MEET THE CANDIDATE : Beate Willar

I am very proud to introduce myself as Beverley’s first Unity Candidate.

I am not just standing for The Beverley Party, as I did in the last election, but I was also selected by the Green Party, the Yorkshire Party and elected Independent councillors on ERYC. Rather than fielding a candidate of their own in this election, they are calling on their electorate to vote for me instead!

What this demonstrates very clearly to the electorate is that I am no party-puppet, but an Independent to the core with a proven track record of campaigning on behalf of Beverley, from spearheading the successful campaign to stop a road being built across the Westwood to supporting the campaign to keep the old St. Nick’s school building for community use.

After 15 years in Glasgow, I moved with my family to Beverley in 2004. I have lived in the heart of St. Mary’s ward ever since, and with raising two young daughters, I quickly became part of this community; having moved on from various toddler groups, I am now a member of residents’ groups across Beverley. I am also a long-standing governor at several Beverley schools (currently Beverley High and Minster Primary, formerly also Keldmarsh Primary). I have been volunteering my time for the benefit of my community for many years in these and other roles, because I care very deeply about what happens in/to our town.

Furthermore, I am also the only candidate in this election with substantial experience in actually working at County Hall, because I have been elected by parents for two consecutive terms to represent them on ERYC’s Children and Young People Overview and Scrutiny Sub-committee.

Finally, I am a founder member of The Beverley Party.

I don’t need spurious surveys to tell me what Beverley residents are concerned or, indeed, happy about, I am part of this community.

– We need more transparency, integrity and accountability in ERYC;
– We need to put an end to Beverley being used as the “cash cow” for the East Riding; this means sustainable development of the right mix of houses, not cramming in houses everywhere, including in flood zones, without any regard for the existing neighbourhood;
– We treasure our surrounding countryside, we don’t want this and our water supply destroyed by fracking;
– We need green space, sports and community facilities, youth provision;
– In short, we need different people on ERYC.

My motto is a very simple one: I want to hand over this town to the next generation with a clear conscience!

Party politics gets in the way of real local representation, because party whips tell their members “what to think”. In contrast, I am free to listen to residents and can respond without regard to National Party manifestos.

The Beverley Party calls for local politicians to think independently and work collaboratively, so I am delighted to have gained wide support under this different, innovative approach to local politics in Beverley and the East Riding.

It was clear to us that we needed a new approach, because if we did what we’ve always done, we were going to get what we’ve always got; i.e. if we continue to split the opposition vote many different ways (there were no less than 16 candidates in the last election in St Mary’s ward!), the Conservative Candidate is likely to win. So, we needed to think outside the box… The result is a Unity Candidate who not only presents the strongest opposition but also has a REAL chance of winning!

At present Labour has 6 councillors on ERYC, UKIP 3, the LibDems only have 2. These numbers are important because they determine how many committee places are allocated. The Independents also have 6 councillors, and it is this group that is most likely to gain seats in future elections under the Unity approach, so anyone who tells you a vote for an Independent, when this one is the Unity Candidate, is a wasted vote is clearly misguided. The Independent Group is best-placed to challenge the Cons. majority.

Now, of course, election results cannot be directly transferred; there are many factors to be considered. However, this chart gives a clear indication that the combined votes of The Beverley Party, the Greens and Independents can put the Unity Group well ahead of Labour. And if we add a few votes from the Yorkshire Party, which didn’t field a candidate in this ward in the last election, then I am the favourite to win this election.

I look forward to setting the ball rolling for many more Independent Unity Candidates across the East Riding! In short, this by-election could be a game changer for elections across the East Riding!