Cllr Low

Born within the sound of Bow Bells, I spent my childhood and school days in South West London.  I lived in Nairobi, Kenya and Dar es Salaam, Tanzania during the 1970s, where my three children were born, and where I worked as a journalist and Editor of East Africa’s first multi-cultural women’s magazine.

I hold a BSc (Econ) (Hons) from the London School of Economics and Political Science, and spent my professional life as a Civil Servant.  My responsibilities in the Department of Housing, Communities and Local Government were three-fold: Regulator of social housing; Head of Housing Policy and Ministerial Advisor; Head of the government’s Centre for Research and Market Intelligence in Cambridge.

In addition to the elected role of Governor of two hospital Trusts – Ashford, Surrey and East Kent – I was Responsible Finance Officer for a Kent village Parish Meeting.  I have held a number of Trustee and non-Executive Director posts, including Chair of a charity housing ex-offenders with drug and alcohol abuse problems, and two assisted living housing associations for the elderly.  I was Secretary of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Overseas Development and economics contributor to two Save The Children publications about the plight of children living in poverty in Africa. Under the Ministry of Justice, I sat on the Independent Monitoring Board overseeing the welfare of migrants from the boats in the holding facility in Dover, speaking French, Italian and Swahili.

Now settled in Minster after several years living among the vineyards of Southern France, I advise on strategy for Kent Coast Volunteering.  While training my mini-Schnauzer Wilma for Pets As Therapy, I’m cooking for nine grandchildren and writing a recipe book on Kentish produce.  I hope to contribute further to the community life of Minster to ensure it’s the best possible place for families and older people to work and live.