People often ask who their town councillors are and what they actually do. Whenever new councillors join Rye Town Council, Rye News likes to introduce them to the community. We have already spoken to councillors Dena Ellis Smith and Jonathan Breeds to discover what inspired them to stand for election, learn more about their backgrounds, and find out what they hope to achieve for the people of Rye.
This week we met with Councillor Vagn Hansen, whose journey from working-class Denmark to a career with Shell, children’s charities and now Rye Town Council reflects a lifelong belief in public service, education and giving something back to the community.
What first encouraged you to stand for Rye Town Council?
I have known the current mayor Chris Hoggart for some years now. We were often doing Speedwatch together which gave us plenty of time to talk about the ‘small and large problems of the world’ and Rye in particular. He had already been a councillor for four years and he suggested that I stood for a position as a town councillor that had become vacant shortly before. I thought maybe I could offer my skills to help in the council and do something for the town I had come to love – and I thought as an adopted Brit, I could learn something about how local government works
What do you see as the biggest challenges facing Rye over the next five years?
There are quite a few. Highest and most difficult to crack on the list is probably the provision of affordable housing both for young people and people working in the hospitality industry who do not have the income to buy new and old very highly priced houses in Rye. As a town council we are struggling with a limited tax base to pay for all the things that are coming to us from Rother District Council e.g. Mason’s field, the Salts, toilets. All are important assets we want, but with under 2000 households to pay for it, it is difficult to finance.
How do you balance protecting Rye’s unique heritage while allowing the town to evolve and thrive?
I assume the heritage refers to the town centre conservation area. It means severe restrictions on what you can do, e.g. even painting your front door may require a planning proposal. I think that the planning system will need to loosen up to allow modern living and low energy solutions – but without destroying the character of the town which is what people come here to experience – and in the process spend money in Rye. We need people working and living in Rye. We (I) do not want Rye to be an open-air museum
What would you say to someone considering becoming a town councillor?
Please talk to a town councillor about what being a councillor is like. If you are interested and you can give some time, stand for election. The elections are every four years with the next one in May next year. These elections are democracy at our level. Democracy is a precious thing that is threatened all over the world and I think we can do our bit to make it thrive by participating (respectfully) in the debate, by standing for office and/or voting on election day. Council meetings are public and it’s great when people turn up express their views or just to witness discussion.
Tell us a little about your background before becoming a councillor.
I’m born Viking (Danish!) and acquired UK citizenship in 2016. In 1996 I was expatriated by Shell (the oil company). I have degree in Chemical Engineering and one in business (Marketing) but spent most of my professional life in finance. I took early retirement in 2010 because having had a great career but, coming from a poor working-class background in Denmark, I wanted particularly to help disadvantaged children improve their chances in life. So, I became a trustee/advisor of a few children’s charities, starting with the Mayor’s Fund for London, which I ran as interim CEO for a short while – while Boris Johnson was mayor and during the Olympics – fascinating!
Who has been the biggest influence on your life?
No doubt my parents. Both had no education, my dad worked (hard) almost all his life at an abattoir (Danish Bacon). Both were highly intelligent people who had no chance of any training or education. My brother, sister and I were supported but never pressured to get education. There was a lot of books, music and politics in my childhood. I would go to the public library to get books (I would read a new book almost every day, sometimes under the duvet with a spotlight). But I would try and sneak them past my mother so she would not snap up the most interesting ones. PS: I still read at night.
One of my proudest moments was when my dad told me that he was very proud when I was appointed finance director for Shell in Denmark, but that he was prouder that I was still the same person and son that had left home some 20 years before. Much later in life I started reflecting on my upbringing and what made me succeed. It led me to retire early, as mentioned, and start working with children’s charities.
How do you like to spend a day when you are not attending meetings or dealing with council business?
It rarely happens at the moment, as apart from being a councillor, I’m on the council’s planning committee, I look after the money for the leisure centre as trustee treasurer, I’m chair of board of the company that is leasing the building to the cinema and part of a group under the council that is trying to improve the Station Approach toilet – and a few other things. But if I have time, I do like to start the day with plenty of time to read the newspapers (on my iPad), then probably spend time in my allotment, do a walk with my wife and our dog, listen to a podcast, cook dinner or go out (I do love my food).
Image Credits: Kt bruce , Vagn Hanse .