After Britain leaves the European Union some 900 Britons serving on local councils in France will also have to give up their seat at the table.
Like all EU citizens living in another member country, Britons in France have the right to vote in local elections and stand for election to their local council.
But in leaving the bloc Britain will forfeit that right, meaning that British residents will no longer be able to represent the communities some have served for years.
Sandra Sheward and her husband moved to the western French region of Brittany 13 years ago.
“Our children fled the nest and we decided to drop out of the rat race in London,” said Sheward, 58, a former training specialist for a property services company.
The pair restored a farmhouse on the edge of Saint-Caradec, a riverside village of 1,200 people, where Sheward was courted by the mayor to join his slate of candidates for the municipal council in 2014.