OVERTON Parish Council will lose more than 90 years of local authority experience as several members of the current council declared their intention to step down at the next election.
Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council announced the nominations for parish council elections across the area on Thursday, with both Overton Parish Council and Whitchurch Town council being elected uncontested.
However both Overton and Whitchurch will have vacancies due to the low number of candidates who put themselves forward.
Overton’s borough and parish councillor, Paula Baker, steps down from both her roles after 28 years, alongside transport expert Brian Langer, who has been a member since 1991 and Mark Atwell, who joined in 1997.
Overton chairman Dr Tom Ridler has also decided not to run in May’s election, meaning the council, which will include new faces Gary Beecham, Graham Gould and Colin Phillimore, will need to elect a chair as their first order of business.
Whitchurch Town Council, will welcome Rebecca Mingham to the table in May but will be faced with the loss of Steven Nielson, Dave Titcomb and Neighbourhood Plan chairman David George.
In the borough elections, Cllr Baker’s vacant Overton seat will be contested by four candidates - Conservative Katherine Jones, Kirsten Robinson from the Green Party, Lib Dem Lucy Sloane Williams and Colin Phillimore from Labour.
Whitchurch Town Council
John Buckley
Sharon Egan
Claire Isbester
Barry Jackman
Andrew Jordan
Mike Kean
Andrew Klemz
Rebecca Mingham*
Fiona Nicolson
John Wall
Overton Parish Council
Peter Baker
Gary Beecham*
Colin Fowles
Graham Gould*
Colin Phillimore*
Lucy Sloane Williams
Ian Tilbury
Adam Trickett
* New Councillor
For information on the candidates visit basingstoke.gov.uk/ elections.
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