Category: Parish

• Stebbing Parish (Councillor)

Sandi says:

I live in Stebbing with my husband, our two dogs and cat. We moved here nearly 29 years ago with our three children and have counted ourselves very lucky ever since to live in this Ward in Uttlesford and be part of this community.

I have served on Stebbing Parish Council for over 15 years including on most of its committees, chairing and member, the most recent Greener Stebbing which is a new committee. This has and continues to be a most rewarding and enlightening experience. Helping greatly with my understanding of the needs of residents. I was an Uttlesford District Councillor for 4 years, where I chaired the Planning Committee.

I coordinate the Poppy Appeal Collection annually in Stebbing and have been a member of the Stebbing Fete organising committee for many years Having had a career in Education in both secondary schools and colleges I became a governor at a local Nursery & Primary school.

I believe in listening and working with the community, fighting for the rights of residents, and aiming to find the balance between protecting our communities and enhancing our children’s future.

I have long believed that National party politics should not play a part in local democracy. Local issues need to be addressed by a locally focussed party that understands and supports local interests. I believe that R4U is, by reorganising how UDC is structured and using the best skills available. By working together with our communities, we will achieve this.

• Saffron Walden Town Council - Shire Ward (Councillor)

James de Vries has been an Uttlesford resident since 1985, and is an experienced district and town councillor, previously sitting on the UDC Investment Board, and scrutiny and governance committees.

For work he specialises in commercial IT and has a background in aviation working closely with Stansted Airport. In the local community he has spearheaded local business networking initiatives and runs a small sports club in his spare time.

James says “It is important that we retain the natural beauty and heritage of our communities. I’m concerned about the impacts of large housing developments, rural broadband, policing, traffic, and local school places. I’m also keen to tackle the smaller issues that affect quality of life, such as speeding, fly-tipping, travellers, potholes and recycling.“

• Saffron Walden Town Council - Audley Ward (Councillor)

Cllr Deryk Eke is a recently retired Chartered Civil Engineer with over 40 years’ experience of delivering major national infrastructure projects worldwide including in America, Europe, South East Asia and back home in the UK.

He was raised in Lower Sheering and schooled nearby in Sawbridgeworth and Harlow. He has been married for nearly 40 years and lived in and around the Saffron Walden area for more than 30 years.

In 1994 he and his wife returned from a major project in Hong Kong. Deryk says that they were “living in Great Bardfield at the time, but managed to secure places for our children at Saffron Walden County High, not something you could hope to do now!”

Since they moved into Saffron Walden town, Deryk says that the “explosion in house building, increase in traffic, deterioration in air quality, and lack of school and medical facilities” are all aspects that he and his children noticed more and more, and that is part of what has spurred him on to stand to represent other residents.

He says that “The district council must be prepared to stand up for the residents and demand developers give back to the community, and R4U is the best party to make that happen because it only answers to local people.”

Deryk belies that “with my experience and passion for delivering successful projects I can help improve our quality of life and better living environment across Uttlesford.”