HASLEMERE voters will go to the polls this Thursday (May 2) to elect new councillors at town and borough, as well as county level.

In the build-up to the local elections, the Herald offered each candidate the chance to submit a 150-word statement, setting out in their own words why the deserve your vote on May 2.

These have been printed across the last two editions of the Herald – and the borough candidates (plus East Hants and Chichester district candidates in Fernhurst and Grayshott) are now listed in alphabetical order, by ward, below.

Polling will take place between 7am and 10pm at polling stations across the borough of Waverley.

The counting of votes for borough council elections will take place on Friday (May 3), with the town and parish counts to follow on Saturday (May 4).

The results will be published live from the count on the Herald website, Facebook and Twitter pages.

HINDHEAD

* Jerome Davidson (Lib Dem)

I am a long-term Hindhead resident. Now retired, I worked for many years at home and abroad in the oil industry. I have previously been a candidate for the town council for Hindhead and am worried that Hindhead and Beacon Hill often seem to be treated as poor relations by our local councils. I feel that is not helped by the poor record of service from some Conservative councillors, most recently evidenced by the disqualification of a Tory borough councillor for Hindhead for non-attendance for six months. And that echoes the scandal of the Tory town councillor who was in place for a year and failed to attend a single meeting. Hindhead deserves better representation and I am determined to offer that, building on my strong business background and local knowledge.

* Ged Hall (Con)

The youngest son of a builder, I am married with three children and have lived in Haslemere for 15 years. A graduate of Edinburgh Business School, I hold two masters degrees and work as a finance and strategy consultant. I am president of Haslemere Rugby Club and a serving Haslemere town councillor. I am deputy leader of Waverley Borough Council and chair of the finance and audit committee, tasked with upgrading and improving the council’s service delivery. My key interests are health care, value for money public service delivery, education and increasing the provision of local sporting facilities.

* David Irwin (Lab)

I have lived in Churt for 20 years and was brought up in Surrey. My career was in the South West London probation service. I am standing for Labour so that electors have a chance to vote for an alternative to the unfair policies of the Conservative party and the so-called government it provides.

* Peter Isherwood (Con)

I have been a member of Waverley Borough Council for a number of years and am pleased that despite a difficult financial period the council has maintained services to residents and has kept grants to community organisations at the same levels and will support all efforts to continue in the same vein. I will continue working to protect the Green Belt and AONB and I will ensure that facilities for the young people of Waverley continue to be improved both in the sport and health areas and in the new multi-use centre in the Wey Centre. I wish to work closely and in partnership with the volunteers who manage our day centres to improve the services they provide to older residents. I would greatly appreciate the chance to continue to represent all members of the community.

* Geoff Whitby (Lib Dem)

I have lived all my life in Hindhead. I work as an audiologist in Surrey and am an active fundraiser for charities, such as the British Legion. I was previously a town councillor

for Hindhead and am eager to be involved in local government again. My priorities would include putting pressure on the county council to improve road repairs and surfaces, especially in rural areas and looking at a sustainable housing policy to stop excessive densities in a predominantly semi-rural area. I would want to encourage developers to use current sites with planning permission. I also want Waverley to look at ways to improve social support in the face of Conservative government cuts. My special personal interests are cycling, the countryside and elderly health and disability issues.

MILFORD

* Christine Baker (Lib Dem)

A long-standing local resident, I was formerly a Liberal Democrat borough councillor, chairing the central planning sub-committee. I’ve also been a Witley parish councillor, specialising in planning and affordable housing. I led a successful campaign for a Crisis telephone line to provide out-of-hours professional help to people in distress, and as a result I became chair of the Mental Health Committee of the Surrey LINK. Waverley Conservatives gave planning consent for 200 houses at Milford Golf Course, without an adequate infrastructure payment or any conditions for highway improvements necessitated by the extra traffic generated, and this in addition to the vehicles coming from the major Dunsfold development.

After these costly mistakes, a new voice is needed for Milford, and I will use all my energy and experience to look after future interests.

* Simon Drake (Con)

I moved to the area from Hampshire for work eight years ago. My career then took me to London. I remain a resident locally. Last year I decided I would look to buy instead of renting and soon realised that local people without the benefit of significant funds or support are simply unable to purchase a home locally. This led to my decision to run for elected office so I could be in a position to influence future developments and lobby fellow councillors and developers to work to provide genuinely affordable housing for friends and families who want to live near us but are unable to get onto the property ladder at present. I look forward to the opportunity of representing you and being a voice for us all.

