Category: Great Dunmow South Parish

• Great Dunmow Town Council - South Ward (Councillor)

Rod lives in Dunmow with his wife and their dog Freddie. He retired from the Armed forces after 25 years in 2015. He became a member of R4U a few years later and is a Great Dunmow Town Councillor and was previously an Uttlesford District Councillor.

Where do you live and how long have you lived in the area?

I live in Great Dunmow and moved here in 2015 after retiring from the Armed Forces after 25 years of service.  I have visited and worked in many counties and countries; Dunmow is where we have chosen to make our home.

Are their work details that you may want to highlight that add to your experience?

The military teaches you to be direct, make decisions based on the information to hand and then get on with the job!  As a councillor you do exactly the same thing, but working with a democratic mandate.  Any decision-making system requires honesty, the willingness to learn, and the ability to take responsibility for the decisions you make whether as a collective or individually.

Are you involved in a community or residents’ groups, boards, charities, or volunteering?

I am a member of the Friends Of The Flitch Way and when I can spare the time, I volunteer for their work parties to help maintain the nationally recognised bridleway and cycle trail.

I have campaigned and continue to improve a local byway damaged by irresponsible ‘off-roaders’

I have been active in trying to get a safer crossing built across the Ongar Road and the Chelmsford Road.  I have long campaigned for improvements to the ‘Little Monsters’ and Hoblongs Junctions due to the number of accidents that have and continue to occur at these junctions.

I am a trustee of the Dunmow Museum as part of my role as a District Councillor.

I am the Armed Forces Covenant Champion for Uttlesford; a role I hope to continue into the future.

I volunteered during the pandemic at Stansted Surgery for updating patient records and reception helper. My wife also volunteered to administer vaccines.

Why did you first stand for election, what are your hot topics and what would you like to achieve?

I stood as a councillor because I believe local decisions should be made by local people that are neither affiliated to or represent national party politics.  To be truly local means putting those you represent before your own or your parties’ interests.

Why did you think that standing for Residents for Uttlesford was important?

Local government decisions should not be based on the colour of a rosette or how your national party ‘whips’ you. Hard decisions have to be made and so should be done on evidence, cross party, and without forgetting the effect on current and future generations. After all, making people’s lives better or trying to mitigate the negative effects of things outside of our control is what we all should be striving to achieve.

R4U councillor have been elected for good reason.  The work to improve the district is ongoing.  In the first term of R4U leadership years I have seen the dedication of fellow R4U Councillors in representing their wards and communities.  I have witnessed R4U Councillors work above and beyond in order to improve Uttlesford.  R4U councillors have the courage to publicly disagree with their peers and party.  I am honoured to be a member of and stand for such a party of diverse personal and political opinion, work and life experience.

• 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.