I intend to stand for District & Town Councillor for the Kingsmoor ward of Whittlesey in the 2011 Local Elections under the Independent banner. I am standing as an Independent as I believe that Local politics should be a bout what local people think and not what the parties think and that a Councillor should not be drawn by a party line.
I am standing I a seat where one man has become a local political Giant who currently holds the seat for this ward on Whittlesey Town and Fenland District Council and holds it as part of the Whittlesey North County Council seat, Councillor Martin Curtis.
My aims are simple, provide a large voice on Fenland District council for the area I have lived in all my life and have such passion about. I aim to serve the people of this area to the best of my ability and in the run up to the election prove at least to be a strong challenge to Cllr Curtis.
Do not write me off for my inexperience as everyone needs to start somewhere but and i believe that I should make my first move in an area I know well and I hope that I can gather a large following.
Further Reasons for me standing for District and town council next year - Whittlesey is now growing at a greater pace than ever and the job of a district councillor is to represent their parish in such areas as council housing, planning, rubbish collection, the local environment, and the administration of elections. I am beginning to work towards a career in local/town planning and have great knowledge in these areas and have regularly campaigned for the improvements to local services as some of you may know. This ward in particular has a massive planning challenge over the next few years with plans for 460 (approx) new house to be built on Bassenhally Farm and suggestions that a new supermarket may be built on the other side of the already strained main A605 road. I am an advocate of a Whittlesey Bypass and the building of the King's Dyke Flyover.
Many people have told me that a bypass may take business away from town centre shops but this is not the case. The shops are used by Local people from Coates, Turves, Eastrea and Whittlesey and so would not be affected by a bypass and people who travel from outside the area to shop come to do that and would not use a new bypass. The main aim of a new bypass would be to give people an alternative route from March to Peterborough and to make sure that when the A47 is blocked that the A605 through Whittlesey is not used as a rat run.
People who say a King's Dyke flyover is not needed need to look at what happens when the crossing is closed for engineering works, there are three alternative routes; north bank which cannot cope with HGVs and is shut at various times throughout the year through flooding, travelling the back roads through Pondersbridge which adds 3-4 miles each way to your journey and has many treacherous bends and the A47 which adds 7 miles each way and travelling through Thorney depends on the B1040 Wash Road being open. The council has hinted that after the Stanground Bypass has been built the King's Dyke Flyover would begin to be built which would cause havoc but would have massive benefits in the future as the amount of trains passing through on this line is to increase as more freight is being planned to be moved from Felixstowe to the midlands Via Peterborough by rail.
I hope this explains why I have chosen to stand to be District and Town Councillor for the Kingsmoor Ward in Whittlesey.
Thank You for taking the time to read this
Bernard Randall