On Tuesday 2nd May Malcolm Eastwood was elected as Chairman of Henfield Parish Council, taking over from Ray Osgood, who stood down after six years in the position. Elaine Goodyear was voted Deputy Chairman. Ray will continue to work for the village as a Parish Councillor on the Plans Advisory Committee and the Museum Committee and will be involved with the new Neighbourhood Plan. He’s served the village as a Parish Councillor for a total of thirteen years.
Under Ray’s six-year leadership the Parish Council has seen some considerable changes and has worked hard to foster a strong sense of community in Henfield as well as preserving the village environment in the face of district and county budget cuts. He has overseen the Henfield Neighbourhood Plan, which was sadly quashed last year after being attacked by housing developers, to the great disappointment of the village and the volunteers who worked so hard to create it. At the Annual Parish Meeting in April local people voted to work once again on a new Neighbourhood Plan.
Over Ray’s six-year period as Chairman he missed only one of the 72 Parish Council meetings and this unpaid voluntary role has often amounted to over 45 hours a week. His dedication has not gone unnoticed in the village and local people have appreciated his approachability and his seemingly limitless energy and enthusiasm.
‘It has been a privilege to serve the village and I am very pleased to step aside and leave the role in the very capable hands of Malcolm, who has some great skills and experience to bring to the Parish Council,” said Ray. “His renewed energy, alongside the very capable and hard-working team of councillors and office staff, means the Parish Council are in a very strong position to face the challenges ahead.”
Malcolm, who has been a Parish Councillor for two years working on the Lighting & Open Spaces Committee and the Cemetery Committee, has extensive experience in the financial sector and project management. There are some interesting current projects to which he can apply his expertise, including the Memorial Field, Henfield Activity Plan in conjunction with the Community Partnership, the Kingsfield link-road / car park and a new Neighbourhood Plan.
Malcolm said; “I am really looking forward to building on the solid foundations already established and completing these initiatives for the village. I am very interested in improving our connections and communication within Henfield with projects such as the Henfield Activity Plan. It’s going to be a busy time for us all and I am pleased to have the opportunity to work with a group of councillors who have a broad range of skills and experience and the team in the Parish Office who work tirelessly to make Henfield a great place to live.”
We would like to offer Ray our sincere thanks for his service to the village and welcome Malcolm to his new role.
Emma Osman