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Thursday 16 April 2015

Sidmouth Town Council election: latest reports

The candidates for the upcoming elections for Sidmouth Town Council have been published:
Futures Forum: The final list of candidates for Sidmouth Town Council election announced
Town and parish council election candidates published - Election - Sidmouth Herald

This is from the Town Council's website:

Elections 7 May 2015

On 7 May, Parliamentary and Local Council elections are taking place across the Country. Below you can find details of elections taking place in the Sidmouth Town Council area:

Home - Sidmouth Town Council

Next week, there will be an opportunity to 'meet the candidates':
Futures Forum: Hustings in Sidmouth: Town Council Election >>> Meet the candidates >>> UPDATE >>> Tuesday 21st April

This is a report from the Express & Echo on the candidates - with some clarifying comment:


ELECTIONS: More East Devon seats uncontested than not due to too few candidates

By Exeter Express and Echo | Posted: April 10, 2015


Nominations for the local elections on May 7, have closed, and in East Devon the vast majority of town and parish seats will remain uncontested than face the public vote, because of too few candidates.

Comments (1)

Nominations for the local elections on May 7, have closed, and in East Devon the vast majority of town and parish seats will remain uncontested than face the public vote, because of too few candidates.

Out of 84 wards across the district, 23 will have elections and 61 will not.

Meanwhile, there will elections for 29 out of East Devon District Council's 32 seats with more Independent candidates than ever before standing, poised to shake-up the Tory stronghold – 37 Independent candidates are standing across 24 wards.

The surge in Independents going for the seats can be attributed to the East Devon Alliance campaign group, which has transparency and openness at its heart, re-launching itself in February as an umbrella organisation for prospective independent councillors. The aim was to give independents who share the objectives of the alliance, the opportunity to explain to voters who they are and what they stand for, ensuring they have equal opportunity of notoriety as their party specific counterparts. In order to comply with electoral law the group had to register as a party with the Electoral Commission.


There will be elections for the following 23 wards:

Axminster Town, Budleigh Salterton, Clyst St George, Dalwood, Exmouth Brixington, Exmouth Halsdon, Exmouth Town, Exmouth Witycombe Raleigh, Gittisham Village, Honiton St Michaels, Honiton St Pauls, Kimington, Lympstone, Membury, Offwell, Ottery St Mary (Tipton St John), Plymtree, Seaton, Sidmouth North, Sidmouth Primley, Sidmouth West, Stockland, Yarcombe.
The following 61 councils will not face elections, either because they have the same number of councillors as seats, or too few people have put themselves forward for nomination so all will be returned uncontested.

In some wards, too few people have put themselves forward and there will need to be co-option.

The uncontested wards are:

All Saints, Awliscombe, Axminster (Raymonds Hill), Axminster Weycroft, Axmouth, Alyesbeare, Beer, Bicton, Brampton Speke, Branscombe, Broadclyst, Broadhembury, Buckerell, Chardstock, Clyst Honiton, Clyst Hydon, Clyst St Mary, Colaton Raleigh, Colyton, Combpyne/Rousden, Cotleigh, Cranbrook, Dunkeswell, East Budleigh, Exmouth Littleham, Farway, Feniton, Gittisham Vale, Hawkchurch, Luppitt, Monkton, Musbury, Newton Poppleford (Harpford), Newton Poppleford (Venn Ottery), Northleigh, Otterton, Ottery St Mary North, Ottery St Mary Town, Ottery St Mary West Hill, Payhembury, Poltimore, Rowe, Rockbeare, Shute and Whitford, Sidmouth East, Sidmouth Salcombe Regis, Sidmouth Sidbury, Sidmouth Village, Sidmouth South, Southleigh, Sowton, Stoke Canon, Talaton, Uplyme, Upottery, Upton Pyne, Whimple, Widworthy, Woodbury Exton, Woodbury Salterton and Woodbury.

There will elections for district seats in the following 29 out of 32 wards:

Axminster Rural, Axminster Town, Broadclyst, Budleigh Salterton, Coly Valley, Dunkeswell, Exe Valley, Exmouth Brixington, Exmouth Halsdon, Exmouth Littleham, Exmouth Town, Exmouth Withycombe Raleigh, Feniton & Buckerell, Honiton St Michael’s, Honiton St Paul’s, Newbridges, Newton Poppleford and Harpford, Otterhead, Ottery St Mary Rural, Ottery St Mary Town, Raleigh, Seaton, Sidmouth Rural, Sidmouth Sidford, Sidmouth Town, Tale Vale, Whimple, Woodbury & Lympstone and Yarty.

The following three wards are uncontested and will not have elections:

Beer and Branscombe, Clyst Valley and Trinity.


Comments


Paul-F | April 10 2015, 11:25AM

This is a somewhat misleading article because it doesn't really distinguish between the Town and Parish council elections (with only 23 of 84 Town and Parish wards being contested) and the District council elections (where 56 of the 59 seats are being contested). 


