Category: Parish

Cllr Patrick Hawke-Smith

Town Councillor Patrick Hawke-Smith has lived in Saffron Walden for over 20 years. He is a professional fundraiser, and focuses on charities and higher education. He has a degree in Politics, Philosophy and Economics from Oxford University.

“I love living in such an attractive area as Uttlesford and I want to promote sustainable development for the district’s future.” Patrick Hawke-Smith

Patrick is keen to hear, understand and represent the views of local residents and keep their voice central to the development of the district.

WardAbout/BioContact

Patrick Hawke-Smith has lived in Essex and Cambridgeshire for most of his life and been a resident of Saffron Walden for over 20 years. During that time he has been actively involved in the community, particularly as a volunteer at Saffron Screen cinema and the Fry Art Gallery, where he has also served on the Committee.

Patrick has a degree in Politics, Philosophy and Economics from Oxford University. He has spent his career in professional fundraising, particularly in higher education, where he has worked in Oxford, London and for the University of Cambridge. He works for medical research charity Alzheimer’s Research UK. He would be interested to bring some of his skills in building relationships and generating income to the local community.

Patrick loves living in such an attractive area as Uttlesford and is keen to promote its sustainable development for the future. He is regularly to be found exploring the local countryside on foot or by bicycle and occasionally visiting one of its many welcoming hostelries. He also enjoys taking part in the range of social, cultural and sporting activities available across the district.

Patrick is keen to hear, understand and represent the views of local residents and keep their voice central to the development of Uttlesford.

    First Name (required)

    Last Name (required)

    Your Email (required)

    Your house number or name (required)

    Your Postcode (required)

    Subject

    Enter your comment or question (up to 1,000 characters)

    Cllr Alex Armstrong

    Alex Armstrong is committed to the future of Dunmow. He is a Dunmow town and district councillor. He was Chair of the Dunmow Town Team for 2 years, whose aim is to create a more vibrant and dynamic High St in the town. Previously he served on the Havering Chamber of Commerce for 10 years. At Uttlesford District Council he is the portfolio holder for Sport, Leisure and the Arts.

    “I do not want Dunmow to become either a dormitory town or a concrete jungle – any development must be in tune with the desire of the local residents.” Alex Armstrong

    Professionally Alex runs a local print consultancy after previously being managing directors of both private and public companies in the printing industry.

    WardAbout/BioContact

    Alex Armstrong is committed to creating successful business, and knows that a joined-up approach it the best way to take the district forward.  He is a Great Dunmow Town Councillor. He was Chair of the Dunmow Town Team for 2 years, has served on the Havering Chamber of Commerce and Industry for 10 years, where he was the chairman for 4 years.

    In Havering he volunteered as a work experience mentor for the Borough, helping Havering College with apprenticeships. He also served on various committees including Safety and Community Partnerships, Town Centre Partnerships and Business forums and served for 10 years on the Havering Business Awards panel.

    Professionally Alex has been Managing Director of both private and public companies in the printing industry. He now runs a local print consultancy.

    Alex moved from the built up East End of London to Havering, which was then in Essex, only to see it become a London Borough and in his words a ‘concrete jungle’. He moved again to Great Dunmow and  fell in love with the town, the open spaces, and warm and friendly people. Alex says he doesn’t want Dunmow to become either a dormitory town or a concrete jungle itself, and so any development must be in tune with the desire of the local residents.

    He has been married for over 40 years and has a son in Florida and daughter in Canada. His hobbies are golf, theatre, walking and Chelsea Football Club.

      First Name (required)

      Last Name (required)

      Your Email (required)

      Your house number or name (required)

      Your Postcode (required)

      Subject

      Enter your comment or question (up to 1,000 characters)

      Cllr Judy Emanuel

      Judy is a Newport District and Parish councillor who is very involved in her community. As part of her work as a parish councillor she’s successfully defended against speculative developments at appeal, and helped develop the adopted Newport, Quendon and Rickling Neighbourhood Plan.

      “It’s critical that the voices of residents play a key role in shaping our communities. I’m passionate about planning – particularly delivering improved infrastructure for our district alongside new housing. I am diligent about detail and continuously seek to improve our council processes to do the best we possibly can for our district.” Judy Emanuel

      Judy Emanuel has a degree in Industrial Information Technology. Her career background is in IT consultancy/project management in financial services. Judy has been a parish councillor since 2015 and a district councillor since 2021 where she serves on the planning and appointment committees.

      She lives in Newport with her family.

      WardAbout/BioContact

      Judy Emanuel has a degree in Industrial Information Technology. Her career spans from IT start-ups, recruitment, IT consultancy to financial services – and she is also an event florist in her spare time. She lives with her family in Newport where she’s very involved in the community. She’s been an active member of the Friends of Newport Primary School for 10 years, and was previously chair of the charity. She’s also a member of the Newport Parents Association of Joyce Frankland Academy.

