“I no longer felt that recent consecutive governments were in touch with the real world and that hard-working residents were being left behind”
Tell us a bit about yourself and your party?
As a person of working class, I no longer felt that recent consecutive governments were in touch with the real world and that hard-working residents were being left behind. Reform UK campaign on sensible politics and everyday issues that others no longer do.
“Local businesses are at the very heart of the communities and those should be protected”
Can you introduce the ward to us and what you can bring to the area?
Wilmington, Sutton-at-Hone and Hawley is a leafy village ward. Local businesses are at the very heart of the communities and those should be protected. Extra homes on Brownfield sites should be voted on by residents who should have the ultimate and final say on if they should be built.
David Anstiss / St Michael and All Angels Church / CC BY-SA 2.0Roger Smith / St. John’s Church, Sutton-at-Hone / CC BY-SA 2.0
I would like to see more residents in council wards given a stronger say in decisions that can greatly impact themselves, their families and future generations.
How can people find out more or get in touch if they want to get involved?
The Foundation Party are a party of first principles defending our nation’s historic values and neglected foundations. Their aim is to revitalise our freedom, liberty and democracy.
“I am one of the founding members back in 2018. No party was talking for me. I think the two major parties have morphed into the same thing.”
Tell us a bit about yourself and your party
My name is Mary Lawes, I am standing for the Foundation Party, I am one of the founding members back in 2018. No party was talking for me. I think the two major parties have morphed into the same thing. High taxes, lock us down hard, starving us into paying green taxes and creating an awful sad and dangerous country to live in.
“We concentrate on local not national issues we can achieve. Improving the safety of where we live, drugs, anti-social behaviour.”
Can you introduce your ward and say what you can bring to the area?
I’m standing in Folkestone Harbour Ward for the Town & District Local Elections. Our ward is classed as a deprived area although there are private and councils housing. The environment is by the sea with lovely cliff top views, fabulous walks and beaches.
People lose sight of the fact these are local elections, not general election. Local Councillors cannot solve the NHS issues.
Local Councillors concentrate on local not national issues we can achieve. Improving the safety of where we live, drugs, anti-social behaviour. We have local ward meetings with our Police. Voting in planning for good quality housing but object if poor quality or imposing problems with existing residents. It’s our ward so should be our choice. Supporting volunteers in creating better spaces and bring unkept areas back to use.
More widely what would you like to see change at the councils and across the area?
There is a severe lack of democracy in our Councils. Main parties get voted in and have majority votes. We would want to change from a Cabinet to a Committee system. A cabinet has 9 selected councillors mostly from the ruling party as it’s a leader’s choice. A committee system allows all elected councillors to make major decisions and it allows your elected member to have a say on the ward they represent.
How can people find out more or get in touch if they want to get involved?
Thanks for all who helped out in Purley on the 9th April. Great support from the public to Stop ULEZ. Get involved by going to our ULEZ page at https://croydonconstitutionalists.uk/ulez/
“I wish to see Cranleigh thrive and continue to be a great place to live for all residents. Changes must be for the benefit of our community.”
I have been a Cranleigh resident for more than 30 years and have loved living here. I wish to see Cranleigh thrive and continue to be a great place to live for all residents. Changes must be for the benefit of our community.
Preserve our rural environment and oppose over-development.
Encourage independent shops for a thriving High Street.
Co-ordinate councils and utility companies for efficient local services.
” We will protect our green spaces and heritage by building new homes on brownfield sites and make sure real infrastructure like road improvements, school places and medical facilities come first”
What We Stand For Locally
Planning – We will protect our green spaces and heritage by building new homes on brownfield sites and make sure real infrastructure like road improvements, school places and medical facilities come first.
No Whip – All of our councillors are whip-free, which means they can vote on matters that concern you and your community without interference from the party.
Save Our High Streets – Rescue our struggling high streets with free parking, business rate cuts, encouraging homes in town centres, targeted investment, local resident discount schemes and more.
