be a councillor
Sara Bashford
- Busy wife and mother
- Trained as a magistrate
- Local councillor
"When somebody comes to you with a problem that’s affecting their life in a big way you can help, sometimes just by making a couple of calls."
"When I won my seat it was a wonderful feeling, the trust so many people had placed in me in response to getting out, knocking on doors and listening to people."
Pauline Tunnicliffe
Councillor in Bromley
Until a couple of years ago I was a full time designer. Then I became a councillor, and a year later the mayor of Bromley so now I'm a full time councillor and a part time dress designer, but I'm really flexible.
When I won my seat it was a wonderful feeling, the trust so many people had placed in me in response to me knocking on doors and listening to them. I'm a people person and love to get involved and be able to help. There's such an amazing range of things to become involved with.
Like any parent, it's a constant juggle. My girls are fairly independent - I brought them up to be that way. This house works well through teamwork, compromise and bribery. But my girls are great and really do get involved. As the mayor I had little spare time, but got invited out to see lots of wonderful things.
There have been many times when I have been outside my comfort zone, with new and challenging experiences. I don't have a background in local government or party politics, so I was a bit awestruck at first but quickly became used to it. Being a councillor is too important not to do it properly.