Poole People
The Party for Poole People (or Poole People for short) is focused on improving the governance of the Borough of Poole, a unitary authority, and handing back power to the people. We aim to bring the people of Poole together and restore a sense of pride and confidence in Poole that will take the town forward in a positive and inclusive direction.
I founded Poole People in October 2010 and was elected as a Borough of Poole Councillor (representing Poole Town) in a by-election in December 2010. The margin was narrow, only 25 votes over the Conservative candidate, but I increased this to almost 900 in the full Council elections in May 2011.
Two additional Poole People candidates were also elected in the May elections pushing the Council into No Overall Control. There are currently 21 Conservatives, 18 Liberal Democrats and 3 Poole People Councillors. I am Leader of the Poole People group. We therefore have a much greater influence than a group of three should have and we are exercising this in a positive way, seeking cross-party solutions and pushing for reform and more accountability and responsiveness.
Many people living in the Borough of Poole feel disenfranchised as successive administrations have encouraged over-development, threatened the Borough's open spaces, neglected Poole's heritage and failed to bring about economic development.
We wish to see the Council implement a forward-thinking plan for the development of Poole which will respect Poole's historic infrastructure, traditions and beautiful environment and encourage economic development that respects Poole's identity as a centre of marine activity and tourism.
We are not right or left leaning. We believe that this traditional way of viewing politics is outdated and does not reflect how people think these days. The stranglehold of the national parties on local politics encourages tribalism and deflects Councillors from meeting the primary needs of the people they represent.
Especially at local authority level, people want good services delivered effectively and they want to live somewhere they can be proud of. This is most likely to be achieved through co-operation and consensus building, not through political manoeuvring.
Find out more about Poole People at poolepeople.org.uk