What We Stand For Nationally
Cheaper Energy – We will renationalise utility companies, making them 50% taxpayer owned and 50% British pension fund owned. We will approve of shale gas exploration so we no longer rely on Putin or Macron for our energy.
Illegal Immigration – It’s time to put a stop to vile traffickers, who are profiteering while people drown in the Channel. We will return boats to French ports and take zero tolerance approach to illegal immigration.
“I believe in freedom of speech, providing democratic choice and spending taxpayer’s money wisely”
I have lived in Surrey since 1975. I am your Reform UK (formerly the Brexit Party) candidate in Lightwater Ward, for Surrey Heath Borough Council.
I stood for Reform UK in the 2021 Surrey County Council Elections. Prior to that I was an active campaigner for Brexit from 2013. I am a retired Computer Consultant.
I believe in freedom of speech, providing democratic choice and spending taxpayer’s money wisely. Any help with leafletting would be greatly appreciated.
“In Reform, we have no whip, so unlike other Parties I am free from Westminster, County and Town/Parish politics to work directly for you, without hindrance”
Dear Electors
I am Alan Latham, ex Seaford Town Councillor for 8 years, now of Reform UK and your District Council candidate in the May 4th local elections for the ward of Seaford East. To see our policies, please go to https://www.reformparty.uk/ or email alaxis1066@gmail.com. In Reform, we have no whip, so unlike other Parties I am free from Westminster, County and Town/Parish politics to work directly for you, without hindrance. Please support our Reform programme.
The Talland Parade scaffolding shown here has been an eyesore at the junction of Saxon Lane, Broad Street and the High Street for 10 years or more, with successive developers ignoring the ineffective threats from councils to get on with development – Councils who say they have no power under current legislation to act in the interest of Seaford. A Reform UK Council would! Our goal is to restore democracy and deliver Brexit at all levels. Government of the people, by the people, for the people, which so sadly has been violated by recent administrations.
“We stand for small government, low taxation, and a stronger, vibrant GB with our own UK energy programme.”
Our party, Reform UK plans to rewrite the rule book of how we should be governed and how we must address a multitude of issues that successive governments have ignored. We stand for small government, low taxation, and a stronger, vibrant GB with our own UK energy programme.
I am writing to you to request that you kindly help me in my quest to become a District Councillor in the ward of Pulborough, Coldwaltham and Amberley. Below please find my background described in both politics and the wider World.
My beliefs:
FREEDOM to speak without fear or threat;
CONSERVATION of our truly beautiful local environment, by fighting any unwanted urbanisation (aka development) and helping to combat litter and improve, where necessary rural husbandry;
PROPER REPRESENTATION by those elected to represent your views, local knowledge and opinions to local government such as County and District Councils and assist electors liaison with our Westminster Reps.
ROAD MAINTENANCE is currently high on the agenda with the Government’s decision via County to add the A29 to the Major Road Network (MRN), without taking account of local concerns and knowledge. There are now literally thousands of potholes to be filled, plus encroachment of trees, which reduce the useable safe width of a few roads.
I left agricultural and auto engineering college and joined Lola Cars in Slough building racing cars and subsequently joined some teams and travelled extensively. I had a brief but immensely enjoyable time at BMW UK Ltd in west London, was a sales director of Glanfield Lawrence for ten years before starting my own engineering company in Storrington, where we designed and produced a vast range of components for industrial and marine engines. Customers included the MoD, film industry (films such as Gladiator, Saving Ryan, Band of Brothers, the list is long), plus Caledonian MacBrayne, assorted fishing boats and many industrial / mobile plant manufacturers, etc.
I was inspired by my local publican. Bill was no ordinary publican! I joined UKIP in 2004 having heard Nigel Farage interviewed on radio 4 one morning. I assisted our local branch (Arundel & South Downs), became West Sussex County Organiser in 2006 until my resignation in late 2019. I have also been a parish councillor for some 16 years on Washington representing Heath Common and latterly Pulborough councils. I have stood in most local (County and District) plus two Westminster elections for UKIP. In Heath Common, our Residents Association on which I sat produced the very first Village Design Statement in Sussex (forerunner to the Local Plan). We also changed the Parish boundaries to combine under one parish (Washington) instead of three.
