COUNCILLOR UNA SIDDALL-NORMAN

Una has served on the town council for a quarter of a century, standing down in 2017 but standing again, as an Independent, in May 2023

Una Siddall-Norman and husband Ted Norman moved to Burnham-on-Crouch in 1964 with two sons, on to the New Maple Leaf Estate.

They were soon joined by Teds parents, Don and Margaret Norman and more of their family and were very happy here. In 1967 they added to their family with a daughter.

In 1980 Una’s father Herbert Siddall also joined them by moving into the new flats at  Stebbings Court, which was a turning point in Una’s life. Her father  asked, ‘Where is the Bookshop?’ Burnham didn’t have one.

In 1985, Una’s father died, and Una opened a bookshop in his memory, to provide residents with some of the facilities most larger towns had. She ran the bookshop for the next 20 years, supplying the Burnham-on-Crouch and the Dengie Hundred Schools with discounts at cost to help the education of our children.

In 1995, she was persuaded to stand for the Burnham Town Council and was duly elected. Una spent the next 22 years endeavouring to make Burnham an even nicer place for people to live in.  Her ways of achieving this was to encourage others to do so too, via the green environment and the Arts, persuading other Councillors to vote to provide funding out of the Council’s annual budgets to the many people volunteering.

Volunteering exercises included getting tables installed in the park for teenagers outside the Sports Centre, and encouraging Litter picking as a hobby…

Other projects led by Una have included the Railway Station Improvement, Hester Place Friends Group, Anglia In Bloom Competition, The Environment Committee, The Station House improvements and the creation of the Railways Steps down from the bridge, promoting the (sadly no longer running)  RiverFest music festival and the (still active) annual Arts Trail.

In 2017, the Town Council of the time voted to dismantle the very active Environment Committee because the majority of members did not seem to want input of the 40 members of the Environment Committees via their reports and agenda recommendations – councillors didn’t seem to think the committee was necessary. Una duly resigned as a councillor and as Deputy Mayor.

2023, and Let’s try again! Una is back on the town council, believing that the input of ideas from residents and volunteers is good practice. The Environment Committee has been restored.

CONTACT

cllrunasidall-norman@burnhamoncrouchtowncouncil.gov.uk