Introducing New Sandgate Parish Councillor Vannessa Reay

Following the resignation of Conservative Councillor Nigel Griffith from Sandgate Parish Council, a vacancy was declared and nominations opened. At the close of nominations, the only nominated candidate was Sandgate Village resident and Lib Dem candidate Vannessa Reay. As such, Vannessa was declared a new Councillor for Sandgate Village on Sandgate Parish Council as of 18th March, joining the existing Lib Dem group of Tim Prater and Gary Fuller.

Vannessa said:

"I'm deliighted and excited to become a Councillor. I'm looking forward to working for the people of Sandgate."

Introducing Vannessa: In Her Own Words

My name is Vannessa Reay, I am 45 years old and was born in west London. I am married with two step daughters. I discovered Sandgate about seven years ago and immediately took it to my heart. I was lucky enough to be able to make my home here over 5 years ago and could not imagine living anywhere else.

I have a BA Honours Degree in Humanities from the Open University. I have made my career in the insurance industry on the compliance and regulatory side of the sector. I work in the City of London for a non-profit making organisation which represents and protects the best interests of general insurance intermediaries, brokers and their customers. The provision of trusted advice and guidance, co-operation, openness and fairness are vital qualities in my day job and I believe that they are equally important to anyone who wants to serve as a parish councillor.

In my spare time I enjoy reading, cinema, art, collecting studio glass, gardening, socialising and exploring the local area.

I feel that I have the necessary time, energy and commitment to devote to the needs and interests of the people of Sandgate, both in their private and business lives.

What do I want for Sandgate?

I want Sandgate to be a vibrant, safe and healthy place for people to live and work in, but that should not be at the expense of the things that make Sandgate special. Traffic noise, congestion and the lack of parking are a constant problem. I want to work on strategies to reduce dependency on the car by improving public transport which would help the local environment and our quality of life. I am also strongly behind the campaign for free parking in the area.

I am saddened to see empty shops on the high street in Sandgate and want to create incentives to attract people to open new businesses and provide opportunities for employment in the area. Once opened those businesses need our support to flourish and should not be constrained by over burdensome rules and taxed into oblivion, so I want to work on keeping bureaucracy to a minimum.

I want to see an end to over development in Sandgate, we need open spaces to live and breathe. Future developments should be attractive, sustainable and high quality and respect the existing nature of Sandgate. I would work to ensure that any developments created enhance the lives of existing Sandgate residents and that any new builds invest sufficiently in local amenities to support the additional people moving into the area.

Contact Vannessa Reay.