* Rosaleen Egan (UKIP)

This Tory council have failed time again, they have hidden a major fraud, hidden the true rate of air pollution in Farnham, failed to get a Local Plan through for 13 years thus allowing developers free reign and wasted £ms on their pet project, Brightwells. Enough is enough it is time for local people to have a true say in the management of our borough and not party apparatchiks who kowtow to whatever their masters decide. My aim is to campaign for no development without local referenda; brownfield before greenfield development; voting according to constituents wishes, not a party whip; improve local democracy by having an increasingly effective opposition.

* Jack Lee (Independent)

I believe that councillors should be local to support their local area. I have lived in Milford and Witley for over 30 years, and served on Witley Parish Council representing Milford for over seven years. During that time I was vice-chair of the planning and finance committees, and served as vice-chairman of the council. My time on the council has given me in-depth experience of local issues and priorities. I will focus on the issues that affect Milford residents. I will support the planning outline submitted by Secretts to Waverley.

* Adam Taylor-Smith (Con)

I am married to a local GP. I have lived in the area for 20 years and loved bringing up my family here and am passionate about improving our area for the better. I want to improve education, housing and leisure opportunities for Waverley residents. I am a solicitor and partner at a law firm in Guildford and believe in the importance of public service and involvement. I have been a local Waverley councillor for 12 years in addition to being a local parish councillor and a trustee of Godalming Museum for seven years. I am currently involved in a volunteering at a large educational charity. 

WITLEY & HAMBLEDON

* George Davies (Lab)

I have lived in Godalming for over 22 years, with my wife and two children. I strongly believe that we need to end the Conservative monopoly on Waverley council. In this borough only 60 per cent of the votes went to the Conservatives and yet they have over 90 per cent of the seats on the council. This lack of accountability and challenge is unhealthy for any political party and I, along with my fellow Labour candidates, will work together to ensure more transparency in the decisions and actions of this unrepresentative single party council.

* Jan Floyd-Douglass (Con)

I have lived in the area for six years. Following a long, happy professional career, I now run a consultancy business where I work with company boards and committees to improve their effectiveness. I have been a lay chair of NHS Complaints Board, amongst other senior public and charity roles. My sense of public duty leads to me wanting to make a difference locally. I am well aware of some of the ward’s concerns, including the ongoing potholes issue, and school children being forced into the Petworth Road because vehicles are blocking the pavement. I pledge to be hardworking, honest and effective. I will listen to and champion the interests of all the people in the ward.

* Maxine Gale (Independent)

I was born in Witley, our family moved here almost 100 years ago and I still live in Witley with my husband running my own company from within the village. I have been a Witley parish councillor for over 19 years and in this time I have held the position of chairman and chaired various committees.From this involvement, I am concerned that what the people of the area would like/need is not always taken into consideration when topics are discussed at borough council level. I can give a voice to the residents, unencumbered by any political or

central government directives. A vote for me will ensure we have a councillor in the debate, living in the area and passionate about trying to make things better for our community.

* Trevor Sadler (Con)

I was born in Milford, living for the past 35 years in Witley and resident in the Waverley area all my life – I was educated at Milford Junior School and then Rodborough School, marrying in 1975 with three now adult children who all live locally. I am a qualified civil engineer, retiring some three years ago. I played cricket and football for Witley and Milford teams, and am now a keen golfer. I believe my extensive long-term local connections and networks make me well placed to become a respected and loyal representative for local democracy.

CHICHESTER DISTRICT COUNCIL: FERNHURST

* Norma Graves (Con)

I have lived in the area for 34 years and have been active in my church, the local community and charitable fundraising. I was elected as a district councillor for Fernhurst ward in 2007 and am vice chairman of the council, vice chairman of the O&S committee and sit on the corporate governance and audit committee and grants and concessions panel. During this time I have worked energetically to represent Fernhurst ward residents on issues including housing, planning and recreational facilities. At a recent site allocation plan examination by the inspector I spoke against the proposal to build houses behind Sturt Avenue, Camelsdale; these were removed from the plan. I hold a monthly surgery in The Fernhurst Centre and write in the parish magazine. I will continue to work to maintain our unique heritage, support the local community and focus on maintaining and improving facilities for all residents.

