Parish Councillors

Vacancy

Richard Graham

David Herrick

David originally moved to Kent in 1973 as a post-graduate researcher at Wye College.  He married Corinne in 1974 and after living in various rented properties around Wye, moved to Smeeth in 1977 where subsequently both their children were born.  He joined Ashford Borough Council in 1978, qualified as an Environmental Health Officer in 1982, and moved to Kennington in 1983.  However, as Kennington became busier, a return to village life called, and in 1989 the Herrick family, moved to Mountbatten Way, where David and Corinne have lived ever since.

David says – “I cannot recall exactly how I came to join Smeeth Parish Council.  I think one of the then Councillors told me there was a vacancy and suggested I went along to one of their meetings to see what was what – which I did.  I liked what I saw and in 2008 I duly became a Councillor under the Chairmanship of the late Gordon Fortescue.  I really felt that in giving help, support, and guidance to local residents through the Parish Council was so worthwhile I couldn’t turn down the opportunity to be part of that process.”

David retired from Ashford Borough Council in 2009 after 31 years of service and was thus able to devote more of his time to Parish Council matters and became Chairman in 2013 after the untimely death of the then Chairman, Stuart Austen, a post which David still holds.

Finally, David says -“The roles of the Parish Council are manyfold but the most important, in my opinion, is that of representing the views of local people and ensuring that as far as is possible, local community interests are taken into account when other organisations are making decisions.  The Parish Council is the voice of the people.”

DAH
22 June 2020

Roger Baker

Roger is a retired Languages and Politics teacher. He came to Kent in 1979 to do his PGCE at the then Christ Church College, Canterbury, and has never left! He spent 31 years at the Norton Knatchbull School in Ashford and 8 years at Earlscliffe College in Folkestone. When living in Ashford, Roger was always keen to move closer to East Brabourne where he always enjoyed running around the country lanes and having a pint or two and the occasional Wiener Schnitzel at the Five Bells! It was there that he met his wife on a blind date back in November 1997. He and Clare, who is a Ward Manager at the William Harvey, moved to Smeeth from Hythe in October 2020; Roger very much loves the surrounding countryside which reminds him of the Wiltshire Downs where he walked miles as a child.

After moving to Smeeth, he was keen to get involved in village life and meet new and old acquaintances. Encouraged by Clare and following discussions with Villy and David about what being a Parish Councillor entailed, Roger volunteered to be co-opted onto the Council in May 2021 provided that fellow councillors thought that he had something to offer! He feels that he is very fortunate to reside in Smeeth and is keen to represent the views and interests of the people who live there.

Stewart Grant

Jackie Morey

Jackie came to Kent in 1981 and moved to Brabourne nine years ago. When a vacancy arose on Smeeth Parish Council she was invited by one of the Councillors to consider joining. She found this idea daunting but after going along to several meetings to see what was involved, she welcomed an opportunity to become part of a team providing a service for the community. Jackie has now been a councillor for about five years.

Jackie is strongly aware that the job of the Parish Council is to represent the interests of the whole community and feels that the diversity of local councils is their strength. Each councillor has his or her own contribution to make based on their own experience, knowledge and strengths and it is these qualities that permit the Parish Council to be perhaps more sensitive to the needs of the community than the larger authorities. She says: “Understanding the needs of different groups in the community (such as young and elderly people) is an important part of the role of a councillor. Occasionally a conflict of interest may arise between different groups which requires sensitive judgement. Making difficult decisions in an open and reasoned way is something that local councils need to do well.”

Smeeth Parish Council led the formation of the Smeeth Cluster Village Caretaker Scheme, a Joint Community Project responsible for financing and employing a full time Village Caretaker (see article above) who undertakes tasks in the villages of Smeeth, Brabourne, Brook and Mersham previously done by Ashford Borough Council and Kent County Council, the day to day running of which falls to the Smeeth Parish Clerk.

Jackie says: “The introduction of the role of Village Caretaker has been very successful and all four villages involved have greatly benefited by the provision of an ‘in house’ village infrastructure and environmental maintenance to a high standard.”

Vacancy