Kingsclere borough councillor bows out after over a decade
Surprise presentation and tributes to hard work
A KINGSCLERE borough councillor received a surprise on April 25 as she bowed out of the role after more than a decade.
Cathy Osselton, one of two Basingstoke and Deane borough councillors for Kingsclere, received a bouquet of flowers at Kingsclere’s parish council meeting, held at the village club.
The flowers were presented by chairman of the parish council, John Sawyer, who paid tribute to Mrs Osselton’s hard work and endeavours on behalf of the village over the past 13 years.
This included battling for affordable housing in Kingsclere, addressing speeding issues in the village, and gaining a reprieve for the public toilets, previously threatened with closure.
“Cathy is esteemed among fellow councillors. She served on the (borough council’s) cabinet for many years and carried out important work across the borough,” said Mr Sawyer.
“She was at the forefront of getting work done to scrutinise traffic problems in the village.”
Wishing Mrs Osselton good luck in her retirement, Mr Sawyer said that the flowers were a token of thanks.
A former governor at Kingsclere Primary School, Mrs Osselton, who was also involved in organising a petition to save the village pharmacy – the signatures for which this week reached 1,700 – thanked everyone for their good wishes.
She said: “David [her husband] and I will be moving to Bournemouth, where he is the director and professor of archeology, anthropology and forensics at the university.”