 So, why did I become a councillor? I wanted to be the voice of the people who either don't want to or can't voice their concerns for themselves and to be able to put their voices into places where decisions were made or action could be taken. I probably was quite naive like a lot of people are thinking it would be much easier to achieve things than it really is but I think that's the same with a lot of things in life. I've been a borough councillor for this area since 2002 and I was always very interested in councillor services, particularly children's services, looked after children and adult services and social care and so on and I thought actually now is quite a good time in my life to actually dedicate a public service really. I became a town councillor in 2011 and then counted in 2014 and there's a big change and a big difference. They work very well together as roles. As a county councillor you've got a much bigger overview on areas like education, highways, children's services which obviously are very much a part of my world now and you're able to get involved in much bigger projects to bring into your warden constituency. My main thing is meeting people. It's actually getting out there, meeting the parishes, meeting the communities, finding out what's going on in my area, seeing how I can help them but also more and more this is happening is actually just linking people up together or different organisations or who can help each other so it's not always what we as the council can do or councillors can do but it's making sure they know the right people to contact or getting touch with. It involves engaging with your communities that you represent listening to them, making sure their points of view are heard and communicating about what the county council does and how it can help. So communications is really important and part of that is attending residents associations, attending parish council meetings and where necessary holding special meetings so it is really working and involving your community that you represent. Number one for me is championing your community. The people that actually elected to put you into county hall to serve in their interests. There's a lot of paperwork, a lot of reading, a lot of emails but my main joy is being out there talking to people because you elected for four years and I'm trying to get everything done and a load of things done in those four years and the year just seems to go so quickly. I've actually been a borough councillor and a county councillor. We haven't got that much time, you know. Being married I've got five grandchildren and I like to see them more often obviously, you know. But with the meetings in county council we start about ten, finish about two or three so some mornings I can pick the children up and take them to school if not vice versa, I can do the afternoons. No two days are the same. Some weeks will be quiet, some weeks will be busy, some weeks will have more meetings than others, some weeks will have no meetings. Meetings are on a schedule timetable so you can put those in your diary and so diarised events are fine but when you have sudden things arising well you just have to try and make time and be flexible around it. I was lucky in my work, I could be flexible. Probably the most difficult bit is the initial bit just getting to understand how a council works trying to understand local government finance particularly something like the county. It's a very large authority, it has a wide remit so actually getting under its skin and understanding is quite a challenge. What often happens is you get a group of people in a community where they want something but then there's an equally large, equally vocal part of the community who don't want it and it's actually balancing those two things and trying to get people to agree with what would be the best thing for the community. Most of my time I've been an opposition councillor and therefore one isn't in control of decision making by persistence and by talking to people and persuading them of particular courses of action you can get progress in certain directions. I think you need to be interested in people and the problems that people have obviously in particular the problems that people have with the council. In a small way I just want to use my influence as their elected representative trying to support them to get some funding to do the amazing work they do in our community which of course in turn is actually helping the county council because we all know the county council hasn't got a limitless pot of money. Obviously I'm here at Westworld in Baptist Church I hold a weekly surgery here every Saturday morning from 10.30 residents from Tarrin can just come in they can just drop in, they don't need to make an appointment they can just drop in, have a bit of a chat over a coffee we've got a lovely coffee bar here. I do sit on a select committee, a scrutiny type committee I also sit on the corporate parenting panel which is very dear to my heart it's basically banging the drum for the children that the council is responsible for looking after them. I'm a safeguarding champion for Westersex as well as I'm in planning and children and young people select committee so I do work with our charities I'm also the Hewydsea town mayor so I do involve a lot of charities actually and volunteer organisations to achieve our goals and to help them as well. I always say that Westersex County Council doesn't do anything on its own it's all done in partnership communication I think there are many achievements but what I find is amazing is just working with my communities and I do go on about that because together we can achieve an awful lot more and we find that it's not just for a county council to tell people what's going to happen it's for them to work together to achieve and indeed we're standing here at Bosn and one of the great things we did was working together with various bodies to rebuild the seawall that was absolutely amazing to be able to achieve that. Meeting people I think is absolutely vital and you've got to be a person who enjoys interacting with others and I think getting things done bringing forward ideas and scrutinising decisions that is a really important element of the job. To be willing to go to parish councils and interact at all levels within that parish they have to give a lot quite a lot of time and they have to be able to work comfortably with their employer for example if they're employed and they have to recognise that it isn't a nine to five job I've certainly been out at 10 o'clock in the evening clearing gullies and it's that sort of approach it's a hands on as well as making sure you do what's right for your residents. We are having to think of new innovative ways of working thinking of doing things which is not a bad thing the biggest achievement for me personally is now drawing to a close on the dueling of the 1859 it's been a long slog and there's been a lot of partnership working with other county councillors that are going on to the 8259 and I think that the day they cut the ribbon and opened the new dual-carried way on the 8259 little hampton to Ambring that will be my biggest achievement as a county councillor. Well I've got made the Deputy Cabinet Member for Children so that's really been fantastic because you know it's all about for me it's about the next generation it's really rewarding you make it what you want to it's really not about you it's about the people that you serve and I really absolutely I think the best that you do is for your community So you know it's important that we do get I mean young county councillors and young borough councillors and even parish councillors I mean please come in if you can come in when you're young absolutely rewarding is when you actually have an issue and you get it completed and done and you go to your residence and say look I've done it for you it is rewarding, absolutely rewarding to be a councillor it's time consuming yes and you have to be dedicated. The most important thing is to be yourself don't try and become somebody else don't try and copy someone else you are best if you're true to yourself follow your own incalations and have an independent streak inside your questioning and challenging of what's going on and try not to follow a party line in my view Do try it it's the most wonderfully rewarding job that you'll ever do you'll meet some amazing people you'll be inspired at what they can do and even more the chance of making a real change to people's lives and to your communities is second to none and that's the best part of the job It is a big commitment but anyone who wants to do it really is worthwhile just to see the lives that you can change in that small way just by supporting the work they do in our community is just absolutely priceless for me