New Councillor for Dunchurch Parish Council
Panto director Paul Le Poidevin was co-opted onto Dunchurch Parish Council on 23 November 2020.
Panto director Paul Le Poidevin was co-opted onto Dunchurch Parish Council on 23 November 2020.
Mr Le Poidevin of Hazelwood Close has lived in Dunchurch for 27 years. A systems and process designer for OpenReach, he’s retiring at Christmas and wants to get more involved in the village.
“I want to be able to give some of my time to improve the amenities in the village, and improve people’s lives too. Hopefully I can be of benefit to the village,” he said.
“From what I understand the council was in a bit of turmoil at the start of the year. But now there’s a very good group of people learning about being the parish council. We’ve got a really good clerk and chairperson.”
Mr Le Poidevin has been involved in the Dunchurch Panto for 15 years and directing it for the last five years. He says it’s a great part of village life, involving approximately 60 people aged four to 80, front and back stage.
The 2021 pantomime, the Pie Rats of Penzance, has been postponed until 2022. It was written by Dunchurch resident Sue Protheroe.
Mr Le Poidevin is also a trustee of Dunchurch Village Hall and is due to take on the Village Hall treasurer job in April 2021.
About co-opting
Co-opting is used by parish councils to fill vacancies caused by death, illness, disqualification or resignation etc. Members of the public do not vote for a co-opted parish councillor; instead, they are elected by the existing parish councillors.