Comment: Your Parish needs you, and your vote
It’s by-election week in Chilbolton. There are two Parish Councillor vacancies and three candidates. Here’s why you need to vote.
Normally, when a vacancy arises, the Parish Council chooses which of the candidates will join, by a vote of Councillors.
This time, electors in Chilbolton have notified Test Valley Borough Council that they want a full by-election for the vacancies. This is the first Parish Council election in Chilbolton, we believe, since 1979.
On Thursday, then, residents of Chilbolton have the opportunity to make their choice. There are two good reasons to get up to the Village Hall and take that opportunity.
The first is that we have three well-qualified candidates, who are already contributing to the work of the Parish Council, through its Community Development Committee.
The candidates are:
In our interviews with them, you can read why they are standing for election, and what they propose should be done.
One thing we note though, is that all three have been motivated one way or another by what they have seen of the Parish Council since December last year.
This is an experience shared by many Chilbolton residents.
Recently in the Parish Magazine, CPC’s Chair, Cllr Julian Hudson, pointed to the good work done by the Parish Council. There is much of that, month to month.
They tend and care for our open spaces. They welcomed newcomers to the Village this year. And they consulted residents widely in drawing up a response to TVBC’s Local Plan for 65 homes in Chilbolton.
But what Cllr Hudson implied is that this work is being criticised. It isn’t.
The meeting they held in December 2024 was nothing short of a debacle. They alarmed and angered a great number of people in the Village. The secrecy that surrounded the Strategic Working Group, who had put together plans for up to 168 new homes, created suspicion.
The pre-application submitted for the proposed development lasted less than two weeks before it had to be withdrawn. It was discovered that it had been drafted, not by CPC, but by the landowner and his consultants.
All along, there have been questions from residents, and some Parish Councillors, about conflicts of interest. Councillors who had their names on lists for self-build and downsize homes, have been active in discussions and decision-making over the proposed development.
The work of the Community Development Committee has been hampered by bickering in the Parish Council over its terms of reference.
The landowner decided to take control of the proposed development back in August, and there has still not been a formal meeting with him to understand the community’s involvement in it.
It is these issues that trouble residents. And they provide the second reason for going to the Village Hall on Thursday and voting.
We have the unique opportunity of saying to the Parish Council that we appreciate how hard they work, but we need a fresh start, new thinking and a more open attitude to the people for whom they are working.
Your vote is valuable, and you should use it.