MAL
VERN HILLS DISTRICT COUNCIL, W EST W ARD
MALVERN
On 7th May vote for
John Raine and Julian Roskams
to continue to serve and represent you as your Green District Councillors
We have much enjoyed serving and representing you as your district councillors these past few years and we hope we have
earned your confidence sufficiently for you to vote for us on 7th May.
Sta
nment yyou
ou can tr
ust.
Stayy Green… for local go
govver
ernment
trust.
Contact John on 01684 565052/07786 198332/[email protected]
Julian on 01684 565739/07940 969117/[email protected]
Please Recycle
What ha
e done this past ffour
our yyear
ear
s? We ha
havve w
we
ears?
havve…
•
responded promptl
promptlyy to the numerous telephone calls, letters, emails and social media messages we have received,
and worked hard to address the many and varied problems that constituents have brought to our attention;
•
made our
selv
es readil
vailab
le locall
ourselv
selves
readilyy aavailab
vailable
locallyy, for example, by holding twice monthly ‘surgeries’ and attending each parish
and town council meeting;
•
been ab
le to act across the tier
nment – because John is also your County Councillor and Julian
able
tierss of local go
govver
ernment
leads the Town Council as Mayor. We think it makes sense and simplifies things if your local councillors are working
for you at each of the different tiers of local government;
•
wor
orkked hard on planning issues to try and achieve development that is locally sympathetic, designed to high
standards and meets local needs. For example, we opposed plans for a house on a parcel of land that has long been
a natural habitat off Chester Place; we contested the proposal for more than 30 houses on land off Broadlands Drive,
not least because of the negative impact of additional traffic and safety in the vicinity; and we argued against a fourstorey apartment block at Malvern Vale because of its large scale and massing. We were pleased that our earlier
opposition at appeal to an unsympathetic housing development in Hornyold Avenue has finally resulted in a much
better proposal.
•
led the cr
itique of the (o
-consulted upon) South Worcester
shire Dev
elopment Plan for
critique
(ovverdue and under
under-consulted
orcestershire
Development
large-scale housing developments at Newland and on the south and west fringes of Worcester. We led a group of
councillors who drew up a more sustainable housing plan for the Malvern
Hills area, and which enjoyed majority support on the Council until the
Council Leader called for a re-vote two weeks later (the same Council
Leader whose own land has recently been the subject of an application for
21 houses!);
•
estab
lished excellent w
or
king relationships with a group of lik
e-minded
established
wor
orking
like-minded
independent colleague councillor
councillorss who together have championed higher
standards of open and democratic governance at MHDC. The ruling
Conservative administration has sought to control just about everything
(even though almost half elected councillors are Independents, Greens or
Lib Dems); policy-making has disappeared ‘behind closed doors’, and we
have had a succession of controversial proposals foisted on the Council
without due consultation and simply forced through by the slenderest of
majorities. The latest example of this undemocratic way of working has
been the enforced decision to share a chief executive and senior
management team with neighbouring Wychavon Council.
About John and Julian…
John Raine has been a resident of West Malvern for 36 years. For most of that time, John has been
a train commuter to the University of Birmingham where he is a Professor in the Institute of Local
Government Studies (for eight years as Director). He was initially inspired by the fresh vision of
Green politics on arriving here in Malvern and was first elected Green District Councillor (for this
ward) in 2000. Previously he had served on the West Malvern Parish Council for five years (two as
Chairman). He was elected County Councillor for Malvern Trinity in 2013. For the past four years he
has also served as chair of the governing body for the Malvern Hills Area of Outstanding Natural
Beauty. John is organist at St James’s Church and is currently leading a programme of fund-raising
activities to replace the organ’s now deteriorating 1958 wiring. While he hasn’t much other spare
time, John does manage to keep his pride-and-joy 1955 grey Ford Popular on the road, and, 2½years
ago, he launched West Malvern’s very own ‘Pilates for Men’ classes, which helps to keep himself, and a
dozen other tiring bodies, a little fitter than might otherwise be the case!
