- Double the number of elderly people able to receive care at home. Under the Conservatives “Dorset is the lowest performing local authority … We lag behind every other Council” in the amount of support provided to help elderly people live independently at home. That’s what the Council themselves say and it must change.
- End the policy of ‘managed decline’ of our roads. Conservative-run Dorset is operating a policy of maintaining our A roads at B road standard, our B roads at C road standard and country lanes are being allowed to revert to being cart tracks! We will give a higher priority to fixing potholes and unblocking drains.
- Take a lead on protecting the environment by increasing recycling, investing in public transport and cutting the council’s carbon footprint. The Liberal Democrats don’t just talk green, we will take a lead in tackling climate change.
- Get a grip on the finances, end the overspends and invest more wisely. With £28 million at risk in Icelandic banks and a £15 million overspend on one building project the Conservatives have shown a shocking lack of financial competence.
- Slash the amounts wasted on consultants and public relations. As services have deteriorated the amounts spent on consultants and publicity have soared into the millions. We will halve the amount spent on public relations and slash the consultancy bill!
Much more detail on how the Liberal Democrats would do things differently is contained in the Liberal Democrats’ Manifesto for the County Council Elections on 4th June 2009.
Our candidates in the County Council elections on 4th June
If you don’t know what Division you are in you can look up your Division based on your postcode.
Peter Jones CBE (Beaminster Division)
Peter Jones has been based at Melplash for 38 years and been a governor of Salwayash and Beaminster schools, a Netherbury Parish councillor and treasurer of Melplash Church. Whilst he was Chair of the Dorset Police Authority, from 1996 to 2002, crime in Dorset fell significantly. He has also been Chairman of the Tote and a governor of the London School of Economics. Dorset County Council is in a mess and he believes that only the Liberal Democrats can sort things out. He has the energy, knowledge and experience to do the job, along with his Liberal Democrat colleagues.
Councillor Ros Kayes (Bride Valley Division)
Ros Kayes has lived in Bridport, Bradpole & now Long Bredy since 1993, with her children attending Loders school.
In 2007 she was elected to the District Council where she represents Bridport North and is Deputy Leader of the Liberal Democrat group. Ros is a strong campaigner for open government and for her community – believing that residents should be properly consulted about decisions that affect their lives. She has been involved in successful campaigns to save post offices, replace road markings on the coast road; scrutinise information sharing throughout Dorset and challenge poor decision making in our local councils as well as the campaigns to keep open day care centres and libraries in Dorset.
Councillor Karl Wallace (Bridport Division)
Cllr Karl Wallace
Cllr Karl Wallace is an experienced district, town and parish councillor. He has been active with the Lib Dems for over 11 years, and he’s well known for working hard to achieve positive outcomes to people’s problems. He is a married father of 5 and has lived in Bridport for nearly 10 years. Karl is a Nurse by profession, having obtained a degree which encompassed environmental health and health and safety. He is passionate about improving social care for older people and vulnerable members of our community, as well as looking after and improving our environment, and strongly believes that ‘your problems are my problems’.
Councillor Dr Brendan Webster
(Chickerell and Chesil Bank Division)
Brendan Webster has held many international scientific and leadership roles in his professional life. He is currently councillor for the Westham North Ward of Weymouth And Portland Borough Council, he is a member of the council’s Management Committee. He and his wife have lived locally since 1971. They have 3 children and 8 grandchildren, most of whom live locally. His guiding ideals are integrity, love for life and brotherly love: “none of us is perfect yet we should strive to do our best in an imperfect world”. He believes that we live in society; we are more than individuals; greed is not good. He listens to and cares about individuals but expects them to play their part in return. He will require much improved outcomes from our council.
County Councillor Trevor Jones OBE
(Dorchester Division)
One of Dorset’s long standing public figures Trevor is a former Leader of the County Council and has three times been Mayor of Dorchester. For many years he and his wife Stella had the Post Office on Fordington Green and their four children all attended schools in the town. Now they have eight grandchildren! Down the years Trevor has held many public positions, locally and nationally, including standing four times for Parliament and Chairing the Dorset Ambulance Trust for eight years. Among other things he currently Chairs the Audit and Scrutiny Committee of the County Council and Moviola, an arts charity which shows films in village halls across five counties.
