2 May: District Council Elections: Howard Woollaston

The elections to the District Council take place on the 2nd May 2019. Lambourn has three candidates contesting one seat. Lambourn.org invited the candidates to tell us a little more about themselves and their vision for Lambourn.

Lambourn.org is non political and makes equal coverage available to all candidates.

Here is the letter from Howard Woollaston (Conservative):

Dear Voters,

I am extremely grateful to the Lambourn website to give all three candidates in the election of your District Councillor on Thursday May 2^nd the opportunity to explain ourselves to you.

I have so far knocked on about 70% of the doors of houses and flats in the ward and hope to get as near as possible to 100% by election day but it is a hard call for a single candidate so please forgive me if I do not get to you. One of the first things that I say is that this is all about the delivery of local services to you and absolutely nothing to do with Brexit or even national politics.

My background is from an entrepreneurial family of small business owners. My Father ran a building and joinery business and my Mother a Ladies fashion shop. As an only child I was drawn from an early age into adult conversations about business and the challenges they posed. Perhaps it is not surprising then that I am a natural Conservative believing in people doing their best to help themselves. However, I was also brought up to be a compassionate and caring person and I completely believe in the need of the state, both national and local, to provide a safety net where necessary including social housing and healthcare particularly for the elderly and disadvantaged.

I Chair a small charity which over my 4-year tenure has generated over £2.1 Million for the homeless and disadvantaged children so I have hands on experience of the effects of deprivation and poverty.

We are all so lucky to live in such a wonderful part of the UK with high employment levels , some fantastic schools ( 95% are OFSTED rated as good or outstanding), access to superb medical facilities ,the best rural broadband connectivity in the country , what will soon be even faster and better rail links into London and to be at the crossroads of England – the M4 and A34 .

So why vote for me? I can answer in 6 key points: –

The Conservative Group, who I represent have run the Council for the last 4 years. They have done an unbelievably good job of maintaining services, containing costs and keeping Council Tax increases to the lowest possible level in an environment of serious cuts from Central Grants, whilst nearly 70% of the £100 Million + budget is spent on social and children’s care.
I am local, I moved to this area in 2001 to Chilton Foliat and my wife and I moved to Eastbury in 2005. Libby runs a shop in Hungerford, so I am well aware of the problems of retail trading in the current environment. It is something that I would like to do something to resolve.
I was lucky enough to have an interesting and varied 40-year career dealing with Commercial Property at Knight Frank in London – apart from the dreaded commute! We agree to retire at 60 so, whilst I have two consultancies and my charity involvement, I have the time to dedicate to representing the people of Lambourn, Eastbury and the Woodlands whilst at 64 still having the energy and enthusiasm to fully perform the role. My previous working life provides me with the experience to challenge views and decisions in a thoughtful and constructive manner.
I have personal experience of social housing issues and the needs of local people through my role as Chairman of the Labour controlled London Borough of Hounslow trading company which is responsible for social housing development, recycling and park management.
We live in the Valley of the Racehorse and I have already had meetings with the Jockey Club and several trainers. The recent report demonstrates clearly the importance of the industry to the wellbeing of the overall community and I intend to be a major supporter to safeguard and promote it.
We are also fortunate to live in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty with many listed buildings all of which need protection and to be respected.

Graham Jones has done an outstanding job over 22 years in representing us all but is standing down and I am sure we all wish him well. He will continue to run his pharmacy but more importantly to me has agreed to mentor me as hopefully the “new boy” as your Councillor. He is a tough act to follow but I will give it my best shot. It would be a huge privilege and honour to be elected as your District Councillor and I would be very grateful for your support and vote.

You can find out more about West Berkshire Conservatives by visiting our Website or by downloading our 2019 Manifesto.

If there is anything that you would like to discuss, please contact me on woollastonhoward1@gmail.com or on 07836 718100.

With my very best wishes.

Howard Woollaston

Conservative Candidate for Lambourn Ward