Overdevelopment and the environment at top of agenda for Felpham's new county councillor

Jaine Wild became Independent councillor for Felpham last week and has a couple of huge topics she is keen to talk about – overdevelopment and the environment.

She said: “I’m really going to be there to speak on behalf of the local people who’ve had enough of development, have had enough of having to wait for doctors’ appointments, who can’t get dentists, who have to wait hours and hours at A&E just to see some one in an emergency.

“It all stems down to overdevelopment.”

As for her environmental concerns, she called the dumping of raw sewage into the sea and the contamination of the county’s rivers ‘a really serious problem’.

The Felpham seat became vacant following the death of Conservative councillor John Charles in July. An Arun District Council by-election for the same day for Barnham was won by the Greens.

Mrs Wild’s victory takes the make-up of the council to 46 Conservative, 11 Liberal Democrats, nine Labour, three Green & Independent Alliance, and one Independent.

That could soon change again as the Green & Independent Alliance has already approached Mrs Wild to ask her to join their numbers – a move she thinks will be an advantage.

In the meantime, she aims to take the advice of her County Hall ‘buddy’ – someone assigned to look after her while she learns the ropes – ‘sit back, absorb it all, listen and watch to see what goes on before you make decisive movements on things’.

Mrs Wild said she has no intention of giving up her seat on Felpham Parish Council, calling it ‘the grass roots’ of local issues.

She added: “What goes on at the parish council is what’s happening where I live. So to me that’s more important to a certain degree.”

Looking to her future as a county councillor, she would like to serve on committees dealing with issues such as the environment, roads or housing.

Anything but finance as she said she’s ‘lousy with money’!