Thursday 2 May will see local people take to the voting booths to vote for their local representatives for the new BCP Unitary Authority.
Many of the seats are set to be hotly contested with some wards having as many 14 different candidates standing in some wards (Poole Town & Hamworthy wards).
Find out who’s standing in your ward here:
One of the reasons so many candidates are standing in each ward is down to the changes in ward boundaries. Some wards have merged with others to form bigger wards and some have had boundary changes to make them bigger. There will be 76 seats on the new council representing 33 wards across Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole.
12 Comments
Like most of the comments above, we have been unable to find any information on candidates for our ward (Iford & Littledown). No knocks on the door and only one leaflet through the door just 1 day before the elections. The only leaflet was about the 2 conservatives standing and the only information they gave was about themselves, not their policies. How on earth can people be expected to vote when they know nothing about their prospective council members? First time we have had this situation and it doesn’t bode well for the new council!
I completely agree, no information posted through the door, no information on websites, it appears councillors have been so caught up in the re-organisation of the authority they have forgotten to try and reach out. My ward (East Cliff and Springbourne) has many local problems and I would vote for someone who shows some understanding and willingness to engage. I won’t be voting for the first time in 20 years.
i have only received literature from UKIP through my door, what are the other candidates doing to notify the electorate?
I have had absolutely no information whatsoever, except conservatives, about who my candidates are or what their policies are. How am I supposed to vote? My husband and do postal votes so need to know ASAP. What’s the point of voting if you don;t know what you’re voting for!!!!! It’s like the referendum all over again!
In response to some comments posted here, BH Living have invited local candidates to write to us to outline their policies and what they are standing for in the forthcoming elections. We’ve already started receiving some responses. You can find letters from candidates at: https://www.bhliving.co.uk/category/letters/
Not all candidates have responded yet but keep checking back for updates on the run up to the election!
Editor
I can’t find anything on the candidates for Iford and Littledown, other than their names. If the candidates can’t be bothered to tell the voters a bit about themselves and their policies, it doesn’t bode well and they don’t deserve my vote. I have always voted in previous elections, but I have no choice but to ignore this one.
Lazy Councillors!!
Dear A Fed Up Voter – I’m your current councillor and have worked hard over the past 4 years representing Littledown & Iford. I appreciate that not everyone will have contacted us during the past term, so we have put out 3 pieces of Literature, plus knocking doors, letting residents know what we have done and our plans for the new BCP council if we are fortunate enough to be re-elected. We also send out a weekly email to residents to let everyone know about work so far and also activity in the ward.
I’m sorry that this hasn’t reached you, but happy to to chat more if you would like to contact me on bobbie@littledown.org, hopefully speak soon, Bobbie Dove
Thanks Dave.
Just found out who the prospective candidates in my ward are! As yet no information on their policies on LOCAL issues but we are expected to vote! How can we decide who to vote for?
This is a new council, where are the policies (social services, education, transport, environment, health, security etc) and ideas for going forward, it’s a shambles, just more of the same? A missed opportunity!
Democracy? where?
David Mann I totally agree. I’ve been searching for more information on what each local candidate represents to help in my decision and so far only found this:
https://demandbetter4bcp.org/poole/
Very frustrating.
Poole Lib Dems appear to have info on their candidates here: http://www.poole-libdems.org.uk/candidates
None of the others seem to
I am standing as a candidate in the Newtown & Heatherlands Ward were I live and it is clear that many people do not know about the ward changes. There will be a lot of confused people on May 2nd when they find out that their ward no longer exists.
Also I have met a lot of people that has said they are not voting because they feel it is not worth doing so after the EU Referendum vote and I say to these people that though I understand their feelings on this, it is imperative that people do go out and vote because this is a new council and it is important we get people who will represent their wards and not simply agree with what their chosen party tells them to do. People need to vote and think carefully about who they vote for.
If anyone in the Newtown & Heatherlands ward wishes to know more about me or they would like to contact me, they can do so through my campaign website http://www.martycaine.com