Meet the Team – Mark Smith
I was born in the borough of Bromley and have lived in Chislehurst since 1993.
I’m married with two grown-up sons. My wife, Jill, has retired after a career in the NHS, my eldest son is serving in the Royal Navy, and my youngest son works locally in Chislehurst.
Working for Chislehurst on Bromley Council
I was first elected to Bromley Council for St Mary Cray ward in 1986 and served for eight years.
That experience as a councillor convinced me that Chislehurst wasn’t being well-served on the council.
Councillors should be primarily answerable to their constituents – not their political party leadership.
During my time on the council I made of point of working effectively “across the aisle” with councillors from other parties.
As a small independent party, the three of us have followed this approach since we were elected in May 2022.
Why I helped set up Chislehurst Matters
Having lived here for over half my life, and raised a family here, I’m very conscious of what a great place to live Chislehurst is. Much of that is down to the hard work of many committed local volunteers.
We stood in 2022 because we thought that having three committed local councillors vociferously representing the interests of Chislehurst on Bromley council could complement and enhance the valuable work that volunteers do.
The diary of Councillor Mark Smith, age 61 and a half
To give you an idea of what being a councillor involves, here are entries from my diary for the last month or so:
- Safer neighbourhood meeting with our local police team
- Health Scrutiny sub-committee to discuss threatened closure of the Chartwell cancer ward at the PRUH
- Executive Resources and Contracts Policy Development and Scrutiny committee meeting – there’s a clue what goes on there in the name!
- Representing Chislehurst on the council Development Control committee
- Twice a month councillor surgeries with Mike and Alison
- Meeting with the Chief Executive of Bromley Council to discuss key Chislehurst issues
Along with all that, there’s a steady flow of casework I’ve been working on, either on the phone, by email or in person.
The personal stuff
I help out at and enjoy all the great events that volunteers in Chislehurst provide including the car show, Chislehurst Rocks, the big picnic, and the Christmas Market.
I firmly believe there are only two seasons in the year – cricket and rugby. During the rugby season you’ll find me on the touchline at Blackheath RFC and for the rest of the year I’ll be at The Oval!
After a career in financial services, I’m now work part-time for an agency that specialises in supporting financial advisers with their marketing activity.
In my spare time, I read, listen to a lot of jazz and blues, and brew my own beer. I can often be found walking our dog, either in Chislehurst Recreation ground or down to the Cockpit for a pint.
Mark