      Judy serves on the Parish Council and Uttlesford District Council. She says she joined R4U and became a councillor because of a deep concern over the volume of speculative housing development in the area with no infrastructure to support it. Over the past five years on the council she’s tracked and documented the scale of development in the area and been responsible for drafting planning application responses.  She’s represented residents at planning appeals, where as part of a team she’s successfully prevented more than 200 unsustainable houses in Newport. She’s also lobbied to mitigate the impact of any development that has happened.

      Judy has been a key member of the team responsible for the delivery of the Newport, Quendon and Rickling Neighbourhood Plan and has supported the parish council with online communications.

        First Name (required)

        Last Name (required)

        Your Email (required)

        Your house number or name (required)

        Your Postcode (required)

        Subject

        Enter your comment or question (up to 1,000 characters)

        Cllr Paul Gadd

        Paul Gadd is the Leader at Saffron Walden Town Council where over 6 years he’s led the turnaround from inherited financial mess to now award-winning Best Council in Essex. He’s a retired lawyer and very community minded. He volunteers with Saffron Walden Cricket Club, the Fry Art Gallery and Bridge End Gardens as well as being heavily involved with the local branches of Friends of the Earth and Amnesty International.

        WardAbout/BioContact

        Paul Gadd has been a Saffron Walden Town Councillor since 2015 and an Essex County Councillor for the Saffron Walden Division since 2021.

        He is a retired lawyer, and former partner in a leading solicitors firm in London. He now works part time for an investment company.  He is one of the founder members of Residents for Uttlesford.

        Paul is highly active in the community. He is a volunteer with Saffron Walden Cricket Club, the Fry Art Gallery and Bridge End Gardens as well as being heavily involved with the local branches of Friends of the Earth and Amnesty International.

          First Name (required)

          Last Name (required)

          Your Email (required)

          Your house number or name (required)

          Your Postcode (required)

          Subject

          Enter your comment or question (up to 1,000 characters)

          Cllr Richard Freeman

          Twice Mayor of Saffron Walden, and a Town and District Councillor, Dr Richard Freeman is well respected locally and has lots of experience. In the private sector his professional background is running complex projects for manufacturing and high-tech businesses. He has lived in Saffron Walden for more than 20 years.

          “Saffron Walden is a good place to live; but it needs skilful management if it is not to become just a pretty dormitory town for the well-heeled and the wealthy.” Richard Freeman

          Richard joined R4U from the Liberal Democrats in 2014 to become a founding councillor.

          WardAbout/BioContact

          Richard Freeman has lived in Saffron Walden for over 20 years.  For most of that time, he has represented residents as a Castle Ward councillor.  He has twice served as Town Mayor. In 2014 he joined R4U from the Liberal Democrats, becoming a founder councillor  to better serve local residents.

          Much of his professional life has been spent in the manufacturing industries, particularly pharmaceuticals and also foodstuffs.  Latterly, he has worked for large international consultancies, providing technical and project management expertise to multinationals and governments.

          Much of Richard’s time as a councillor has been devoted to making developers deliver on their Section 106 obligations.  These are legal requirements, often in the form of infrastructure payments made to the council that are designed to mitigate the impact of new housing.  Frequently, developers under-deliver on these.  As a direct result of Richard’s efforts, the town will soon receive two excellent new playing fields off Little Walden Road completed to Sport England standard,  Likewise, after much hard work, the new development of Tudor Park now has a RoSPA-approved children’s playground

          Richard says that he believes that “local government has a duty to ensure the supply of homes for ordinary people – not just mansions for the fortunate rich! The limited supply of so-called ‘affordable’ homes linked to housing developments is not enough.  We need new social housing as well; homes that people can rent at prices they can afford. “

          He has a particular interest in architecture, and has modernized several listed buildings. This interest was amply expressed when he was involved in managing the repair and refurbishment of Saffron Walden’s listed Town Hall.  Left in a sorry state by previous Conservative administrations, he helped plan and monitor its repair and restoration.  Richard was also able to assist with the design and installation of a very efficient and modern heating system for the building, making this iconic building usable all year, and much cheaper to heat.

            First Name (required)

            Last Name (required)

            Your Email (required)

            Your house number or name (required)

            Your Postcode (required)

            Subject

            Enter your comment or question (up to 1,000 characters)

            Cllr Heather Asker

            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 lives in Saffron Walden and was Mayor in 2015, 2016, 2019 is very active in promoting the market and the vitality of the town centre.

            “I am passionate about the heart of our town, our fabulous market, now known as one of the best in East Anglia & regularly featured in the national press. I am particularly proud of the achievements within the Town and District I have been involved with, including the refurbishments to the Saffron Walden Town Hall and Market Square, new paths on The Common, new play equipment, and the improvement street cleaning since taking it over from UDC.” Cllr Heather Asker

            She resigned the Conservative Party whip in October 2014 to join Residents for Uttlesford as a founding councillor so that she could better serve the local residents that elected her.

