Henley NEWS: Mr Willmott, we’ve seen Henley Independents candidates out canvassing, there are beermats in the pubs, flyers through our letterboxes, and adverts in Henley Focus – what is it all about?
Mike Willmott: Henley Independents is a collection of independent candidates who have come together as a group to contest the parish council elections on May 3rd. The reason we are working together is that we are much stronger and more visible as a group. We want to make substantial changes to the way the Joint Parish Council (JPC) is run and we can only do this if we can get a majority of us elected (i.e. at least 7 of our 12 candidates). You mentioned canvassing in your question – we have been very active in the last few days, really listening to what residents want. The response has been very encouraging so far.
HN: But can you really have a group of independents? Surely you are either independent or part of a group?
MW: Yes you can. When residents of Henley and Beaudesert meet us they will see that we are individuals with a variety of backgrounds and experiences, all with our own points of view and interests. Trust me, the group we have put together contains a number of strong-minded people and I have no doubt whatsoever that they will act independently if elected!
HN: So why are you standing for election to the Joint Parish Council?
MW: Simply because we feel we can make real changes to Henley, for the benefit of all residents and businesses. We feel that the current JPC has done a lot of good work for Henley in the past but that it has lost its way in recent times. I am not going to disparage the current JPC in public, as I would rather focus on the positives that Henley Independents will bring to the town, - the issues with the current JPC are well known and well documented in any event.
HN: What are the positives that Henley Independents will bring to the town then?
MW: Firstly, we have identified substantial cost savings – if we can achieve a good portion of these savings, then this money can be spent on projects in the town. At a time when county council budgets are being cut we think that we can fill some of this gap by managing the JPC’s money prudently and efficiently. People must remember that the JPC’s income (known as the Precept) comes from the residents of Henley and Beaudesert, via their council tax – it is the duty of the JPC to spend this as wisely as possible and to keep unnecessary expense and waste to a minimum. This chart shows that spending is out of control compared to many other similar sized parish councils in the area. This money has to come from the council tax payers in Henley and Beaudesert. Our JPC currently spends 64% more than Tanworth in Arden, which has a similar size population.
HN: Finding more money to spend on local projects and initiatives would be a good thing for Henley, what else do you have in mind?
MW: We are keen that the JPC is open to all and really listens to all members of the community. So, for example, we would like some of our meetings to be based around a certain section of society (the old, the young, local businesses etc) – this would be a chance for these local groups to discuss their concerns and opportunities with us. We also plan to streamline the number of meetings the JPC has – our goal is to have just one meeting a month. We think that one meeting a month, open to all, should be enough for a town the size of Henley – it’s what happens in many comparable towns after all. The big advantage for residents is that the one, monthly meeting can then be a focus for all discussions of town business – all issues can be aired and discussed at the monthly meeting. We also feel it is important that our discussions are held in public so, apart from in certain circumstances where we are required to discuss issues in private, everything else will be discussed and debated in public.
HN: Do you think that simply reducing the number of meetings is a vote winner though?
MW: What it shows, I hope, is that we are thinking of the residents, and are trying to fit in with them and their busy lives. We know that the to-ins and fro-ins of the JPC is not the most important thing in most people’s lives. What we are trying to do is to create a system that is efficient (so we can spend the JPC’s income more wisely), open to all, and transparent. I think these are important principles and they should be important to residents of Henley.
HN: But Henley is already a great place to live – how would electing Henley Independents make much difference to the town?
MW: Henley IS a great place to live. But we want to do more. I have already mentioned that we will free up some of the JPC’s income to spend on more projects around the town, but we have plenty of ideas that won’t cost any money, and which will benefit the town. For example, we would like to look at ‘guerilla’ gardening projects – planting vegetable plots around the town, for the benefit of townspeople. We will also look at the idea of working reciprocally with groups within the town. As another example, the Scout Hut needs a number of small repair jobs doing over the summer – could we encourage people to help with these jobs and ask the cubs and scouts to do some jobs around the town (maybe a litter pick) in exchange? There will be many other ideas and projects we can consider – if we can create a new JPC to help encourage these ideas and to actually help put these projects into action, then we are on to a winner.
HN: This all sounds encouraging and to be applauded, do you have any final thought for readers of Henley News Online?
MW: We can’t achieve any of this if we aren’t elected on May 3rd. So we need all supporters of Henley Independents to vote for us on that day. Residents of Beaudesert have 5 votes for the JPC and Henley residents have 7 votes. You can simply vote for all of the Henley Independents candidates on your ballot paper – we will be easily identified with a Henley Independents logo.
In the end it’s really very straightforward: if we get enough votes we will be elected. I really hope what I have outlined here will encourage people to vote for Henley Independents on May 3rd, as we feel we can make a real difference to the town.
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