About me: Councillor Jeremy Birch

I was first elected to the County Council in 1995 for the old divison of Wishing Tree and Silverhill that was subsequently re-organised out of existence by boundary changes.

Since May 2009 I have been the county councillor for the Old Hastings and Tressell division.

But how did I get here?

I was born and bred in Hastings and have been involved in community and political activity throughout my adult life.

As well as East Sussex County Council I have been a member of Hastings Borough Council for the last 17 years and I am currently the leader.

I am also a board member of the South East England Development Agency.

My community

The Old Hastings and Tressell division is very diverse. It contains the historic Old Town, including the Stade, the fishing beach and the heart of Hastings' visitor economy. It also contains the Victorian streets of Clive Vale and Mount Pleasant and the post-war social housing areas of Halton, Farley Bank and Deepdene.

The east side of Ore Valley is part of the division including the upper Ore Valley and its potential natural areas.

There are therefore diverse challenges for a councillor representing this division.