Wealden councillor receives prestigious award

Polegate’s town mayor, Councillor Dan Dunbar presented the award of Honorary Freeman of Polegate to Councillor Stephen Shing on behalf of the town council at a recent meeting. The title is one of the most prestigious awards a local authority can give.

Councillor Shing’s career in local politics started in 1997 and he has represented Polegate at town, district and county council level.  During 26 years as a councillor, Councillor Shing has had many achievements including the introduction of traffic calming measures in the Polegate area, the retention of public toilets and installation of a pedestrian crossing.  He is also a founding committee member of the South Downs Group, which led to the National Park Authority being established, and is the longest serving councillor of Chinese origin in the UK.

Chair of Wealden District Council, Councillor Christina Coleman, said, “It is evident that this honour was bestowed on Councillor Shing as a result of his dedication to his local community, over many years, and I would like to take a moment to celebrate his distinguished service. Stephen is also excellent at communicating with local residents, through his regular feedback newsletter. Since 2006, 1.2 million newsletters have been pushed through letterboxes in his name.

“He has also given presentations in schools about the importance of local democracy. Not only has he inspired members of his own family to participate in local governance, he has inspired many other students too. We are lucky to have you representing your residents as a member of Wealden District Council.”