County Group Leader Richard Biggs (Dorchester Division)
Richard (45) is the Group Leader for the Liberal Democrat group, he has lived and grown up in the county town. First elected to Dorchester Town Council back in 1993 and was Mayor in 1997 & 2005. He was elected to the District Council in 1995 (doing an eight year stint) and elected to Dorset County Council in 1997. Married to Carolyn a Team Leader for a small mental health unit. Richard works as an MoD Risk Manager based in Sherborne. He is passionate about the protecting the environment and likes nothing better to unwind by running and cycling around beautiful Dorset.
Councillor Tim Harries (Linden Lea Division)
Tim is 59 years old and lives locally with his wife Anita. He has been a District Councillor since 1991. Educated at Hardye’s School, Tim has lived locally all his life. His son Roly, daughter-in-law Helen and grandsons Thomas and Benjamin are the third and fourth generation of the Harries family to live in Puddletown. “Years of neglect and complacency at County Hall are now coming home to roost, and the recession has highlighted a staggering degree of incompetence” says Tim. “It is time to elect someone competent, in touch, experienced and prepared to work hard to get the results that matter. I am that person.”
Chris Savory (Marshwood Vale Division)
Chris Savory
Chris Savory is the Lib Dem candidate for Marshwood Vale in the County Council elections on June 4th. He and his wife Erika live in Lyme Regis.
Chris has worked virtually his entire professional career in public service. He spent 18 years in the NHS culminating as Finance Director to St Thomas’s Hospital in London. He then worked as Finance Director to the National Rivers Authority, Lancaster University and since 1997 has been an interim finance director mainly in local government.
His significant financial experience will be invaluable in helping to sort out the troubled County Council finances.
Councillor Andy Canning (Three Valleys Division)
Cllr Andy Canning has been selected as the Lib Dem candidate for Three Valleys in the County Council elections on June 4th.
Andy is a Director of the Dorset Volunteer Centre that co-ordinates volunteering across the county and runs the garden help scheme, amongst many other projects.
He has been a local councillor for ten years and is currently the Chairman of the Dorchester Heritage Committee and Vice-Chairman of the District Council’s Efficiency Scrutiny Committee.
By profession Andy is an economist and wishes to use his experience to help the Dorset economy survive the economic downturn.
Jan Palmer (Sherborne Division)
Jan Palmer has lived and worked in Sherborne for 39 years. No other candidate can claim her knowledge or love of the town. Twice Town Mayor, she served on the Town Council for twenty years, before stepping down in 2003 to concentrate on teaching till retirement in 2006. In her first four years she served as Chairman of Plans, Deputy Mayor and Town Mayor. Jan was Chairman of the Tourist Information Centre successfully handing it over to West Dorset District Council. Later, she was, for four years, a West Dorset District Councillor winning the seat in a by-election. For nearly thirty years Jan taught at Sherborne Primary School. Her experience of teaching religious knowledge led to her being co-opted on to the County Council’s advisory body SACRE which in 2005, wrote the policy for RE teaching in Dorset schools. Jan is an active member of Cheap Street Church. She is also an Abbey Guardian. In her spare time she enjoys gardening and playing the flute.
County Councillor Robin Legg (Sherborne Rural Division)
Cllr Robin Legg
No other candidate knows the Sherborne villages as well as Robin Legg or has served its inhabitants for so long. He has represented the area on Dorset County Council for the last 28 years and in that time has helped hundreds people with their individual problems. He has assisted many communities to bring their cherished plans to fruition, such as the splendid new village hall in Leigh, the equipped play area in Thornford and a car park for the hall in Holwell. As an experienced councillor he knows how to ‘shine a light into a dark corner’. He has fought to bring into the open the astonishing £15M overspend on a school building project in Wimborne and has been a persistent critic of County Council’s financial management, where £28M remains at risk in Icelandic Banks. No one else can match his record of achievement.
