NEW councillor for Stifford Clays, Angie Gaywood has agreed to write a monthly blog for yourthurrock.
In her first entry, Angie reflects on the previous six week campaign, the marathon election count and the new world as a Thurrock councillor.
“Last Friday lunchtime; footsore, tired and with a heavy heart was how I faced the “count” of votes for Stifford Clays, the ward in which I stood as local Council candidate.
The previous day had begun early in the morning for Election Day, culminating in arrival at the Civic Hall at 10.30pm for the official Count of votes for the Parliamentary election to be followed by the count of votes for the Local Council elections.
As already featured by Your Thurrock, the election results were an onerous and drawn out affair. The local count for the ward in which I stood was one of the last to be counted.
And so it was at approximately 1pm the following afternoon I discovered that 1184 residents had put their trust in me leading to my election as the new Counillor for Stifford Clays.
With a feeling of elation I went home, had a cup of tea, sent various emails, updated my facebook page and went to collect my children from school.
The sense of enormity of my official role hit home the following morning as last Saturday just happened to be our resident’s surgery.
Any sense of trepidation was soon dispelled however when I was greeted by 16 or so elderly residents smiling and chatting and offering their congratulations.
Whilst waiting for their coach to turn up for a daytrip they had come to the hall to shelter and say hello.
It was a great start to my official role and the remainder of the morning was similarly filled with several other visitors coming to give their congratulations and good wishes.
This week begun with the official tasks of having our security photos taken for our passes, filling out the various legal paperwork required for the role of a councillor, and gaining access to our councillor email accounts.
It was this tuesday that whilst undertaking the new councillor training, my role along with the other new councillors, was fully explained.
The legal requirements along with expectations were defined, but above all, the intense scrutiny of our roles was made crystal clear to us:
As a councillor we are here to serve the residents of our ward, and an important part of that is to be able to bring real scrutiny to all matters but specifically budgetry decisions, planning and policy.
However this role also brings real scrutiny of ourselves and our conduct, and as councillors we are now very much in the public eye and our actions will be open to interpretation.
With this in mind the rest of my first week in my new official capacity is being spent out and about in my ward.
I have several cases raised by residents I wish to pursue that I hope will bear fruit very shortly and am popping in to see the residents in a sheltered housing complex tomorrow, however the highlight of the end of my first week in my ward will be a couple of games of bingo with the over 60’s club.
This new Councillor thing, is going to take some time settle into.
Coming from a real mix of different backgrounds and political views, we are as councillors united by our common goals of wanting to see change, some real improvements to the area we live in, for our children, families and for our communities.
I’m hoping I won’t be judged too harshly if at first I make the odd mistake, the odd etiquette boob. I’m just a Thurrock mum of four children trying to do my best, learning the ropes so to speak.
