Haslemere has three tiers of local government. We have a town council (Haslemere Town Council), a borough council (Waverley Borough Council) and a county council (Surrey County Council). In May 2013, I was elected as an independent Surrey County Councillor representing Haslemere constituents. My first term of office is 4 years and I am half way through that term.
On May 7th there will be a chance for Haslemere residents to vote in the General Election, Waverley Borough Council Election and the Town Council Election.
It is wonderful news that there will be nine independent candidates standing in Haslemere. Here is a copy of their letter that appeared in The Haslemere Herald yesterday:
For the first time, the people of Haslemere will have the chance to vote for a different kind of town council. There will be independent candidates standing in every ward. Why is this happening? The independent candidates share the belief that the Town Council should be run entirely in line with the needs and wishes of the people of Haslemere and their children. Also, a local council should seek to represent the views of its electors about how Haslemere evolves; that means being good at finding out what residents think about parking, buses and trains, open spaces, facilities for children and teenagers, housing developments and more. These views need to be put to the Borough and County councils accurately and forcefully. Party politics should be absent from our town council; there is no logic to having councillors with Westminster party affiliations and, for voters, it makes no sense to vote out of party loyalty.
We offer you the chance to vote for independent candidates and have councillors with a wide range of backgrounds and expertise and the freedom to vote for what is best for Haslemere.
Our priorities, if elected, would be:
(a) to listen to the concerns and needs of the community
(b) to give Haslemere the voice it deserves in statutory consultations
(c) to stand up for the principle of open and meaningful engagement between the people of Haslemere and local government at all levels.
In a nutshell, Haslemere First!
If you are interested in standing as an independent candidate for Haslemere Town Council, or if you would simply like some more information, we invite you to contact us via email on independents@haslemerefirst.com.
The candidates are:
Lesley Banfield
Paul Buckler
David O’Brien
Áine Hall
Maria Iriarte Mateo
Nigel Pyke
Vivien Shorleson
David Simmons
Miles Weston