Nailsea Town Council welcomes a new Councillor

Nailsea Town Council is delighted to welcome new Councillor Samantha (Sam) Louden-Cooke to serve Yeo Ward. Sam comes with a wealth of experience. She was a Town Councillor on Kenilworth Town Council (2019-2023) and was their Town Mayor for 1 year (2022-2023). She was on their Planning and Finance committee in her role as Councillor, and chaired Town Council meetings for a year as Mayor. She was also on working groups for climate emergency, town centre – with a focus on shop window competitions, and communications.

Sam has experience advertising events and led the Jubilee Working group for Kenilworth, planning a town street party which attracted more than 2000 people. She gained a lot of experience in public speaking and different event styles through her role as Mayor, including proclaiming the King at Kenilworth Castle and leading the town during the national mourning period for Her Majesty. Through both roles, she engaged with all generations by visiting school, community groups, and nursing homes. She also led on the organisation of the first two Kenilworth Naturewatch weeks which were hugely popular.

Sam was co-opted onto the Council in a vote by way of a Secret Ballot at the Town Council meeting on the 13 November when she signed her Declaration of Acceptance of Office and was welcomed to the Council.

Sam says “I am honoured to be co-opted onto Nailsea Town Council and look forward to working with everyone. I believe that a Town Councillor’s main priority should be acting in the interests of the people and broader environment of Nailsea. As the main point of contact for a ward, accessibility and visibility are key for resident engagement and broader community engagement. I understand Nailsea Town Council is not party political, which will be a new experience for me, but is also refreshing to hear.“

Cllr James Tonkin, Chair of Nailsea Town Council says “We are very pleased to have Sam join us on Nailsea Town Council as she comes with great wealth of experience working as a Councillor at Kenilworth and will bring a new perspective to Nailsea Town Council.”

Sam can be contacted by email Samantha.louden-cooke@nailseatowncouncil.gov.uk