Blogspot: What community and well-being mean to me

By Councillor Chris Vince-Portfolio Holder for Community and Well-Being

I AM delighted to have been ask by the leader of Harlow council, Cllr Mark Ingall, to take over as portfolio holder for Community and Wellbeing and want to thank him for this exciting opportunity to do even more to help the people of our town. I would like also thank Cllr Eugenie Harvey for all of the work she has done and look forward to working with her as a fellow cabinet member. It has been great to talk to Cllr Harvey and other council colleagues about the role in detail and hope that I can build on the wonderful work that she has done. I can’t wait to work with some of the equally brilliant Council officers whose jobs fit under the umbrella of the portfolio and am particularly excited to continue to provide support for our enthusiastic and imaginative Youth Council who I already know have some exciting plans for the future.

I would also like to thank my fellow board members at HTS, Cllrs Bob Davis and Simon Carter, as well as managing director John Philips and all of the dedicated team at HTS for making me feel so welcome during my time as Councillor director on the HTS board. It has been a great honour to help support an organisation which I believe is such a benefit to our town and our community. I hope to continue to work with them, and hopefully continue to spend time talking to and working with HTS staff who are on the front line all of whom have made me feel incredibly welcome.

Anyone that has ever had the misfortune of hearing me talk about what first inspired me to get involved in local politics will know that I mention that word community all the time and for good reason. Having a strong community is vital in helping deal with so many issues from social isolation to mental and physical health. What blew me away when I first came to Harlow was the real sense of community that there is in our town, a community spirit which when tested by the terrible events of recent months, has shown how strong and resilient it is. I hope they don’t mind me mentioning them but this was particularly highlighted when I was contacted by Munaza and Elliot from the Herts & Essex Community Farm about being involved in their online Harlow soup to raise money for Rainbow services. I can’t wait to work with them and other community groups over the coming year.

With the Covid-19 pandemic having taken its toll on our town I believe that now more than ever a focus on community and wellbeing is so important. As we come to the end of mental health awareness week, a cause very close to my heart, I would encourage everyone to recognise that it is okay to not be okay and to talk to someone, a friend or family member, about your issues before they become too much. I’ll be doing what I can in my new role and working with our enthusiastic new mental health champion Cllr Jezzard who I know will be brilliant.

Chris Vince