As Cllr Bill Barker prepares to step down from his role as a county councillor after 20 years he shares some of his views with Effingham Eye columnist Chris Dick.
How did you first get involved in politics?
I originally became involved in politics almost by default and a chance conversation with our local borough councillor. She called round to welcome us to her area and in conversation she suggested that I should stand as a councillor. I didn’t know whether she meant parish, borough or county councillor – it turned out to be as a county councillor.
In those days there was no real selection process so all you needed was ten signatures, which the borough councillor sorted out. So I ended up taking over from Tony Page, an Effingham resident who had served for decades in all those roles.
Read more here