Julian Roskams has lived with his family and worked in Malvern since 1996. Having graduated from
Oxford with an MA in Law, he worked for 20 years in London at one of the country’s largest
publishing companies, before setting up his own business here in Malvern. He has been actively
involved in the local community, part of the team that campaigned to save Malvern Youth Centre and
now helps to oversee the running of Malvern Cube. Three years ago he was closely involved in
keeping the Malvern Outdoor Centre in the hands of its excellent management team. Elected to the
Town Council in 2011, he has been proud to serve two years as the Mayor of Malvern. Elected to the
District Council in 2012, he has also led the cross-party Democratic Group. In addition, Julian has
been active in relation to various local issues, including social housing provision, waste collection,
shared services with neighbouring local authorities, traffic congestion, and the funding and community
use of Malvern Theatres. He has combined his love of cycling with fund-raising for many charities,
including Cyclists Fighting Cancer, Age UK, Macmillan, and Malvern Special Families. He is actively
involved with a number of local organisations, including Community Action.
A ffinal
inal w
ord from John and Julian…
word
Having each brought up our families in the local community, relying on local schools, the health service, and other amenities
in and around our beautiful area, we share a keen appreciation of the issues faced by many families living and working here.
Energetic and hard-working, we will always listen and bring fresh ideas and integrity to the process of serving you, the
communities of West Ward and the wider Malvern Hills area.
Visit our website at: www.malvernhills.greenparty.org.uk
Please contact either John or Julian ([email protected]) if you would like to offer help in the election,
for example, by displaying a poster or delivering leaflets.
Printed by Aldine Print Limited, Six Ways Trading Estate, Barnards Green, Malvern WR14 3NB. Promoted by Julian Roskams on behalf of John Raine and Julian Roskams (Malvern Hills Green Party), all c/o 147 Worcester Road, Malvern WR14 1ET.
If re-elected, w
wee will…
Contin
ue
or
✓ Continue to w
wor
orkk with colleague councillor
councillorss – of all political persuasions – to re-establish more collective engagement
and shared responsibility in running the Council – in a manner more characteristic of MHDC in the past.
lic-or
iented – we want to see the Council House re-opened to the community; a
public-or
lic-oriented
✓ Press the Council to be more pub
public reception counter for more personal customer service reinstated; evening parking restrictions at the Council House
reviewed; and better provision (more seating and a better sound system) for the public attending Council meetings.
e stealth char
ges (e
.g pre-planning advice and green waste collection) – so you
Movve to end MHDC’
MHDC’ss regressiv
regressive
charges
(e.g
✓ Mo
are no longer charged separately and additionally for services traditionally covered by your council tax.
eloper
s, decide what sor t of houses are bbuilt
uilt and where – purchase land for housing development,
✓ Let you, not dev
developer
elopers,
so that the Council can exercise greater control over what gets built, with more local needs being met (e.g. with
more bungalows for elderly residents, and more ‘really affordable’ housing for younger people with limited savings).
or
mance – by reducing the price of the ‘green waste collection service’ (brown bins) to
✓ Impro
Improvve recycling perf
perfor
ormance
encourage more households to participate (also making the service more economic). We also want to consult
residents on how recycling might develop to minimise waste to landfill/incineration (e.g. by collecting food waste in
conjunction with the green waste collection service or introducing community-level ‘mini bring’ sites for recycling).
unity tr
anspor t pro
vision – so people can choose to leave their cars at home more often, while
community
transpor
provision
✓ Increase comm
those without personal transport can enjoy better connectivity to shops, health care and other facilities.
eep and clean our streets and pa
Sweep
pavvements more frequentl
frequentlyy – keeping our local footways free of overhanging
✓ Sw
branches, weeds and dog-fouling.
king prob
lems in our local area – working in conjunction with the County Council to
✓ Address speeding and par
parking
problems
find optimal solutions that satisfy residents, especially in congested areas like parts of West Malvern Road.
icant new Her
itage Centre project ffor
or Great Malv
er
n – to attract more visitors to the town and
✓ Plan a signif
significant
Heritage
Malver
ern
featuring, for example, our natural history, our Victorian heritage (including ‘the water cure’), our town’s scientific
prowess, and its legacy of music, theatre and the arts.