Tag Archives: Haslemere Town Council Election

Haslemere Herald: Lead letter this week

This is the main letter in the Haslemere Herald today, written by Jeremy Barton, standing inHaslemere South ward in the town council election:

Jeremy Barton

Jeremy Barton

Dear Sir,

Should there be an SNP candidate for Haslemere’s Town Council?

Of course not!  There is no logic for a candidate to bring national politics to our parish council, HTC.  From recent correspondence in your paper, it seems everyone agrees on this.  So what possible reason is there for any prospective town councillor to be affiliated to any political party in the context of this parish council election?

Perhaps the logic is to align with a party’s policy or with a controlling party’s decisions at Waverley or Surrey cabinet levels.  If so, why bother with a town council at all? Why not simply manage all town matters from the County or Borough executive offices?

Perhaps the thinking is to appeal to “people like us”.  As a Haslemere resident, I shall be voting for a candidate in the General Election who is affiliated to a national party, but I definitely wouldn’t dare to presume that fellow residents of Haslemere who vote differently from me in that election are not just as committed to Halsemere and its best interests as I am.  It is a nonsense to equate fervour for a particular party with fervour for Haslemere, or to claim party allegiance alongside free representation on Haslemere’s parish/town council.

To argue otherwise is simply… well, it’s simply perpetuating party politics in our parish and town!

I am affiliated to Haslemere.  That is the only affiliation or allegiance I believe is right, on Haslemere Town Council.  Being independent, in this context, means freedom from any manifesto, dictat or “messaging” from party office – or from whichever majority party prevails at either County Hall or Borough Offices; it means not feeling obliged to be consistent with policy announced by my local Member of Parliament or the Leader of County Council; and it means deciding relevant town matters in Town Council meetings and committees, and nowhere else.  I commit, if elected, to listen to, and represent, the people of Haslemere in an open, transparent and independent-minded way, serving the furtherance of our precious town’s best interests.

Yours faithfully,

Jeremy Barton

Independent Candidate for Haslemere Town Council,  Oversted, Scotland Lane, Haslemere Surrey GU27 3AW

Campaign Gets Off To A Good Start

A letter in today’s edition of the Haslemere Herald from the nine independent candidates for Haslemere town council election on 7th May 2015.

Dear Sir

Campaign Gets Off To A Good Start

Since our last letter (27th March, More choice in town council elections) to your newspaper where 9 residents wrote to announce their intention to stand as independent candidates in the Haslemere town council election on 7th May, there is news about our campaigning that we would like to share with your readers.

Two more residents have confirmed they will also stand as independents after reading our appeal for more candidates through the local press. We have started to post individual biographies on the www.haslemerefirst.com website to give voters some more information about all the candidates. These include the 2 new independent candidates: John Gibbons (Grayswood ward) and Mark Jasper (Critchmere ward).

We have a plan. We are not a political party so we will be campaigning as individuals but we will also be doing plenty of things together. This involves a public meeting, leaflet deliveries and street events. The dates will be publicly available via the website. We will be sending campaign e-mails to supporters; you can receive these regular updates by signing up and opting-in via our website or email us, please, on independents@haslemerefirst.com. You will be able to download a poster to print and put in your window to show support for our independent values and you may also like to take part in the fun poll on our website.

We are humbled by the offers of support from local residents and independent businesses following our Herald announcement. For those who may not have read our letter on 27th March, we repeat our priorities for Haslemere. If elected, we will serve community interests by:

(a) listening to the concerns and needs of the community

(b) giving the Haslemere area the voice it deserves in statutory consultations

(c) standing up for the principle of open and robust engagement between the people of Haslemere and local government at all levels

Our campaigns have started well and we wish each candidate standing in the town council election a good and enjoyable campaign.

Lesley Banfield, 16 Weysprings, Haslemere GU27 1DE

Paul Buckler, Treetops, Hill Road, Haslemere GU27 2JP

David O’Brien, 16 Weysprings, Haslemere GU27 1DE

Áine Hall, 11 Hill Road, Haslemere GU27 2JP

Maria Iriarte Mateo, 4 Hollyridge, Haslemere GU27 2NP

Nigel Pyke, 37 Courts Hill Road, Haslemere GU27 2PN

Vivien Shorleson, 14 Courts Hill Road, Haslemere GU27 2NG

David Simmons, 47 Lower Street, Haslemere GU27 2NY

Miles Weston, Ridge Hill, Hill Road, Haslemere GU27 2JP

www.haslemerefirst.com
independents@haslemerefirst.com