Hugh Lanham was entrusted with the job of District Councillor for the above Ward at a by-election in October 2009. 

He had never been a councillor before and there has been a lot to learn. Hugh said in a recent letter to his electors:-

'It seems to me that my prime job, as your representative, is to listen. To do this I:-
   attend as many Parish Council meetings as I can – with extras that comes to about twenty a year.
   try to make myself available to anyone who thinks I may be able to help them. choose involvements at the Council which I think may help my Ward.'

Casework is a significant part of the job and, in addition to those items of a personal nature, Hugh has been involved in several issues that have arisen more than once:-
   getting fly tipped rubbish cleared and prosecutions brought too.
   inadequate maintenance on rented housing. Sadly it is not often possible to be as successful on this with private landlords as it is with RSLs such as Victory.
   speeding through villages. This item is making more progress in some villages than in others. Speeding in Walsingham has given rise to several successful speed camera visits. In Great Snoring and Sculthorpe there has been some action too.

Some issues are going to take much longer than Hugh had hoped. Provision of more facilities for the young is one example. Even on this one though, it is pleasing to note that some money may be available locally for good schemes.

As a councillor Hugh is also expected to attend District Council Meetings and a section of other meetings including the meetings of the ruling Liberal Democrat group. In addition he has become a member of the Council’s Audit Committee which will give him a bit more insight into how things work and enable him to use his professional skills for the benefit of the Council.

In recent weeks Hugh has also been asked to sit in on various specialist groups dealing with:-
   Economic Development
   Housing and
   The Council’s IT
 
As you will see from other parts of this site Hugh is still a working man and fitting all these meetings in takes a bit of organisation but he manages to organise his life to achieve as much as possible for the Council.