Being a district councillor and making decisions and changes to improve the lives of fellow residents can be extremely rewarding.

Equally, the role can be frustrating when issues affecting people in Rother fall outside of our control, but that never stops us from fighting for what is best for our communities.

While the district council has no control over bus services in the Rother, we are acutely aware of the need for adequate and affordable bus service to ensure residents, particularly those in deprived areas and rural areas, can travel to work, education and training as well as social events.

As a council, we have committed to working with East Sussex County Council – the local transport authority, which is currently working on its Bus Improvement Plan.

We are also calling on our town and parish councils to get involved with the process to ensure that any plan bought forward meets the needs of our residents.  We can’t control the outcome, but the county council is welcoming the input of those who know their communities best.

While officers and councillors at Rother District Council strive to do the best for the district, we are all aware that there are areas where we need to improve.

To mark National Customer Service Week, we are looking how we can improve the way in which we communicate with our 95,000 residents.

We have an extremely dedicated customer service team that often goes above and beyond the call of duty but, with such a diverse population with a wide range of question and issues, we know that we don’t always get it right and that there is room for improvement.

The results of two surveys about customer service at RDC – one with staff and one with customers – were shared with me and my Cabinet colleagues this week and we will be working hard to put a plan in place to ensure our customers are at the heart of everything we do.

I read the sad and shocking news on the Observer website last week that two teenage boys were reportedly threatening to attack swans at Egerton Park.

We have been without swans at the park for a number of years and it has been fantastic to see the new pair make the pond their new home over the past few weeks. It would be devastating if these beautiful birds were scared away or, worse still, injured.

I would urge everyone to respect and protect the wonderful wildlife we are so lucky to see across the district.  Anyone witnessing incidents or hearing threats to harass or harm any creature should be reported directly to Sussex Police.

Published: 11th October 2021