Hailsham mayor and chairman elected

Councillor Paul Holbrook was voted to serve a third year as town mayor and chairman at the annual meeting of Hailsham Town Council at the James West Community Centre last night (May 27).

Cllr Holbrook has previously represented Hailsham on Wealden District Council. A builder by trade, he has lived in Hailsham for more than 45 years, having raised a family here with his wife, Barbara Holbrook, who is also a Hailsham town councillor.

According to the town council, Cllr Holbrook’s long-term vision is for a town that is community-driven, with a positive and co-operative mindset. He will continue working towards helping the local community recover from the pandemic and work with project partners and stakeholders to make the town become an attractive focus for the growing population of Hailsham.

During his address, Cllr Holbrook said it will be another busy year ahead for the council and looks forward to contributing to its future achievements, including continuing to help provide more facilities for Hailsham and helping towards revitalising the town.

He said, “Thank you to everyone for having faith in me to carry out the duty of mayor and chairman for a third year. I am deeply honoured to continue on as mayor, yet, despite the many privileges associated with the role, I am aware of the burden of responsibility which it brings as an ambassador and representative of the people of Hailsham.

“A lot can be achieved in our town and, as town mayor, I will endeavour to work with different groups of people to overcome the challenges we face in the future, especially moving forward and seeing us through the remainder of the pandemic. Hailsham is a special place, and I will work hard to ensure that it remains so.”

Cllr John Puttick was also re-elected as deputy town mayor and he replaced Cllr Amande O-Rawe as vice-chairman.