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It was with great pride and happiness that I formally signed the declaration of acceptance of office a few minutes after being officially declared elected as the new District Councillor for the Swaffhams Ward of East Cambridgeshire District Council at the count at Chippenham Village Hall on July 3rd. I feel very, very honoured to have been elected and as promised in my election address I will work as hard as I can for Reach. I am conscientious and although I cannot ever hope to please everyone, I will carry out my duties meticulously. The world has already begun and I would be very happy to hear from anybody in Reach who has a District Council related problem or issue which they would like to discuss. I can be contacted (nearly all of the time, as I work from home) by telephoning or by writing to the address below. If you would like I will visit you at home. I cannot stress enough that I need to hear your views. I may not always agree with views expressed to me but the more communication there is between us the better informed we will all be and the better able I will be to make proper judgements and take fair action. I look forward to hearing from you. I will be able to attend my first Full Council meeting at the end of July. I will hear then which committees/panels I am allowed to be on for the rest of 1997/98. In order of preference I have requested to be on Planning, Environment, Resources, Strategic Development and Grants. My preferences will be put before the Council Advisory Group who make recommendations to the Full Council. I hope that Mr Fitch and his colleagues on the Council Advisory Group will look kindly on me so that I can fully represent Reach on these important committees. One of the most important subjects which I shall be dealing with is the new draft East Cambridgeshire District Local Plan. This plan once adopted will be used as a framework for all future development and land use decisions. A six week consultation process will start at the beginning of September and Parish Councils and individuals are invited to comment on the draft. Reach is presently designated an Infill Only Settlement and the draft proposal is for it to remain so. The Parish Council and public may wish to consider asking for the status of Reach to be changed to a Group Settlement. There are good arguments for and against change but whatever the Parish decides, now will be the last chance to speak up about future development for a very long time.
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