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Rochford Parish Council
Interview with Councillor Heather Glynn (19th October 2010)

This is the continuation of the Interview with Heather which started with her talking about the District Council (CLICK HERE) and here she now talks more about the Parish Council.
   

RL:  Now the Parish Council is very different from the District?
Heather:   Yes, but again it is for a four year term and you all change together and each Parish has certain wards according to the number of people in the areas. Hawkwell, for example, has three wards, north, south and west. In Rochford we have four wards, Eastwood, Rochford, St. Andrews, and Roche. I’m involved with both Parishes. It works differently from the District Council in that there is a Chairman and Vice-Chairman of the Parish Council and there are Chairmen and Vice-Chairmen of the different committees and everybody goes on which committee they are interested in. I am Chairman of the General Purposes Sub-Committee of Rochford. I purposely don’t have anything to do with the Planning Sub-Committee because if anywhere I make a public statement about a particular planning issue, I cannot then go into the full District Council in Rayleigh and vote because I have already prejudged It and made my decision beforehand, so I listen and talk to people but I never say anything until I am in the Council Chamber at the debate and I vote at the end of the debate.    

RL:  You are on two Parish Councils and the District Council?
Heather: Yes, and the reason for it is that the ward I represent in the District, part of it is in the Parish of Hawkwell and part of it is in the Parish of Rochford so, for instance, if something comes up about King Edmund School, that is Rochford Parish, but if it is the other side of Ashingdon Road it is Hawkwell and so that is why I sit on both.

RL:  You chair the General Purposes Committee I believe? Why that one?
Heather: Yes, well if you have parks and play areas they are covered by that. They also take in our bus shelters and we also have Parish lights, public seats, etc. It’s really looking after the general environment of the area, and I like that. The General Purposes Committee also has representatives on other committees or groups, such as the Citizens’ Advice Bureau, the local Old People’s Welfare and various other ones around the area. We sometimes invite people from different providers to come along and tell us what they do, and the public can come along to all these meetings and listen. Each council also has a time on their agenda where they close the official meeting and people can come and ask questions, but sadly very few people take that up.

RL:  You sound very busy.
Heather: Yes, but as well as the council things I’m also involved with ‘Hospice at Home’. (see www.hospiceathome.org.uk).  I’ve been to London to do talks on the Carer side of it, and they have made a film on the Internet about me and my feelings and my loss of my husband.  They also have a Christmas Service at St. Michael’s at Leigh every December.  I’m also a member of a W.I. and I do talks for them sometimes, and on the 20th November I am doing a ‘Children in Need’ thing in the W.I. Hall. The W.I.s are very important.

RL:  You made reference briefly to church earlier?
Heather: Yes, my Christian faith is my anchor. I go to a Church of England church. I don’t preach about it but it is there.  That basic faith takes you through everything – and you can put that in.

RL:  Well thank you very much for telling us so much about your life. We’ll come back again sometime in the future and hear some more, if we may.

Councillor Heather Glynne  The Laurels
Lincoln Road
Rochford
Essex
SS4 3AF
01702 547060
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