Hello All,

With local elections coming up, we have an opportunity to influence future decision making by electing people into office who want to keep Kings Pond in its current form. We wanted to give you an insight into what the position of parties and candidates on the matter. 

The pond is in Ashdell ward and we were very pleased to see that Louis Ward the conservative candidate for East Hants District Council has made saving the pond central to his election pledges. Whilst he is standing for district and the pond is a town matter, we cannot underestimate the value and influence of having pro-pond councillors at all levels of local government.

Further, in electing Mr Ward, this would depose the incumbent Suzie Burns who as the former chair of the Open Spaces Committee oversaw and voted in favour of motions supporting the proposals to radically alter Kings Pond. Whilst she is only standing for district council and not town, an election victory for Louis Ward would remove Mrs Burns’ political influence on matters relating to the future of the space, replacing it with a pro-pond voice. 

Ashdell is a key battle ground for the future of Kings Pond. I know for some given national affairs it may go against the grain to vote conservative but it is important to remember that national and local politics are very different to one another and installing the right people locally should always matter more than the party they represent.

I couldn’t in good faith back the party nationally, but Louis Ward is undoubtedly the best candidate for Ashdell - he has experience of being a councillor elsewhere before and will be vocal in saving the pond. As such if you are an Alton Ashdell resident and want to save the pond, we would encourage you to vote for Louis Ward on polling day (or via postal voting if registered).

We are delighted to see Mathew Bayliss return uncontested to Alton Town Council as an independent for Alton Westbrooke ward. Mr Bayliss was the only councillor to both speak out against the proposals for Kings Pond at the public meeting and refuse to back spending plans on feasibility studies for the proposed works. Mr Bayliss has both understood and represented local people’s views and we are confident that he’ll keep fighting for the pond.

In Hollybourne ward, Graham Hill (conservative) is standing for both town and council. He has voiced his desire for the pond to remain and we believe that his re-election will provide some continuity alongside a desire to save Kings Pond.

Our serving county councillor is Andrew Joy (Conservative) who attended the public meeting and has spoken out in favour of saving the pond. As an Ashdell resident and regular visitor to the pond, Mr Joy has been vocal in encouraging the town council to do right by the space. 

With many town council seats not having enough candidates for an election, it hasn’t been possible to gather all positions however of the big three (Conservative, Labour and Liberal Democrats), neither Labour or the Liberal Democrats have made any reference (at the time of writing) to Kings Pond in election material. The Conservative Party however have stated that as a party they agree with residents that Kings Pond should be saved. As such if you are on the fence, as things stand the conservatives are the party willing to save the pond locally. 

I hope this helps, but please do engage with your local candidates of all parties, ask questions and use your vote wisely. This is our chance to influence decision making. Whatever the outcome, remember that councillors are there to represent us residents and as such never be afraid to contact your councillor or vocalise your concerns. 

Thanks as ever for your continued support for the campaign to save Kings Pond! 

Should you need to contact us, I can be contacted at agfurnival@outlook.com 

thanks!