

Reg Fitch was educated at St Luke's School, Brighton Intermediate School and Brighton Technical College.

At 14 he was injured in an air raid close to the family home in Down Terrace. He was buried under debris but escaped with superficial wounds.

At 16 he got involved with the Labour Party.

On leaving school he got a job with Brighton Council works department and then took a clerical post with the Kemp Town Brewery.

He joined the Army in 1946 and was posted to Germany in 1947. He took up a post in the supply and transport section of the Hamburg and District Headquarters where he stayed until demobilisation in 1949, attaining the rank of sergeant.

He was elected to Brighton Borough Council for the old Warren ward in 1956, aged 28.

At the 1964 general election he fought Lewes. He beat the Liberals but had little impact on the majority of sitting Tory MP Sir Tufton Beamish.

The next year he stood down from the council after losing his seat in the May elections.

He was a railway clerk with British Rail Southern Region, working throughout Sussex, Surrey and south London.

In 1970 he joined the finance section of Southern Region at Croydon and was ultimately divisional finance officer, a post he held until he retired on health grounds in 1983.

He was an active member of the board of management of Brighton Co-operative Society and later became its president.

He was made a JP in 1972 and sat on the Brighton bench and latterly the Brighton and Hove bench until his retirement at 70.

From 1976 Mr Fitch suffered ill health. He was diabetic which led to other complications. He lost the sight of one eye in 1981 and in 2004 he suffered a mild stroke.

Mr Fitch, who lived in Pinfold Close, Woodingdean, remained involved with community events.

Brian Fitch, in a tribute on behalf of the Fitch family, said: "His death is a sad loss and blow to us all. He had a lifetime of public service. He is one of those rare individuals who put more into life than he took out."

His funeral will be at Woodvale Crematorium, Lewes Road, Brighton, on August 30 at 3pm.