R4U announces Town Council candidates to continue delivering for Great Dunmow and Saffron Walden

Residents for Uttlesford (R4U) has announced its largest number of town council candidates for Great Dunmow (GDTC) and Saffron Walden Town (SWTC) councils on 4th May to continue its programmes of works for residents.

R4U’s Paul Gadd, Leader of Saffron Walden Town Council, said “R4U have led the Town Council for 8 years, where we’ve made huge positive improvements in the town. Community centres have been refurbished, as have playgrounds, the Common, and sport pitches; and new facilities and events have been provided. After renovating our historic Town Hall, the council staff have moved back in – and the adjacent old NatWest building has been purchased at a very affordable price. It is being refurbished to be returned to retail, offices, and flats – bringing new life to the Market Square and rental income that will help pay for council services. Progress has been made on our net-zero pledges, with thousands of trees and shrubs planted and a switch to greener council equipment. The latest renovation is the new high-quality playground at the Anglo-American Playing Fields, which will be open soon. We’re standing candidates across the town so we can continue the good work. Please put a cross against each Residents for Uttlesford candidate on your ballot papers.”

R4U’s Patrick Lavelle, Mayor of Great Dunmow Town Council, added “R4U have also made good progress at Great Dunmow Town Council, where we’ve had Residents councillors for 4 years. They’ve been working to deliver many long-standing initiatives. These include the council’s net-zero programme, which has focused on pollinators, delivering new areas of wildlife and wildflowers, as well as bird feeders and boxes – and aeration has been installed at Doctors Pond to reduce algae. New benches have been provided in the town, there is a new CCTV system with improved coverage, and because every Town Square should have a clock, one has been installed! Working with Dunmow’s R4U district councillors, UDC’s Waste Truck depot has been successfully moved out of the town, reducing noise, smell and traffic on a narrow road. If re-elected to the Town Council, we’ll continue a programme of works, focusing on new sports facilities and play areas, further re-greening, and support for local businesses, our local market and the town centre. The choice is clear – please vote Residents to deliver the best local results.”

The local elections are on 4th May 2023. Valid Photo ID is now required to vote in person. Find out more information on our voting page.

