Category: People

• Uttlesford District Elsenham and Henham Ward (Councillor)

Petrina Lees is a very active member of her community. She has lived in Elsenham for over 20 years with her husband, and their family. She cooks for the Lunch Club, runs the Elsenham Rainbow Guides and manages the village rounders team.

She is also well qualified as a councillor. She served on Elsenham parish council for 17 years including 3 years as chair. Petrina has been part of the leadership team of Save Our Villages for 9 years, helping secure last year’s planning rejection of ‘Hellsenham’ by the Secretary of State. She is also a member of the Joint Parishes Council Steering Group.

Outside of the home she enjoyed a career in nursing of more than 30 years, most recently caring for the terminally ill, but left the NHS a couple of years ago to concentrate on her family and community activities.

Petrina stood as an Independent in 2015 and was elected as an R4U councillor for the Uttlesford District Elsenham and Henham ward in 2017.

Petrina said “The first thing we addressed after being elected was the appalling state of the road outside the local shops in Elsenham.  For over 15 years there have been numerous complaints. As Parish Councillors we were always told by District Councillors that they were ‘unable to help or fix it because it was the responsibility of the county council’. That’s as may be, but it is shirking and rubbish, and that attitude holds no truck with me. People don’t care what council you are elected to. As a district councillors part of your job is to advocate for local people and hold those responsible to account, even at other authorities. Within 6 months of being elected we facilitated and contributed to the road being resurfaced. My motto is ‘never give up’ – there is always a way, you just have to think outside the box sometimes.”

• Uttlesford District Elsenham and Henham Ward (Councillor)
• Elsenham Parish (Councillor)

Bianca cares about our next generation. She has taught in Uttlesford schools since 2004 both in Stansted and Hatfield Broad Oak. During Covid she has been providing online tutoring in mathematics. She understands parents’ frustration as education budgets have been slashed and school choice eradicated by Essex County Council.

“In over 20 years teaching, I have taught many Stansted area children. I’ve seen how for decades the government’s education strategy has been failing our youth and community. We need a strong voice for Uttlesford youth issues.” – Bianca Donald

Bianca coaches grassroots women’s sports. For several years she served on the committee of the Bishops Stortford District Netball League. She currently plays for, manages and coaches a local team. She loves the countryside and feels we must be ‘careful custodians of our environment’ and feels through R4U she can make Uttlesford a place that cares for its residents, local environment and businesses.

She is a parish and district councillor.

• Uttlesford District Sampfords Ward (Councillor)

Dr Mike is a well-known and respected GP from the Thaxted Practice who delivered healthcare to the residents of surrounding villages from 1986 until he recently retired. He is a strong supporter of environmental causes and protecting our rural villages and countryside. He became a district councillor in 2019 and sits on the Standards and Licensing Committees.

Mike says:

I have worked as a rural GP based in Thaxted for more than 30 years. I feel privileged to have got to know many local residents and where they live. I wish to work to preserve the tranquillity and biodiversity of our communities, but know, to be sustained, that they must be supported with such things as improved facilities, broadband, and local services.

I am proud be a councillor for R4U because it respects local residents and delivers positive, practical change without the constraints of Westminster political control.

• Uttlesford District Thaxted and the Eastons Ward (Councillor)
• Essex County Thaxted Division (Councillor)

Residents champion Martin is one of Uttlesford’s longest serving and most respected councillors. He’s represented the Thaxted and now Thaxted and the Eastons ward at UDC since 1995. He’s a strong and active local voice who campaigns for our environment, and against airport expansion, urban sprawl on our fields, and the closing of the local libraries.

Martin lives in Thaxted with his wife Claire.

• Saffron Walden Town Council - Castle & Little Walden Ward (Councillor)

Richard has lived in Saffron Walden for 20+ years and has 4 children and 7 grandchildren living in Uttlesford. He has chaired a number of construction businesses during his career as well as operating as a consultant to other organisations. He has a long history of active involvement with various charities both Chairing and Trusteeship, in the UK and overseas.

