Three prospective Councillors will present themselves to the current members of the Town Council at an extra-ordinary meeting of the Full Town Council to be selected as the next co-opted Councillor, taking the seat formerly held by the late Councillor Bryan Castle.
The meeting on Monday 29 November will be open to all, it will start at 7pm but anyone wishing to attend should arrive a bit earlier as the meeting will start on time. Only twenty places will be available for members of the public to attend.
If members of the public wish to attend they should notify the Town Clerk of this by noon on the Friday prior to the meeting. Places will be allocated on a first come first served basis.
Three prospective candidates have applied. They are:
• Mrs Edwina Fogg
• Mr Martin Sims
• Lt. Col. Mark Luson
They will then be asked to make a short presentation (3 to 5 minutes) on ‘why they have applied to be a Town
Councillor’.
This will be followed by a short interview, consisting of a series of questions asked by the Mayor and Chairs of Committees.
Each candidate will be asked to vacate the Town Hall during other candidate interviews. If candidates request, they are permitted to attend the meeting during the vote, but it is not required.
Members will listen to presentations, consider candidates’ answers to the questions, and vote for their chosen candidate after all have spoken.
In the case of equal votes for each candidate, the Mayor will have the casting vote.
After the vote has been concluded the Mayor will declare the successful candidate duly elected. The candidate will be informed by the Town Clerk.
Wiltshire Council guidance states:
The person co-opted must receive an absolute majority vote of the councillors present and voting.
Councillors shall vote by show of hands, or, if it is resolved by Members, by paper ballot.
Prior to the meeting and as part of the application process, each prospective Councillor supplied their own written statement. They are set out below:
Edwina Fogg:
I am applying to this Councillor vacancy ‘because of unfinished business’. When, in 2013,towards the end of my mayoral year, I was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkinson’s Lymphoma, I decided to step down from the Town Council, uncertain of what awaited me. Fortunately, the therapies that I received were successful. Without the diagnosis, I should certainly have hoped to continue to represent the East Ward. Another reason for my desire to serve is that I would like to be involved in H.M. the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Celebrations. For her Diamond Jubilee, I organised a whole programme of events (see the article in Wiltshire Life), contacting organisations, societies, businesses, shops, and schools to encourage a focussed and coordinated approach. I believe that the expertise that I then gained would be of value as we plan ahead for Marlborough’s involvement in 2022.
As a founder member of the Marlborough Community Orchard, which gifted the Diamond Jubilee Plantation to the town, helping it to secure Britain in Bloom awards, Our mission statement, ‘A Town in an Orchard’, dovetails neatly with Marlborough Town Council’s commitment to Transition Marlborough. I should like to elaborate on this when I make my short statement to the full council.
One final point: I am interested in raising sponsorship and have a track record on this. I persuaded Jamie Robb of Marlborough Tiles to have designed and create the wonderful work-of-art in the Court Room, which was unveiled by HRH the Duchess of Cornwall in commemoration of the Diamond Jubilee.
Let’s look forward to a right royal celebration!
Martin Sims:
I would like to be considered as a councillor and serve, to the opportunity to give something back to the community that I am proud to live in. This is a tangible and positive way to contribute to the well-being of Marlborough, it’s people, businesses, and facilities. I believe I can combine business and life experiences to provide a rounded view that will add further to the work the Council do that ensures continued well-being and prosperity of its Town. I live and work in Marlborough, feel rooted here and I believe I can positively contribute.
Mark Luson:
My reasons for applying to become a Town Councillor are:
- I am a serving Army Officer who has chosen to live in Marlborough for its beauty, history, and strong sense of community. I am proud to call myself a resident and I want to help maintain the town’s reputation as it develops.
- As a father to a young son, I take keen interest in the relations between the town and all of our fantastic academic institutions. I would wish to see these relations evolve to deliver the very best opportunities for our future generations.
- I am aware of the pressure to develop and expand Marlborough but would wish to ensure that in doing so we are able to retain as much of (if not all) of the existing charm of the town and preserve the beautiful country in which we sit.
- I am absolutely determined that we should be doing everything we can to help our residents recover after the pains of the pandemic. This will take many forms but I am keen to assist on this long journey.
- And in keeping with my chosen profession, I value selfless commitment above all. I truly wish to help keep this town great.
I thank you for your consideration and wish you the best of luck in selecting a new councillor.
MantonFest 2022: a date for the diary – Saturday 25 June