The bulk of power is of course vested with the District Council, which is presumably why the East Devon Alliance has decided to focus its efforts there, with Town and Parish councils often ignored or overridden by the District council. Obviously, if the Independents gain control of EDDC, their stated aim of greater openness and transparency will almost certainly allow Town and Parish councils a greater say in the decisions that effect them.

ELECTIONS: More East Devon seats uncontested than not due to too few candidates | Exeter Express and Echo

Plus a couple of old stories - but which provide a little more information:
Businessman leads Sidmouth Town Council shakeup - News - Sidmouth Herald
Appeal for new town council candidates - Election - Exmouth Journal
SIDMOUTH: Independent alliance target Sidmouth - View from Sidmouth

Here is an even older story - from the 2011 election - which shows how things have changed somewhat:


SIDMOUTH: Outgoing councillor blasts apathy towards elections as candidates stand unopposed

15th April 2011 By Paul Crompton

AN outgoing town councillor has spoken of the apathy surrounding the forthcoming Sidmouth election.

Councillor Chris Gibbings decided not to stand in the May 5th election but has warned the town’s residents they will have no right to complain after only 16 candidates stood unopposed. Councillor Gibbings said he had decided not to stand for re-election for personal reasons.

The council will now have to co-opt the final person to fill the three vacant seats in Sidmouth’s South, Primley and Salcombe Regis wards.

Councillor Gibbings said: “I find it a great shame that there is such apathy that not one Sidmouth town councillor was challenged to an election and three of our EDDC Councillors were also re-elected without a vote.

“Let no one in Sidmouth complain about anything the town or district councils now do. The reasons not to stand will remain personal but were made at the last minute after the seven Conservatives candidates for the Sidmouth wards were selected. I was one of those seven. I had already decided and made it known I was not standing for re-election to the town council.

He added: “I would like to thank all those who I worked with over the time I was on both councils, it was instructive and enjoyable and I like to think I was useful to the town and East Devon.”

There will however be at least one new face within Sidmouth Town Council following this year’s election.

Dawn Manley of Baker Close has gone unopposed in Sidmouth’s north-ward after only three candidates stood for the area’s three seats.

She will join Stuart Hughes and Peter Sullivan in representing the ward.

It follows the departure of Councillors Christopher Gibbings (Sidmouth South), Sylvia Carr (Sidmouth North), Dr Dilly Fung (Sidmouth Primley) and Antony Reed (Salcombe Regis) has left the council three people short of filling all the seats.

Dr Dilly Fung has stepped down as councillor in the Primley ward. She said: “The reason why I’m not standing again this May is due to my full time work at Exeter University. It’s been very rewarding sitting on the council, but it’s difficult to devote as much time to council duties as I would have liked. Working in Exeter each day, it’s very hard to make myself fully available to attend the events and meetings which take place in Sidmouth during the daytime.

She added: “I do hope to stand for the council again in a few years time, when my work commitments will, I hope, have decreased, as working with such a committed group has been a great privilege.”

Sidmouth Town Council candidates are: Sidmouth West (Three seats): Ann Elizabeth Liverton (None); Graham Keith Liverton (None); Chris Wale (Independent). All return unopposed.

Sidmouth south (Three seats): John Dyson (None); Mary Jolly (None). Both return unopposed.

Sidmouth East (Two seats): Frances Irene Newth (None); Simon Peter Pollentine (Independent). Both return unopposed.

Sidmouth north (three seats): Stuart Hughes (Independent); Dawn Manley (None); peter Antony Sullivan (None). All elected unopposed.

Sidmouth Primly (Two seats): Jeff Turner (None) return unopposed.
Sidmouth Salcombe Regis (Two seats): David Barratt (None) return unopposed.

Sidmouth Sidbury (Two seats): Christine Drew (None); John Wiliam Hollick (None). Both return unopposed.
Sidmouth Sidford Village (Two seats): Jack Brokenshire (Independent);

Ian John McKenzie-Edwards (None). Both return unopposed.
Ottery St Mary Town Council (Town Ward - seven seats): Tony Abbott, Paul Carter, Glyn Dobson, Roger Giles, Ian Holmes, Paul Lewis, Eli Pang.

All stand unopposed.

Ottery St Mary Town Council (West Hill Ward - four seats): Robin Mitchell, Jo Talbot, Claire Wright. All stand unopposed.

Ottery St Mary Town Council (Nottyh ward - two seats): George Bright.

All stand unopposed.

Ottery St Mary Town Council (Tipton St John Ward - two seats): Paul Carter, John Harding, Lyn Harding.

Newton Poppleford Parish Council (Harpford Ward - four seats): Derek Simmond, Richard Swann. All stand unopposed.

Newton Poppleford (Newton Poppleford Ward - six seats): Maureen Cook, George Pearce. No contest.

Newton Poppleford Parish Council (Venn Ottery Ward - one seat): Christopher Cole. All stand unoopposed.

Otterton Parish Council - nine seats: Robin Barlow, Anthony Bennett, Clifford Cogger, John Edmonds, Jane Smith. All stand unopposed.

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