He has provided management support to Residents for Uttlesford since its foundation. Richard is concerned about the failure of the current administration to hold developers accountable for their community responsibilities and the effect this has on the both infrastructure and local facilities as well as poor business decision making that affects the cost that we all incur through our rates.

Jonathon has been working in the field of community safety and enforcement for the past 20 years with experience in four London boroughs, initially in Hackney, leading an operational team for the council working closely with the police to disrupt local drugs markets. He is currently working for Croydon Council in the development of their violence reduction approach.

He was also the inaugural chair the London Heads of Community Safety Group which helps to shape the community safety priorities for London, working with the Greater London Assembly and London Councils.

Jonathon has extensive knowledge of enforcement services, including the regulatory framework for environmental health, private sector housing and street enforcement. He has also led in the development and delivery of civil protection both from an operational and strategic perspective. He was the lead officer in the response to the Lakanal Fire in Southwark in 2009.

Jonathon has specialist knowledge in working with young people and families,  and developing innovative programmes to address violent crime and gang related violence. Over the past 15 years he has developed a number of programmes to support vulnerable  individuals and families.  He continues to provide mentoring and support at a community level, to help young people and young adults make positive life choices to fulfil their potential. He is a Patron of The David Idowu Foundation.

Jonathon worked with the Home Office in 2011 following the Summer Riots, advising on programmes to address gang and weapon violence and in the drafting of the “Ending Gang and Youth Violence Report” He is a member of the governments national Ending Gang and Youth Violence Team, developing multi-agency approaches at a local level to address serious violent crime.

Jonathon has published a number of articles and papers on gangs and serious youth violence, most notably a practitioner report in 2009 titled “Die another Day”, articles for Safer Communities (Pier Professional Ltd) and more recently “Silent Voices” – based on real life stories from people affected by gang violence.

• Uttlesford District Saffron Walden Audley Ward (Councillor)
• Saffron Walden Town Council - Shire Ward (Councillor)

Arthur Coote is a well-respected councillor for Saffron Walden. He was born in the town where he lives with his wife. Arthur is active in many aspects of town life including the Baptist Church. Key interest areas for him are community, equality, youth development and sports.

He’s is a family man who is committed to youth development. Arthur is a director and manager of the Bell Nursery in Saffron Walden and member of the charity Professional Association for Childcare and Early Years (PACEY). Two of his children have followed him into education as both are head-teachers, and the third has followed a career in law.

Arthur is a lifelong member of Essex Cricket Club and a strong advocate for sports and healthy lifestyles. He’s been active in the funding and design of new playgrounds by Saffron Walden Town Council, and been working to provide more open spaces and sports facilities.

Nationally and locally Arthur has been a long-time supporter of the Labour Party. He was elected as a councillor to Saffron Walden Town Council in 2015 and serves as Mayor for the 2019/2020 year. Like a number of councillors from all the main national parties, he joined R4U in 2019 to create a difference locally.

Arthur Coote says “Over the last 50 years I have taken part in hundreds of campaigns for Labour candidates. I have stood for office to try to create a more equal society and have been a member of the National Executive Committee of the Labour Party. Over the last 4 years it’s become clear that the best way to represent local residents and uphold the ideals I stand for at the district council is by joining R4U. R4U has shown they care about the community’s future and want to create a positive difference for local people. They’ve proven that they are the only party that has the skills and support to deliver for local people. In my mind it’s simple: I will continue to vote for Labour on national issues, but am standing for R4U to deliver local things for local residents. I urge others to vote local Resident for local matters.”

• Great Dunmow Town Council - South Ward (Councillor)

Patrick Lavelle took early retirement after a successful 35 year career in the pharmaceutical industry. His career in the pharma sector gives him a unique perspective into one of our region’s most important industries.

Other areas that interest Patrick are policing and reducing crime, and the issues related to large new housing developments in the area.

As a councillor he works to ensure that new housing proposals are properly scrutinised and development controlled to benefit residents. He believes that it is important to make sure that due consideration is given to the impact on the environment, on the local services (schools, medical facilities and recreational facilities) as well as supporting infrastructure including not just vehicular access but also public transport, cycling and walking access.

Patrick lives in the ward he represents.