Councillors
District Councillors are elected by the community to decide how the Council should carry out its business.
District Councillors represent public interest, as well as the individuals living within the Ward in which they were elected to serve a four-year term of office. Here are the details of the Conservative Councillors that serve on the East Cambridgeshire District Council.
Anna was brought up in Little Downham, and went to Feoffees School and Ely College. She has been the District Councillor for Downham Ward since 2007 and is currently Leader of the Council. As Leader, Anna works incredibly hard to ensure that the Council maintains a balanced budget so it can keep on delivering great services for residents and keep its share of council tax low. She works to support residents and our communities at a local level as well as concentrating on the bigger projects that we know residents want to see.
Julia has been a District Councillor for Fordham since 2015 and a Parish Councillor since 2014; she is also an active volunteer with Community Groups such as Speedwatch.
Julia is Chair of both the Licencing Committee, and the Operational Services Committee, and as the Service Champion for Waste, Julia has played a key role in bringing the East Cambs waste and recycling service back in house which has saved around £240k in procurement costs alone. Julia has now taken on the role of Climate Change Champion to support the Council’s Environment and Climate Change Action Plan which aims to tackle climate change and boost the natural environment.
Christine was raised and educated in Littleport, and has been both a Parish and District Councillor since 2007. She serves on a number Committees including Operational Services, Licencing and Planning, and is also a member of the Community Safety Partnership, and the East Cambs Sanctuary Housing Board. Christine is also a volunteer with the Littleport Independent Foodbank.
Christine is passionate about the provision of high-quality affordable homes for local families and vulnerable residents, and believes that all residents should have access to somewhere they can feel safe and secure and call home.
Ian lives in Soham and has been a District Councillor since 2015. With the increase in housing development, Ian is keen to see improvements to the local infrastructure, parking and road congestion, including improved waste water facilities to meet the needs of a growing population. With his knowledge of the planning system he continues to engage with developers to promote the delivery of housing that provides affordable homes, open spaces and adequate parking.
David has lived in Burwell for over 30 years and has been a District Councillor since 2007. He has also served as a County Councillor representing the area.
David is the Chair of the Finance and Assets Committee and has served on a number of committees at ECDC, including the Planning Committee. Over the years David has worked closely with a number of local organisations including the Parish Council to secure improvements for the benefit of Burwell residents.
Lavinia has lived in Burwell all her life, and was first elected to the District Council in 2007.
Lavinia is involved in a number of Community Groups included Neighbourhood Watch, Speedwatch and Centre Peace. Having been brought up in the Village, Lavinia is keen to see Burwell thrive and retain facilities, as well as benefit from new investment opportunities as they arise.
Mark was born in Soham and as both a District and County Councillor and Chairman of Soham Town Football Club, he has good relationships with local stakeholders which includes business, farming, schools, health and local councils.
Mark is passionate about the community and wants to see an environment where residents of Soham, and the whole of East Cambridgeshire, can thrive.
Martin Goodearl moved to Littleport with his family in 2001, after completing 24 years’ service with the Royal Engineers. During his service with the Army, he spent time on active duty in the Falklands, Northern Ireland, the Gulf and the former Yugoslavia.
After his discharge from the Army, Martin worked in warehousing for two years, before moving to Network Rail, where he worked as a signaller for 18 years. He retired from Network Rail in 2021 and worked part time as a taxi driver until fully retiring in July 2022.
Martin is married to Penny. They have three grown up children and also a five-year-old grandchild. They recently celebrated their ruby wedding anniversary with a vow renewal at St Georges Church in Littleport.
Martin is an active member of the Royal British Legion and has been the Littleport branch Chairman since 2009, and the Poppy Appeal organiser for the past 4 years.
Keith lives in Soham and is both a District and Town Councillor there.
With a background in energy and the environment Keith is passionate about both subjects. He has been instrumental in delivering many projects in the town including reducing the energy demand in The Walter Gidney Pavilion through loft insulation, encouraging businesses in the town to improve recycling, reduce waste and lower energy consumption through the Seen To Be Green competition, and working with Soham residents advising on renewable energy.
Keith also focuses on anti-social driving issues and is keen to find a solution to illegal parking problems and the dangers it brings to the community.
Bill has been a District Councillor for Stretham and the neighbouring villages since 2007, was also a County Councillor from 2005 to 2021 and was re-elected to County Council in 2023.
Bill led on the “Say no to Mereham” Campaign. He is a strong advocate for free parking in Ely City Centre, and championed the Ely City Zipper Bus Service, and is working towards a ‘Zipper 2’ which would run from Sutton-Witchford-Ely. Bill has been involved in other projects including the expansion of the Station Car Parks in both Ely and Littleport, the A10 improvements including Cycle and pedestrian crossing at the BP Roundabout on Witchford Road, and is campaigning for the re-classifying of the A1123 and A1421 to a ‘B’ road to assist with reducing, and slowing down traffic through Villages.
With an in-depth knowledge of the area, Bill is keen to see quality housing for local working people, and a new hospital at the Princess of Wales site, and his aim is for our villages to be self-sustaining and safe places to live.
James lives in Gazeley and has been a West Suffolk and Forest Heath Councillor for six years. He was part of the team that joined two councils to create the enlarged District of West Suffolk Council. His knowledge and experience of Local Government makes him a great asset to East Cambridgeshire District Council as a councillor for Woodditton.
His background also includes development of health programmes with Quadram Institute Bioscience and European projects in conjunction with British and European universities with regards to eating habits and child obesity.
David spent his formative years in New Zealand. After extensive travel, he has lived in Cambridgeshire since 2005, in Ely since 2016 and in Littleport since 2020.
Beyond his professional interests as an electronic engineer and computer scientist, he is especially motivated by matters involving mental health, housing and sustainable infrastructure initiatives. He seeks to bring his technical expertise together with experience of differing perspectives gained while overseas to bear in service as a councillor for Littleport.
Kelli lives in Fordham and is both a District and Parish councillor. She was born and raised in Cambridgeshire and has great pride for the area in which she lives, getting involved with many aspects of life in a rural community.
Kelli is a Governor for Fordham Church of England School and is passionate about the resources available to children and young adults in the area.
Being involved in a number of community groups, such as the local warm hub, allows her the chance to get out and speak with members of her local community.
Kelli serves on a number of committees at ECDC including Audit, Licensing and Operational Services.
Alan lives in Stetchworth and has also previously represented Bottisham Ward as a District Councillor. Alan has a reputation for working with parishes to get the things done that matter to local people.
As a school governor for both Burrough Green Primary School and Bottisham Village College, and a grandparent, Alan is passionate about children fulfilling their potential.
Lucius grew up and attended school in Cambridgeshire, and still lives in Soham. He was elected in 2023 as the UK’s youngest district councillor and has a keen interest in getting younger people involved in their communities and in local politics.
He looks forward to working with parish councils and local people to raise the profile of Soham and Wicken and to deal with such problems as illegal parking and affordable housing. He was appointed as the Council’s Heritage Champion and hopes to work alongside our MP to preserve and stand up for East Cambridgeshire’s historic environment.