Bohemia Village Voice  Bohemia Village Voice

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Too tall to be a hooker

Councillor Daniel Poulter at his consituency surgery last Saturday.

Councillor Daniel Poulter at his consituency surgery last Saturday.

Our local councillor is interviewed by John Humphries
It was last Saturday morning, when Bohemia Village Voice caught up with our local Conservative councillor Daniel Poulter for an interview. Daniel, 27, was running his monthly constituency surgery at the Red Cross Hall in Newgate Road. He was alone and reading a copy of The Daily Mail. “My usual paper,” he explained, “is The Guardian – I just find the Mail easier to read.” Daniel also confessed that he is ‘too tall to be a hooker’.
Daniel Poulter is the Conservative councillor for Gensing ward which includes Bohemia  Village. He is also a medical doctor and works in various hospitals, including the Conquest, District General Hospital at Eastbourne, Tunbridge Wells and others in the area. He lives on St Leonards seafront, by Warrior Square.

Councillor Daniel Poulter at his constituency surgery last Saturday
What does your medical work consist of?  “Well, I’m in general medicine – dealing with patients who come in through the front door, and that can be anything from someone with a chest infection, a heart attack or a stroke, or a psychiatric problem, anything really that comes in through the front door, e.g. from the A & E dept, or from the Out Patients dept at the hospital.” Daniel is with a rheumatology ‘firm’ (he explains that ‘firm’ is used to mean a team of medical staff), headed by a consultant, and the consultants are rotated on a five weekly basis (!). “Rheumatology,” Daniel explains, “is to do with joints, especially rheumatoid arthritis, a condition which affects the soft tissue around the joints.” So, are you a rheumatolgist? “No, because I’m still training. Maybe you could say that in nine year’s time if I were to stay in rheumatology, but I’m also interested in obstetrics and gynaecology and in respiratory medicine, asthma and lung diseases.”
How do you manage to find time for your work as a Councillor? “One thing about medicine is that you’ve got to be efficient to get things done. You’ve got to time manage very well to get the patients treated properly, to get the right medications, and to get them out on time. I put aside two or three evenings a week to do Council work, and I do two surgeries [as a councillor] a month, one up here (at the Red Cross Hall in Newgate Road) on the second Saturday of each month, and one down at the Southwater Community Centre on the first Saturday of the month as well. And so far it’s been going quite well.”
What are the main problems your constituents bring you? “There’s a lot to do in connexion with the rubbish issue at the moment and with the cutting and mowing of Newgate Fields. In both instances it means getting in touch with the relevant people in the Council and chasing things up.”
What do you think about the application for an off licence by the Bohemia Foodmarket? “I agree with Vivienne Bond that there is a danger that if cheap alcohol is sold in Bohemia it might encourage alcoholism in the area. I live along the seafront in St Leonards and I’ve seen shops that are supposed to be general stores where half the floor space is given over to cheap booze.” 
Do you have long term political ambitions? Do you want to be an MP? “No, definitely not. I do find it quite rewarding doing things on a community basis, but my long term goals are in medicine rather than politics.”
Why did you decide to become a councillor? “Originally, I was involved in some local charities, including the Southwater Centre, and I thought that, actually, well, it might be perhaps, through the local Council that I could do a bit more to facilitate looking after some of the people that I’m involved with at the charities like the Seaview Project and the mental health charities and that sort of thing. Thus far, in my councillor’s perspective, I haven’t actually had much sort of overlap in that respect, but hopefully, as time goes on, I will do something for those people also.”
What does your work at the Seaview Centre involve? “Oh, I volunteer, it’s on a purely non party political basis. I’ve been doing that now since December of last year, and I volunteer there to sort of help in lifestyle talks. The people there have obviously got various drug and psychiatric problems and homelessness as well, so I open up the ways in which they can look after themselves a little bit better, through educational talks.”
It seems that your life is wall-to-wall public service, with your hospital work, your Councillor’s work and your voluntary work? “Before I did medicine, I read law, and I knew I didn’t want to be a lawyer, because I was living with a doctor and I realised actually I was more interested in what he was doing and then I did most of my training up in London, at Guy’s and St Thomas’, and when you’ve seen a lot of the problems associated with poverty and deprivation and the social issues that are involved, it leaves you with a lasting impression that someone has got to help to improve the quality of life for some people. I think that was what motivated me to get involved in charity work and give up my free time for that and be a Councillor as well, as I thought I could contribute there as well. I very much enjoy what I do. I very much enjoy medicine, and I enjoy all that I do in my community work and Council work.”
Do you have time for any hobbies? “Yes, I play rugby, for Guy’s Hospital, still. We play all over the South East, so that’s Saturday afternoons from September through to about April, about two out of four Saturdays. I play in the back row.” So you’re not a hooker then? No, I’m too tall for that. I have a fairly active social life, which is the only way to keep sane if you’re doing a lot of various work. How do you find the time? “Well, you have to get used to feeling very tired come Friday.” What about music? Anything really, music wise. I grew up going to the local night club, the Crypt, down here in town, in Hastings. I like anything really, at the moment, the ‘Killers’ for instance, and ‘Green Bay’. The Killers’ name is a bit deceptive, they’re a bit more mellow than the name suggests.”
What about your family background? “I’m an only child. My mum’s in local politics, hence my interest, and choice of path through life. She is the Conservative party’s area campaign director for London and the South East. My dad works for Norwich Union Insurance Company. I’m not married. Do you want to get married? “One day (laughs) – perhaps – I’m only 27.”
( Councillor Daniel Poulter. 01424 431876 and 713696.

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