Katrina, while you exhort us to vote for the conservator candidates you don’t really single out why we should do so. Here’s some background I hope will help.
Looking at the list of just 6 candidates for the 5 elected positions, two are present Conservators (Johnson and Bucknall) and four are new. It seems all live in Wimbledon although it is difficult to be sure from their candidate statements. incidentally the Chair of Trustees is normally selected by the board from those elected, not from appointed Trustees.
Apart from the five elected Trustees the board also has three Trustees who are appointed by government departments — Defence, the Home Office and Environment.
It is something of a concern that yet again there appears to be no candidates living closer to Putney or Roehampton than Putney Heath. Of course Wimbledon Common is larger than Putney Common geographically but the number of electors is actually greater in Putney. This is mainly because the boundaries were drawn up when the original Act of Parliament which established the WPCC was passed in 1871. These designate that any person on a Local Authority Electoral Roll who lives within three-quarters of a mile of Wimbledon Common/Putney Heath or in the old Parish of Putney as it was in 1871 have a right to vote. Voting on-line is cheaper for the charity than using the reply paid envelope supplied. You can see a Levy area map here: https://www.wpcc.org.uk/downloads/election-2021/levy-area-boundary-map---2020.jpeg
Looking at the candidates it is a familiar list drawn almost exclusively from white middle-class Wimbledon resident professionals, often retired. Bear in mind that the Trustees are not paid. This is not exactly representative of the Putney population as a whole. Just one candidate seems to be from a multi-ethnic background, and only one (Susan Bucknall) is a woman. Bear in mind that five of these six candidates are sure to be elected whatever votes they receive. Of the 65,876 eligible voters in 2021 just 13,122 valid votes were cast, a dismally low number in my view — around 19% in Wandsworth.
let’s have a look at the list:
David Ian Brown: retired ex corporate lawyer and management board director. Wimbledon resident. Treasurer of a local Wimbledon Residents’ Association. Wants to prioritise community and communication
Susan Bucknall: Barrister and Teacher. Ex-Conservative Councillor and CEO of Lawworks charity. Wimbledon resident. Existing Conservator. Supports agreed Business and Management Plan and therefore proposed increase in levy.
Michael Johnson: Trustee of Buglife charity, existing Trustee. Supporter of existing policies, but focus on ecology and environment and conservation role.
William Liu: Architect. Seemingly younger than most other candidates. Wimbledon resident. Wants policies thar align with the community's best interests.
Mauro Mattiuzzo: Retired corporate lawyer. Previously Trustee of a leading cancer charity, non-executive director of a shipping group. Suggests debate on whether existing corporate plan can be progressed and, if so, how it can be made fit for today’s requirements. Wimbledon resident.
David McLean: Worked in investment banking, fund management and governance. Member of local Residents’ Association and Royal Wimbledon golf club. Supports update to WPCC constitution.
Hope this rather long explanatory email helps.
nick
Nicholas Evans ● 68d