* John Morton (Lib Dem)

I have lived in the Haslemere and Grayshott area since 1996 and in Fernhurst since 2014. I’m standing to help give a greater voice to those who believe that, given the constrained resources available, Chichester district needs to be better focused upon the needs of all its residents. This includes prioritising the most vulnerable groups of our society. The growing Liberal Democrat group on the council have helped to reduce the cuts to local bus services. The Lib Dems work hard to promote the provision of genuinely affordable housing. It is essential that all our homes benefit from superfast broadband. This is crucial for small businesses and jobs. I am opposed to fracking in our area. The risks of water contamination and the impact on the environment are unacceptable.

* Hugh Pearce (UKIP)

Chichester District Council’s cabinet and party whip system does not provide open democracy and I will demand greater transparency and a move towards one single streamlined council for West Sussex. Indiscriminate development is a huge threat and UKIP will lobby against all development of green space while any brown field alternatives remain. Meanwhile, let’s not forget the main driver of the development explosion is the constant tsunami of immigration here. Waste incineration and fracking near to residential areas will be opposed. The potential impacts on the pollution of aquifers and ground stability must be fully understood before fracking is allowed.GP services have been stretched and I would lobby hard for improved capacity, avoiding the need to travel unreasonable distances, while reducing the burden on A&E units. Visible neighbourhood policing has been depleted. I will fight hard to have that restored and for a fairer allocation of educational resources.

* Peter Wilding (Con)

I have lived in Lurgashall for more than 20 years.

I am an engineer with a near-40 year career in the computer industry which involved delivering and selling computer services to the public sector. I have been a parish councillor in Lurgashall for 20 years and currently chair the parish council. I was elected as a district councillor for the Plaistow ward in May 2017 and was appointed to the cabinet to oversee corporate services. My priorities are to make sure we support our community by protecting the vulnerable and investing in secure employment; we work to protect our environment by maintaining an excellent waste and recycling service and focus on reducing litter, dog-fouling and fly-tipping; we use your money wisely by setting one of the lowest council taxes in West Sussex while still providing a high standard of service.

EAST HAMPSHIRE DISTRICT COUNCIL: GRAYSHOTT

* Ferris Cowper (Con)

I’ve lived in Grayshott for 42 years and served as district counillor for 20 years. I was also county councillor for four years and the longest serving leader of the district council for almost eight years. In 2016 the Hampshire Association of Local Councils gave me the Inspirational Leader Lifetime Award for my work in Grayshott. I’ve doubled the size of Grayshott’s Conservation Area and eliminated the waiting list for social housing. I’ve also ensured no further need for housing development for the village. I’ve given over £20,000 to Grayshott voluntary groups through my devolved grant budget. I’m an active supporter of Grayshott Primary Scool and personally donated one of the annual prizes given at prizegiving. I’ve brought up a family here, played cricket for the village Sunday team, played with my band in our village pubs and clubs and I’m a member of St Luke’s church. I’m a villager.

* David Jameison (Lib Dem)

I am Hampshire born and bred and moved to Whitmore Vale in Grayshott 15 years ago. A lifelong Liberal, I was a founder member of the Liberal Democrats. Professionally, I am an international specialist in the supply of health products to developing countries. Since 2000 I have focused on the supply of drugs and diagnostic kits for people living with HIV and AIDS in Africa. I actively support Grayshott Scout Group and am a member of the committee managing Grayshott.com . I am standing to improve and localise the council’s services, which are too centralised in Petersfield. I believe we must get the officers out of their Penns Place office to understand our needs and refocus on better serving the people of Grayshott and East Hants.

* Larisa Mendresse-Elder (Lab)

I was a teacher for 12 years, many of which were as a special needs teacher in a secondary setting. Since moving to East Hampshire four and a half years ago I have worked as a volunteer mentor for a local youth charity. I then went on to become a schools focused youth worker. I feel very privileged to support young people in our local community. I will keep in touch with the people of Grayshott by distributing a regular newsletter and by holding regular surgeries.

* Ted Wildey (UKIP)

I have been a member of UKIP since 1994. I rejoiced when that wonderful act of democracy, the referendum, resulted in a vote to leave. But then watched helplessly as the shameless remainers in Parliament proceeded to ensure we couldn’t leave by abusing our constitution and conspiring with the EU. I would examine the council’s policy regarding property investments. This follows from my long experience as a qualified accountant in industry and a university lecturer, which leads me to doubt the wisdom of borrowing getting on for £200m from the Government at low interest rates and investing it in property at a time when rates are likely to rise and rents and property values to fall. The policy has certainly reduced our current council tax bills but what will happen when the loans must be repaid or refinanced?