Election
Statement:
Having lived and
invested 27 years of my life to Hesketh Bank, having had
all 4 of my children attend Hesketh with Becconsall Primary
School and been a parent governor and treasurer. Whilst
also being actively involved in the family farm, on the
marshes at Hesketh Bank, employing many local people. I
feel I can stand and say, I have experienced fully what
it is to be a 'Heky Bank' citizen. What I believe I can
offer to the Hesketh with Becconsall Parish Council is simple:
A
clear vision needs to be established for Hesketh Bank and
the residents. A quote I read recently said 'Where there
is no Vision, the people will perish'. This applies to all
areas of life, where we have no hope, where there's no goal,
no purpose - people lose 'Life'.
I
believe this applies to our village; we need a clear vision,
a target, an aim, a purpose. Where do we want Hesketh Bank
to be in 1, 5, 10, a 100 years time, what things should
it provide, for our families, our children, our grandchildren,
our friends, and our community. I believe it should be a
place where people love to live, a safe, friendly, clean,
outstanding village.
This
has to be our aim. Lets set the bar high, in a world that
seems to be losing its head with procedures, policies and
paperwork. A heart, a passion, a love and caring nature,
needs to be found. Only when having discovered this together,
can we take hold of the exciting future before us.
Hesketh
Bank needs more than a quick fix, a 'there, there it'll
be ok'. It needs peoples hearts to be impacted, then from
the heart, will come an overwhelming desire to set aside
our differences and make this place an amazing place to
live.
I
hope that whatever the outcome of these elections, that
Hesketh Bank community will find it's core, it's vision
and strive to reach it, with all it's heart.
Yours
Sincerely,
Christine
Farrington
|
Election
Statement:
The recent events at Hesketh with Becconsall Parish Council
meetings as witnessed by members of the public greatly saddened
me as a generator of substantial amounts of Council Tax toward
Hesketh Bank.
It
is my belief that Hesketh with Becconsall Parish Council
is chronically dysfunctional and I am deeply concerned to
see the current administration making very bad decisions
on top of already bad decisions which will, no doubt ultimately
cost the Council a great deal of money.
The
fact that individual members of the Council have placed
themselves in grave personal financial jeopardy is up to
them but when tax payers money is to be diverted from worthwhile
projects, to being used to settle ill advised disputes is
unacceptable to me and most right minded people.
The
Council urgently needs to get back on track if it is to
survive. Parish Councils throughout the land are now at
a cross-roads in that the forward looking, progressive Councils
will receive greater grants and powers while the moribund
backward looking ‘litter bin and bus shelter’
type of Council will go to the wall. The opportunity is
too great to miss and the timing of the current need to
change has never been more crucial. The settlements of Tarleton
and Hesketh Bank share many common issues which require
joint co-operation in order to tackle them.
The
skills that I feel I can offer Hesketh Bank are, I feel,
the ones which the Council needs most at this critical time.
As a joint owner of several successful business interests,
I have a sound and thorough knowledge of financial matters
and fiscal responsibility. Combined with my experience as
a Councillor, a good working knowledge of procedure and
conventions of Councils, I can help Hesketh with Becconsall
get not only back on track but also to help it excel.
The
first task on the Council would be to try and restore some
semblance of dignity to the proceedings. The meetings, which
I have attended recently, sadly lacked any sense of respect
or decorum. A good Parish Council should work together as
a team for the whole community.
There
are many initiatives and opportunities for Parish Council’s
with particular financial rewards to those, which can demonstrate
an ability to work with other neighbouring Parishes to achieve
joint goals. This is the direction we should be moving towards.
Yours Sincerely,
Gail Hodson.
|
