The winner of the Steyning Parish Council by-election yesterday has been announced.
Gill Muncey, of Perrots Lane, Steyning, was elected in the by-election, which was called by residents.
Only 20 per cent of the electorate turned out on the day with 610 votes to Gill Muncey and 354 to Pam Perceval-Maxwell.
Having moved to the town in 1990 with her husband and two children, Mrs Muncey feels she understands local concerns and issues.
“I was a local GP practice manager for over a decade but have recently retrained as a family mediator and so now have more time for community issues,” she said.
Mrs Muncey is also a member of Steyning Film Society and Steyning History Society, a supporter of Steyning 10:10 campaign and has been a volunteer cleaner at St Andrews’ Church for 20 years.
Town residents dropped by the Steyning Centre yesterday to make their vote, some of which declared their support for Mrs Muncey due to her stance on the parish’s skate park application that has been greatly opposed by the Friends of Memorial Playing Field group, of which she is a member.
Ray and Janet Towning have lived in Steyning for 16 years.
Mr Towning said: “Only of one of the candidates has supported having the skate park at the leisure centre. We’re all for that, it’s the proper place.”
Steyning business owner, Jackie Selby, 48, said: “Speaking to a lot of elderly people in steyning they were not happy about the skate park, so the fact that it’s been moved to the leisure centre is a good thing. I know a lot of people were not happy about where it was going and it was not very practical.”
Despite Mrs Mauncey’s stance on the skate park, she said she does not want to be seen as a ‘one-issue councillor’.
“I am a member of the Friends of Memorial Playing Field group but do not want to be a one-issue councillor. I am non-political,” she added.