Find your Residents district council candidates

	Community:	Name:	Image	About/Bio:
	Saffron Walden Town Audley	Cllr Deryk Eke		Deryk is a former Chartered Civil Engineer who lives in Saffron Walden. During his career he has delivered many major £billon infrastructure projects worldwide. As a councillor, his experience is an asset in working to solve the major infrastructure issues we face.
	Saffron Walden Town Shire	Cllr James de Vries		An Uttlesford resident since 1985, James has a background in aviation and specialises in commercial IT. He’s an experienced councillor and town mayor. He has spearheaded local business networking initiatives.
	Great Dunmow Town South	Cllr Patrick Lavelle		As mayor of Great Dunmow, Patrick works to put his town first. As a UDC councillor he chairs Licensing and Environment Health, and on the Investment Board has helped fix UDC’s finance. A career in pharma gives Patrick perspective into our region’s most important industry and UDC’s investment in Chesterford Research Park.
	Saffron Walden Audley	Cllr Arthur Coote		Director of the Bell Nursery Arthur has worked as a child carer and early years educator for 30+ years, and has spent most of his life working for local communities. He lives in Saffron Walden, and is a town & district councillor and former Mayor.
	Saffron Walden Town Castle & Little Walden	Cllr Richard Porch		Successful businessman Richard has chaired a number of companies during his career. He is an experienced councillor and mayor with a long history of active involvement with a number of charities. He has lived in Saffron Walden for 20+ years with his family.
	Saffron Walden Town Castle & Little Walden	Cllr Kirstie Frost		Town councillor Kirstie has lived in Saffron Walden all her life. She has three children of school age and works full time as an Early Years Educator. She is passionate about the provision of services and facilities for young people.
	Saffron Walden Castle	Cllr Heather Asker		Saffron Walden resident Heather, a councillor since 2007, serves on numerous town and district committees, and works on many ward issues, including parking, road safety and speed reduction. She is very active promoting the market and the vitality of Saffron Walden’s town centre.
	Saffron Walden Castle	Cllr Richard Freeman		Experienced councillor Richard Freeman lives in Saffron Walden, where he restored the Town Hall, purchased trees and salt bins, supported Bridge End Gardens and has worked tirelessly to ensure that developers have finally provided a safe playground at Tudor Park and two new playing fields in Lime Avenue.
	Saffron Walden Town Audley	Cllr Paul Gadd		Saffron Walden resident Paul is Leader of the Town Council and Essex County Councillor for the Saffron Walden Division. He was first elected in 2015. Professionally he is a retired lawyer and is very active in the local community.
	Great Dunmow North	Cllr Alex Armstrong		Dunmow resident Alex is a district and town councillor. At UDC he is the portfolio holder for Sport, Leisure and the Arts. He was Chair of the Dunmow Town Team for 2 years and served on the Havering Chamber of Commerce for 10 years.
	Saffron Walden Town Shire	Cllr Patrick Hawke-Smith		Town councillor Patrick lives in Saffron Walden and is actively involved as a volunteer with several local organisations. He is a professional fundraiser, working for a medical research charity.
	Saffron Walden Shire	Cllr Melon (Jubeyuir) Ahmed		After 30 years in Saffton Walden with his family, many residents know and respect town and district councillor Melon (Jubeyuir) Ahmed. He’s the man behind a number of the town’s Indian restaurants, including The Spice on Rowntree Way.
	Saffron Walden Audley	Cllr Alex Reeve		Saffron Walden town and district councillor Alex has been a primary and secondary teacher for over 20 years. He currently manages and teaches English at the Uttlesford Pop-up School for Ukrainian refugees. He’s a trustee of the town’s Youth Outreach Programme.
	Saffron Walden Shire	Cllr Daniel McBirnie		Saffron Walden councillor and resident Daniel has fought developers and won concessions for local people. He’s a former Army Lieutenant Colonel who’s provided MoD briefings to the government on Covid and Mental Health.
	Saffron Walden Town Shire	Cllr Ralph Meloy		Ralph has lived locally for over 20 years and has retired from a career of charity, commercial and trade union work. He supports many local good causes and is committed to sustaining the Saffron Walden community.
	Saffron Walden Town Audley	Cllr Lucy Walker		Saffron Walden resident and councillor Lucy has a law degree from Cambridge and has built a career in supporting children and families through roles in social care, fostering and adoption.
	Saffron Walden Town Castle & Little Walden	Cllr Jeanette Curtis		Jeanette has lived and worked in Saffron Walden for 34 years, working for the NHS and in Social Care. Her various roles make her well qualified to support the Town Council in making decisions to maintain and expand services.
	Saffron Walden Town Shire	Cllr Kateryna Shotropa		Kateryna has a financial and sales background and has lived in Saffron Walden with her family for 20 years. She’s originally from Ukraine and has worked hard over the past year to raise money and support those suffering from the war.
	Saffron Walden Town Shire	Cllr Denise Jones		Denise has lived and worked in Saffron all her life. She attended Saffron Walden County High School, and has a large extended family in the area.
	Great Dunmow Town North	Cllr Cath Arnold		Great Dunmow resident Cath Arnold represents Residents for Uttlesford on Great Dunmow Town Council.
	Great Dunmow Town South	Cllr Terry Allen		Great Dunmow resident Terry Allen represents Residents for Uttlesford on Great Dunmow Town Council.
	Saffron Walden Town Shire	Cllr Dave McLellan		Town councillor Dave has spent a career as a business analyst and project manager in financial services. He has lived in Saffron Walden for 22 years and volunteers for the local cinema and wildlife groups.
	Community:	Name:	Image	About/Bio:

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