Over the last ten years, I constantly find myself coming back to the question. What is the job of a councillor? Given the recent viral videos from Handsforth Parish Council, you'd have to say…''Not That!'' We're all people of course, each different in our approach, as the video clearly displayed. Those are, rarely seen, extremes of course.

We're governed in what we do by a Code of Conduct, by rules of debate and a Constitution or by the standing orders, and the laws that define what we can do.

Those apart, it's difficult to express sometimes. There's a basic job description, but it's fairly broad. We represent the views of the community we were elected by, but those views are not universal and, in reality, we've been elected to use our judgement. That is what we are delegated to do. At the same time, we have a responsibility to the Council area itself, to consider the needs of the entire area on behalf of all, not just our 'own'. We also represent the Council to our community, keeping them informed of facts and meaning. And we can also work elsewhere, from the Council platform into wider concerns still. Further, there are many outside bodies that need input from a Council.

An excellent illustration of that would be in Dave Woods who has announced he will not be standing again for the Peninsula seat he has represented for 20 years. Like us all, Dave will have carried out case work in the area, served on committees, spoken in Council debate, and taken part in Group leadership. I know my own Parish and Ward have benefited from his Locality Budget funds and are grateful. Much of this stuff, though essential, is almost invisible until you get close. Realistically, when it's done, you move on to the next thing and it may be forgotten.

David will be leaving a visible legacy though, in the extension granted last year to the Suffolk Coast and Heaths AONB. I served for a year myself on one of the AONB advisory committees on behalf of Babergh, so I had a chance to get a feel for some of the work involved in this. David had spent the last 20 or so years promoting and working on this extension as a part of his role as Chairman of that AONB. It's no small thing to do by the way. This is the first such extension anywhere for over 25 years. And since the extension crosses the Stour and includes some of the north Essex shore, David will be that rare councillor to have made a difference in not one, but two counties.

We're all different people, with different skillsets, varying approaches. I'm something of a generalist, and have had the great fortune to be able to apply myself to Scrutiny, both as the Babergh Scrutiny Chairman and on an SCC Flood Management sub-committee. That's allowed me to take an Overview (the other part of the committee name) on the Councils work and programmes overall and on the underlying principles of democratic representation. How we do stuff matters as much as what we do sometimes.

Daily, we are all going to be ourselves, true to ourselves and, I trust, without showing fear or favour.