Husband and wife, and two former town, district and county councillors, Derek and Sandie Giles have been awarded the Freedom of the Town of St Neots.

Both have served across three tiers of local government for almost a combined 100 years. Take a look at their achievements and notable moments from their service.

  • Derek was first elected to St Neots Town Council in 1989 and served until 2022 with only a few years' break.
  • Derek was elected to Huntingdonshire District Council in 1991 and served a total of 27 years
  • Sandie joined Cambridgeshire County Council in 1993 and achieved a memorable 2,000 majority at her first election, going on to serve a total of 12 years.
  • Derek served as Deputy Mayor of St Neots from 1994 - 1996
  • Derek became Mayor from 1996 - 1998 and again from 2016 - 2018.
  • Sandie joined St Neots Town Council in 1995 and later Huntingdonshire District Council.
  • Sandie served as Deputy Mayor of St Neots from 2000 - 2002.
  • she then served as Mayor from 2002 - 2004.
  • Derek served for nine years on Cambridgeshire County Council, retiring from the position of Chairman of the Council in November 2021 due to ill health.
  • Both retired from SNTC and HDC in May 2022.
  • Both have served as school governors, Derek at Bushmead, Sandie at Longsands and St.Bedes in Cambridge.