John is standing as for election as a District Councillor for Pulborough, Coldwaltham & Amberley Ward for Horsham District Council and a Parish Councillor for the Parish of Pulborough.
The CPA is a Christian Democratic party whose members come from all backgrounds and church traditions. They actively promote Christian social teachings and draw our principles from the bible. We spoke with Sid Cordle who is standing for them in the Bearton Ward of North Herts district Council.
“We have a policy of introducing a turnover tax paid by all companies to get money off Google, Facebook, Amazon, Starbucks, Shell etc. who send all their profits abroad so don’t pay corporation tax.”
Tell us a bit about yourself and your party?
I have been the leader of the CPA since 2012. We stand 100% for Christian values, so we get all our values from Jesus’ teaching. Our 5 Core values are,
a. Supporting marriage between a man and a woman and the family. b. The sanctity of life from conception until natural death. c. Care for the poor. d. Support Persecuted Christians worldwide, e. Fight crime.
We have a policy of introducing a turnover tax paid by all companies to get money off Google, Facebook, Amazon, Starbucks, Shell etc. who send all their profits abroad so don’t pay corporation tax. We would offset it against corporation tax so British companies pay less & there would be an incentive to locate in the UK. We would also cut quangos introducing a new Professional Standards Authority and get rid of quangos like Social Work England, 19 health quangos, Wilton Park (under foreign office) etc. The only useful thing these quangos do is to maintain professional standards. All the rest is a waste of time. Eg. it is important to be able to bar criminals or abusers from professions like social work and the NHS.
“The sewers are full, the roads are clogged up. You can’t get a GP appointment and schools are full, but they build more houses with no new facilities”
You’re standing in the Bearton Ward, can you introduce the ward to us and what you can bring to the area?
Bearton Ward is on the Bedford side of Hitchin a town of about 35,000 people but just 30 mins from London with trains every 15 mins. One of the big issues is building new homes in the area with no infrastructure to support them. The sewers are full, the roads are clogged up. You can’t get a GP appointment and schools are full, but they build more houses with no new facilities. We’ve claimed the big parties don’t understand basic planning rules (here Lib/Lab coalition, in Hertfordshire County Council Con).
“We would use money from our turnover tax to get rid of Commercial rates altogether so people pay the same tax if they buy in a shop or buy on line.”
More widely what would you like to see change at North Herts districtCouncil and across the area?
Planning is a major issue. Another is speed on the side roads. I would like to see traffic control measures (square road humps) rather than putting up 20MPH sings which drivers ignore. Hitchin town centre is quite good but still under pressure with some shops closing. We would use money from our turnover tax to get rid of Commercial rates altogether so people pay the same tax if they buy in a shop or buy on line.
How can people find out more or get in touch if they want to get involved?
Founded in 1992 The Alliance of British Drivers is a not-for-profit organisation that is owned and controlled by its members. They promote the views of drivers to national and local Government bodies and provide information to the public. They also try to counter the misinformation spread by many people on the use of private vehicles and promote freedom of choice about how you travel.
We spoke with one of their Directors Ian Taylor.
“One of the successes we contributed to was the defeat of the road pricing plans in the first decade of the century, one of our members organised the No.10 petition against it, and the huge response caused the government to step back”
Can you tell us a bit about The Alliance of British Drivers, and the organisations aims?
Originally set up as a member association, The Association of British Drivers, by founding chairman Brian Gregory, was concerned about the growing use of speed cameras, reduced speed limits everywhere and lack of concern for encouraging good, skilled driving. It became a not-for-profit limited company (Pro Motor Ltd) for the protection of members. Control rests with a board of directors but being a membership based organisation there is still a national committee too (everyone does not want to be a director).
