Newhaven resident Jan Woodling was at Dieppe station in France, waiting for a train, when she received a surprise but welcome message: although by a slim majority and after a recount, she had been elected to Newhaven Town Council.
“I feel sure I was elected because my action on local issues meant I was well-known in the community,” says Jan.
She had unsuccessfully stood for election as a Newhaven town councillor several times previously. Jan’s husband, Doug, was also a former candidate.
Jan says the biggest issues, both for her ward, Newhaven South, and for Newhaven as a whole, include widespread poverty, pollution from the ring road, lack of sufficient housing, and the struggle of local foodbanks and similar groups to obtain much-needed funding.
Jan finds her work as a councillor interesting and worthwhile, yet demanding. She remains a passionate campaigner for the climate, cleaner rivers and oceans, the rights of immigrants and an end to racial discrimination. Together with husband Doug and other Labour members, Jan delivers printed newsletters to the 2,500 residents in her ward.
”Being the only Labour member in a Lib Dem dominated council isn’t always easy,” says Jan. “Sometimes I have to vote against proposals. I can only do what’s right.”
Jan grew up in the village of Lambourn in Berkshire and moved to Brighton to do teacher training. She later lived in Lewes and moved to Newhaven 24 years ago. Although she started out teaching in primary schools, after having two children she taught at Lewes Prison, before working as a development officer for prison education with the Department for Education and Science. She often had to write for prison ministers Paul Boateng and Hilary Benn during Tony Blair’s government.
A much talked about issue in Newhaven in Jan’s ward, is Harbour Heights, a planned new housing estate of up to 400 houses and industrial space. Despite the shortage of homes, Newhaven Town Council opposes this.
“The plan includes zero affordable housing and there are a number of concerns, including lack of infrastructure and the need for new residents to use the already overcrowded central ring road, which gets snarled up at times,” says Jan.
· Lewes District Council (LDC), the housing authority for our area, has given outline planning permission for the new estate which would involve demolishing and redeveloping the Quarry Road industrial estates and building
on greenfield land to the west. The application was for outline permission, with detailed plans for access and many other issues requiring further planning consent.
The developers say some of the land is contaminated, so there are “abnormal costs” – which is why the plan does not include affordable housing. LDC says some affordable housing might be added to the scheme later, when details of build prices and sales costs are known. Among other things, the council also says strict conditions will be required around flooding and drainage issues.