About me: Councillor Joy Waite

I was elected councillor for Hastings, Maze Hill and West St Leonards in 2001. This is my second term.

I will be campaigning for more investment and regeneration in this area. So far, I have listened to a lot of talk of regeneration but I have yet to see anything happening. There are strategies made and plans drawn up but none of it has actually been implemented so it’s very frustrating.

The fear of crime is also a serious problem in my division. I have been asking for lamp posts for five years now. Lots of money has been put into more deprived areas but I'm hopeful that the needs of my division will now be considered.

If a little more light was cast in the ward, then people would be less afraid to venture out at night.

But how did I get here?

It wasn’t inspiration so much as exasperation that made me stand for the County Council. Basically, I was totally cheesed off with not being able to influence things done that needed to be done.

This area is run down and there seems to be a lack of interest in doing anything about it from the people who control the money.

We are being starved of funding in East Sussex and particularly in some areas of Hastings. This Government seems to only be interested in meeting targets and not in actually helping people.

My community

In my ward we have some selfless people who give their time tirelessly to the community. That makes me proud of the people in my division.

The best thing about being a councillor is when you are able to solve a problem for an individual constituent. When someone comes to you with a problem and you think ‘Been there, done that. Yes, I can help.’ That’s where you get the satisfaction.

The hardest thing is when an individual has a real problem but there is just no way to solve it, whether that’s because of the system or their personal circumstances.

My home life

I retired from my job with a high tech company in January.

I’ve never found a way to strike a balance between work and my home life, you somehow manage to do everything.

The most important thing is to make sure you get away, preferably somewhere where there is no telephone, at least twice a year.

My spare time

I enjoy taking academic courses in my spare time. The last one I did was a postgraduate certificate in sociology and now I’m studying digital photography.

I would give any prospective councillor three pieces of advice:

• be prepared for the telephone to ring 24/7
• do not expect to change the world but be prepared to champion any of the issues you believe in
• be ready to be totally frustrated but don't give up.