One of the successes we contributed to was the defeat of the road pricing plans in the first decade of the century, one of our members organised the No.10 petition against it, and the huge response caused the government to step back. Following that, the organiser founded his own campaign, the Driver’s Alliance, but the funding was limited, so in 2012 a merger was agreed, the ABD retained it’s initials and logo, but became The Alliance of British Drivers. It remains predominantly a member based campaign, while seeking additional funding methods. It is also non-partisan. With the exception of a couple of specialist functions like magazine editor, and membership secretary, it is run by unpaid volunteers, with some activities outsourced when affordable.
Of late, it has, not least because of the people who attack us and how they operate, expanded beyond purely driving issues into the wider debates around environment and climate – which in any case directly affect drivers. This has been accomplished by working in close co-operation with partners (including FairFuelUK and the Motorcycle Action Group) under “umbrella organisation” – Transport Reality, the primary aim of which is to get the 2030/35 internal combustion engine bans postponed or overturned. The ABD is dedicated to presenting factual, scientifically provable information based on data, by any means possible, to central and local government, the media, and the public at large.
“Our view is that exaggerated health and environmental “threats” are being used by those in power with a self-confessed long-standing car hatred”
In Croydon the proposed expansion of ULEZ is a major issue facing drives, what’s the Alliance’s views on ULEZ?
This is part of wider moves being made across Greater London, and their adoption by other cities. Our view is that exaggerated health and environmental “threats” are being used by those in power with a self-confessed long-standing car hatred, gradually bring about the exclusion of most private vehicles from cities. This represents both a severe economic threat to the viability of those cities and a serious move against freedom of personal movement and transport – regarded by many as a “right”, although nobody denies some transport management required to prevent gridlock. The ULEZ in London doubles up as a money grab by the Mayor.
“The biggest challenge faced is the growing trend to impose ever more restrictions and costs that threaten the freedom to drive.”
What works well for drivers and what are the wider challenges you see in the UK?
As mentioned above, nobody wants gridlock or really bad air (which it in fact rarely is, and when it happens is often the result of anti-traffic measures that create congestion). The situation is different in London and a few other big city situations to the rest of the country. First of all, they have better public transport alternatives. Everyone doesn’t drive, so being pro-driver shouldn’t mean being anti the alternatives – not even the cyclists, though they don’t always make it easy to like them. Transport choices are important – but must include the people’s choice by a long way for decades – the motor car. However, decisions about transport expenditure are seriously out of kilter with that choice, funds for roads are a fraction of what drivers pay to use our roads via VED, fuel tax, etc., with the money going to just about anything else – including anti-car measures. Out in the country, there is less scope for some of those alternatives, also less need on congestion grounds. The biggest challenge faced is the growing trend to impose ever more restrictions and costs that threaten the freedom to drive. There is a genuine debate to be had on the effect of more electric vehicles not paying fuel duty.
We meet you at the Freedom Festival and mentioned being involved with or a member of the TaxPayers’ Alliance, The Freedom Association, and the Free Speech Union among others. How did you get so involved in politics and what are the burning issues you care about?
All those other organisations: it didn’t happen overnight, and I don’t hold official positions as I do in the ABD. Back in the day I did run a local branch of the NO2ID campaign, which has also “introduced ” me to Big Brother Watch, and don’t forget the Global Warming Policy Foundation. Many years ago I was a Young Conservative, but became very disillusioned with the operation of political parties, and have not been a member of one for decades now, preferring to express via non-partisan organisations – which has been described as political pick’n’mix. I was until recently The ABD’s Chairman, but while remaining active, am starting to “wind down” as I approach my 75th.
How can our readers get involved with the Alliance and follow driving issues more generally?
Involvement: well, that’s up to individuals. New members always welcome, however active or inactive they choose to be. So please go to the website and join us. We also have a presence on Facebook and two Twitter accounts (ABDcampaign and The ABD, as well as some local ones run by members), so we can be followed, liked and retweeted or friended.
