The Voice of Spalding and South Holland
There cannot be too many people for whom a 20-hour working day is not just a regular occurrence, but the norm.
Hardly a “sell” for getting involved in local government in Local Democracy Week (October 12-19) but, like the late former Prime Minister and fellow Conservative Margaret Thatcher, little sleep is normal for South Holland District Council leader Gary Porter.
“I usually only sleep for about four hours,” he said. “I’m quite sharp and alert at 4am and, with no distractions, I find it the best time to absorb lots of information, which might need strategies formulating.”
As a figurehead of the council he is often in the firing line from the public. But he’s well paid for that, right?
Well, £25,000 in allowances is an average salary, but it’s a big step back from his income as a self-employed builder, when he was using his allowances to pay a labourer.
However, Coun Porter still says of getting into local government: “I’d recommend it to anybody. And I’d recommend being leader as long as they want to put in the legwork.
“I’ve met some quite nice people and you get to do some pretty interesting things that you wouldn’t normally get the chance to do.
“It’s very rewarding. Even the days when I ask myself ‘why did I put myself up for this?’ are few and far between. If you are committed enough to putting the effort in, what you do does make a difference and it does make you feel good.”
Recently, Coun Porter – current chairman of the Local Government Association – was made a peer in the House of Lords, the latest landmark in his rise since first entering local politics in 1996, while in his mid-30s. He became leader seven years later.
Yet it’s the down-to-earth achievements which give this down-to-earth chap most satisfaction. Like increasing and then maintaining the district’s weekly refuse collection and building new council houses (the authority’s new company, Welland Homes Ltd, will further this).
“I still get a buzz when I go by the first pair of houses we built [in High Street, Gosberton],” he says. “We’re getting back into housebuilding, which is more beneficial to the taxpayer than how we were doing it and the difference it makes to people’s lives is good.”
Something to help him sleep a little easier during those four hours.
