Local Democracy Week: Being a councillor is for people of all ages and backgrounds

A complaint about noise nuisance in the neighbourhood set Coun Jack McLean’s phone ringing at 1am. Another followed at 3.30am.

But neither bothered him. He sees it as part of his role as a South Holland district councillor to help and represent the residents in Spalding St John’s ward around the clock.

At 20 years old, Coun McLean is the youngest person ever to be elected to the district council, something his peers have readily accepted and supported.
“A lot of my friends are in the ward that I represent,” he said. “It’s a source of pride to me to represent both the people who elected me and those who didn’t.”

Before being elected in May, Coun McLean ran community projects such as litter picks and recently formed Spotless Spalding, a group of volunteers which meets monthly to tidy various areas of the town.
He was also elected vice-chairman of Spalding Town Forum this summer.

Fellow Conservative Coun Sally Slade (50) is into her second four-year term representing Pinchbeck and Surfleet, after first being a councillor briefly in Tunbridge Wells.
She was encouraged to get into local government after getting cross watching Question Time on television.

“I’d be shouting at Paddy Ashdown and my husband would say; ‘Why don’t you stand if you feel so passionately?’”

With two children, Coun Slade admits to finding life “very difficult” during her first term with South Holland but, now that they are 17 and 12, things have eased.

She thinks people of all ages and backgrounds can make it work.
“I would like to see more young people like Jack get involved, and more women,” she added. “It was great to see Jo [Reynolds], Laura [Eldridge] and Tracey [Carter] get elected this year.”

Her advice on first steps to becoming a councillor?
“Get involved in local community groups or at a school, get involved in community events and see what issues people see as important,” she said. “Come to meetings at the council and see how they work.
“You don’t have to be a member of a political party and you don’t need qualifications.”

• Local Democracy Week – aimed at engaging people to get involved – runs until today (October 19).