An East Sussex County Councillor for Wealden North East (covering the parishes of Frant ; Hadlow Down ; Mayfield & Five Ashes ; Rotherfield ; Wadhurst) and Leader of Wealden District Councillor where he represents Frant & Wadhurst along with Cllr Johanna Howlell. Bob is Deputy Chairman (Political & Policy) of Wealden Conservatives.
On the East Sussex Authority he is the Lead Member for Education and Inclusion, Special Educational Needs and Disability while holding the following committee appointments:
- Cabinet
- County Consultative Committee (Chair)
- County Joint Consultative Committee
- East Sussex Schools Forum (Invited observer with speaking rights)
- Full Council
- Joint Advisory Committee for Schools (Chair)
- Lead Member for Education and Inclusion, Special Educational Needs and Disability
- Orbis Joint Committee
Bob was first elected as Wealden District Councillor for Wadhurst in 2004 and was re-elected in 2007 and 2011. In 2007 he was asked to join the Wealden Cabinet as Portfolio Holder for Finance and from 2010 combined this with the role of Leader of the Council.
Bob was responsible for the launching of the Council’s Transformation Programme in 2010. This programme was designed to reduce the costs of running the Council whilst maintaining the services the community rely upon.
As a district councillor he has been closely involved in:
- Overseeing the transformation programme which has reduced costs by £3million
- Instigating sharing services with neighbouring authorities
- The implementation of the enhanced waste collection service starting in July 2013. This will increase the items collected for recycling and will cost less than the current service.
- Promoting the building of Council owned houses and at no cost to the Council Tax payer.
- Strategic planning through the Local Enterprise Partnership which covers East Sussex, Kent and Essex.
Bob has also served as a Parish Councillor and has been involved in all aspects of the Parish Council responsibilities including planning, recreation ground and finance.