            WardAbout/BioContact

            Cllr Heather Asker is a well respected and experienced Uttlesford District Councillor, Saffron Walden Town Councillor and has been town Mayor a number of times. She was first elected in 2007 for Saffron Walden Castle ward, where she has worked on numerous residents’ issues.

            Whilst being a councillor she has worked on many local ward and town centre issues, including planning and development, parking, road safety and speed reduction programmes. She is particualry proud of the initiatives that she’s driven and supported in Saffron Walden including the refurbishment of the Town Hall, new Common paths and play equipment, the takeover of street cleaning from UDC, and the paving of the market square.

            She says she’s “Passionate about the heart of the Town, our fabulous market, now known as one of the best in East Anglia which is regularly featured in the national press.”

            She works closely with her other ward councillor, R4U’s Richard Freeman. Both have recently worked tirelessly to hold developer Persimmon to account to deliver a safe play area on Tudor Park and new sports fields on Line Avenue.

            Professionally Heather has a career in sales. She has lived in Saffron Walden since 1984 where her daughter attended the County High School.

            She joined Residents for Uttlesford as a founding councillor from the Conservatives in October 2014.

             

              First Name (required)

              Last Name (required)

              Your Email (required)

              Your house number or name (required)

              Your Postcode (required)

              Subject

              Enter your comment or question (up to 1,000 characters)

              Village improvements, roads and policing discussed at Debden Annual Meeting

              Posted on by

              R4U’s Cllr Stuart Luck reports that the Debden Annual Meeting was held last week. The annual budget was approved. Topics discussed included rural crime, potholes and support for the village’s …read more →

              Cllr Bianca Donald

              Bianca has taught in Uttlesford schools since 2004 and knows many local parents. As an Elsenham parish councillor, she serves on the New Village Hall and playground refurbishment committees. She’s an avid grassroots sports participant, previously netball and now rounders. She was elected to Uttlesford District Council in 2023.

              “In over 20 years teaching, I have taught many of the children in the local area. Our councils need to work hard to provide facilities and jobs to keep young people here or attract them back when they start work.” – Bianca Donald

              WardAbout/BioContact

              Bianca cares about our next generation. She has taught in Uttlesford schools since 2004 both in Stansted and Hatfield Broad Oak. During Covid she has been providing online tutoring in mathematics. She understands parents’ frustration as education budgets have been slashed and school choice eradicated by Essex County Council.

              “In over 20 years teaching, I have taught many Stansted area children. I’ve seen how for decades the government’s education strategy has been failing our youth and community. We need a strong voice for Uttlesford youth issues.” – Bianca Donald

              Bianca coaches grassroots women’s sports. For several years she served on the committee of the Bishops Stortford District Netball League. She currently plays for, manages and coaches a local team. She loves the countryside and feels we must be ‘careful custodians of our environment’ and feels through R4U she can make Uttlesford a place that cares for its residents, local environment and businesses.

              She is a parish and district councillor.

                First Name (required)

                Last Name (required)

                Your Email (required)

                Your house number or name (required)

                Your Postcode (required)

                Subject

                Enter your comment or question (up to 1,000 characters)

                Cllr Kirstie Frost

                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’s a Town Councillor and is passionate about the provision of services and facilities for young people.

                “If I am elected I will try and improve the towns youth services and green spaces for the use of the Saffron Walden’s young people.” Kirstie Frost

                WardAbout/BioContact

                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. If elected Kirstie says she will try and improve the towns youth services and green spaces for the use of the Saffron Walden’s young people.

                  First Name (required)

                  Last Name (required)

                  Your Email (required)

                  Your house number or name (required)

                  Your Postcode (required)

                  Subject

                  Enter your comment or question (up to 1,000 characters)

                  Cllr Richard Porch

                  Successful businessman Richard has chaired a number of companies during his career and provided consulting services to other organisations. 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.

                  “I’m concerned about the failure of the current UDC administration to hold developers accountable for their community responsibilities and the negative effect this has on our infrastructure, local facilities, and council taxes.” Richard Porch

                  WardAbout/BioContact

                  Richard has lived in Saffron Walden for 20+ years and has 4 children and 7 grandchildren living in Uttlesford. He has chaired a number of construction businesses during his career as well as operating as a consultant to other organisations. He has a long history of active involvement with various charities both Chairing and Trusteeship, in the UK and overseas.

                  He has provided management support to Residents for Uttlesford since its foundation. Richard is concerned about the failure of the current administration to hold developers accountable for their community responsibilities and the effect this has on the both infrastructure and local facilities as well as poor business decision making that affects the cost that we all incur through our rates.

                    First Name (required)

                    Last Name (required)

                    Your Email (required)

                    Your house number or name (required)

                    Your Postcode (required)

                    Subject

                    Enter your comment or question (up to 1,000 characters)