Home Page Haverhill News

Haverhill Town Council has revealed that its new town clerk will be Colin Poole, currently town clerk at Exmouth in Devon.

Haverhill’s outgoing town clerk Will Austin has moved to Barnstaple to be closer to his family.

He and new clerk Colin Poole have lived mirror lives over the last few years. Both applied for the Haverhill and Exmouth jobs in 2011.

Will moved from Devon to Suffolk, while Colin moved from Suffolk to Devon. Both left their families behind and regularly commuted between Devon and Suffolk for the last two years, literally passing each other on the A303 on the Sunday, going in opposite directions.

Colin said: “People have often said we should swap. When Will got the Barnstaple job the opportunity to do just that was created.

"I am doubly thrilled to be at Haverhill. I am able to return permanently to Suffolk to be with my family and I am joining Haverhill at a really exciting time, with work on the new youth centre being something particularly close to my heart.

"There is clearly a sense of symmetry about Will and I returning to our home counties.”

Haverhill town mayor Roger André welcomed the appointment. He said: “From an exceptionally high quality field of candidates we were delighted to have attracted an extensively experienced and skilled town clerk.

"Colin is returning to his home county and has revealed a keen commitment to continuing the excellent service our community has come to expect of our town clerk.

"The succession of hugely competent and committed clerks will continue. Our exceptionally polished locum clerk Bob Whittome will be supporting the handover to Colin."

Originally from Hertfordshire, Colin moved to Newton in Suffolk in 1992, where he lives with his wife Tracy and two teenage children.

However, his roots are local. He said:“I have researched my family ancestry, which is originally from this area.

"My great-grandfather was born in Sudbury and we still have distant relations right across West Suffolk,” explained Colin.

“When I was waiting for my interview, I noticed that the WI millennium display at the Arts Centre was made by two people called Poole, amongst others. West Suffolk is not only my family home - it is my ancestral home too.”

The move back home will certainly be a big change from the last two years. Currently Colin stays during the week on a sailing boat moored out on the estuary, kayaking out to it after work.

“It has been a wonderful experience working by the sea and living on it," he said. "Exmouth is a great town but has suffered from neglect and indifference from principal councils.

"One of the things the town council has had to fight for is recognition that the town is actually the most important asset the district has. I think there are clear parallels with Haverhill on that score.”

Colin also set up a Town Team in Exmouth and has been instrumental in getting the town centre refurbished and support for town management high on the town council agenda.

“It is tough times for the high street," he said. "I’ve tried to encourage businesses to work together to attract people back to shopping locally. It is about the customer experience as much as it is about prices.”

Colin Poole is due to start in Haverhill on June 3.