After the biggest changes at Ruddington Parish Council for many years, those newly appointed to the most senior positions have been talking to RUDDINGTON.info about their hopes and plans for its future direction.
Last week’s vote (on May 10th) saw the appointment of both a new Chair and a new Vice-Chair of the Parish Council: Cllr Graham Fletcher and Cllr Chloe Lewington respectively (pictured top). This was after the previous incumbents Cllr Allen Wood and Cllr Ken Piggott decided to stand down. The duo were thanked for their “continuous work and dedication during these past few years”.
Cllr Fletcher says: “Chloe and I are keen to do more to engage fully with the residents of Ruddington and try and encourage more people to come to the meetings to air their views. After COVID, we are also keen to re-engage with the residents of Ruddington and bring the Parish Council into the 21st century. RPC is here for all residents, and Councillors are available to contact as a first port of call for any village business, good or bad. As Chair, I am always available to email or simply chat about village life.”
Cllr Lewington adds: “I am looking forward to supporting the new Chairman and directly working with community initiatives in Ruddington, including the planting group, events in the village and the Community Centre plans.” As previously reported, Chloe has been part of RPC’s working party, driving forward the new Community Centre project.
Following the death of Cllr David Hall earlier this year, Cllr Leo Lanzoni was appointed new Chair of RPC’s Amenities Committee. “I feel it is an honour to take over from David, and I will do my best to carry on adding to his legacy” he says. “Cllr Hall did so much for this village and always made sure issues were brought up at meetings. He had a passion for Ruddington that was sometimes unmatched. I will continue to make sure our playing fields and green open spaces are something to be proud of, and that our buildings, new (the future Community Centre) and old are maintained to highest quality for our villages’ use.”
Another long standing Ruddington Parish Councillor, Cllr Marion Pell, was appointed as the Chair of the Environment & Policy Committee. She was born and raised in Ruddington and became a Parish Councillor in 2011. She has already held this position for a number of years. She pledges: “As Chairman I will, amongst other things, continue to support the village Christmas activities and the Business Window Display Competition which I founded. With the return of the community bus I will encourage people to make use of this excellent facility which we provide. The look and feel of Ruddington is important and I will ensure this continues to be an agenda item. I have already successfully overseen the installation of a bench at Sellors’ Field and another two will soon be installed.”
She continues: “Following the sudden death of one of our serving Parish Councillors, I have requested that a bench be placed on Elms Park playing fields in his memory. Planning has always been a contentious issue and I will continue to strive to get the residents heard. I have attended numerous training courses and will continue to do so in order to help me understand and perform my duties correctly. I am totally committed to my role as a councillor and will continue to represent the residents of Ruddington to the best of my ability.”
Cllr Fletcher adds: “We do also have two Councillor vacancies which we’d like to fill. I would heartily recommend the satisfaction that can be gained by joining the team and doing something positive for our great village!”
If you’d like to find out more about becoming a Ruddington Parish Councillor you can email office@ruddingtonparishcouncil.gov.uk or telephone 0115 914 6660 during office hours.
