About me: Councillor Paul Sparks

I was elected councillor for Uckfield in May 2005, having first moved to East Sussex in 1986.

Key issues in Uckfield include flood prevention, supporting the vitality and diversity of the town centre together with providing affordable homes.

But how did I get here?

I have been interested in politics for most of my adult life. I became actively involved in politics when the SDP was formed and I became a founder member.

I decided to run for the County Council when I learned that another candidate did not live in the area – I strongly believe that communities should be represented by a local resident.

I also felt my business skills and experience could be put to good use in the County Council. I was Head of Product Marketing for the Financial Services Division of Lloyds Bank until I took early retirement.

My community

Uckfield is a great market town providing many facilities in a friendly and pleasant atmosphere. It is ideally situated for visiting the county's lovely coastline, its many attractive towns and villages and the wonderful Sussex Downs and Ashdown Forest.

As a representative of my community, it's very rewarding to achieve a result for a resident that they might not have obtained without your involvement. I have done this on several local planning applications and I am glad to have helped stop car parking charges being introduced in Uckfield.

On the down side, being a councillor involves spending lots of time at long meetings and reading reams of documents, articles and papers.

My home life

I got married in 1968 to Dorothy and we have two daughters and five grandchildren.

I don't have a trick for balancing my home life with my council work but I try to deal with work as it comes in, rather than let it build up. I maintain that the thought of doing something is invariably worse than actually doing it.

If anyone is interested in becoming a councillor, I would recommend they join a party and become actively involved. You will then meet councillors and get to know the role.

My spare time

I enjoy participating in and following sports, especially football. I also like travelling, walking and music.