There was a surprise win in Ravenmeols ward, Formby-based FRAG created by committee members of Local Plan lobby group FRAGOFF – fielded candidate Maria Bennett, standing under Community Action not Party Politics.
In a landslide victory, gaining one of the highest results in Sefton, with 1649 votes Ms Bennett took the seat – with Labour’s Tom Donnelly in second place with 1137 votes.
Talking to the ECHO she said: “Hopefully the council will see that the people have now spoken out loud and clear and that they need to listen to them and not ignore them. The hard work now begins to try and make changes for the benefit of the community. I could not have done this without the help and support from the community who have worked tirelessly on the campaign and with their help we have proved that if a community sticks together we can make changes.”
Sefton Council election results: labour enjoy strong day at the polls - Liverpool Echo
From the Fragoff website:
Formby Residents Action Group Win Local Council Seat!
Formby Residents' Action Group (FRAG) has won its first Local Council seat in Sefton Council's Ravenmeols Ward, which takes in Formby and Ince Blundell.
FRAGOFF Chair Maria Bennett took the seat with more than 41% of the vote, polling 1,649 votes Labour 1,137 votes Conservative 725 votes and last UKIP on 522 . The vote was seen as a referendum on Labours plans to develop on Formby's green belt and a rejection of Labours Local Plan. More news will follow later. However everyone involved in our campaign and especially newly elected Councillor Maria Bennett wishes to thank everyone who volunteered to help with our campaign. Without that community support this would have never been possible.
ABOUT US
We are F.R.A.G.O.F.F. which stands for Formby Residents Action Group Opposition From Formby.
We were formed when the Coalition Government Policy of building on green belt reached the suburban village of Formby Merseyside.
We demand that the status of green belt land be given the greatest protection possible from building developers in the spirit of the founding principles of the green belt concept.
We shall actively and openly support all other Action Groups campaigning against proposed development on green belt land as a neighbourly and collaborative organisation.
We are committed to involving and engaging with local residents.
For more information about our group see our Mission Statement or go to our In-depth Home Page.
Fragoff Save Our Green BeltAnd from the EDA website today:
ELECTION NEWS FROM FELLOW-MEMBER OF COVOP
FRAGOFF (Formby Residents Action Group Opposition From Formby), a group from the new national organisation Community Voice on Planning (CoVoP)* of which EDA is an active member, has just sent this e-mail:
Hi All
Many thanks to all our supporters and helpers with our campaign, without whom we would not have been able to put a candidate forward, we won by over 500 votes and FRAG now has a Councillor inside. We have proved if the community stick together no matter what political beliefs they may have you can win and make changes.
Community Action and Not Party Politics has proved to be a winning combination for FRAG and the fact that we are non party political but represent the residents of the community.
Taking a seat from our labour run council who are voting all the housing through makes us feel even better.
If you want to know how we did it just ask us and we can let you know and guide you to a success at your next election. You can do it as well.
Kind regards
Maria
Many thanks to all our supporters and helpers with our campaign, without whom we would not have been able to put a candidate forward, we won by over 500 votes and FRAG now has a Councillor inside. We have proved if the community stick together no matter what political beliefs they may have you can win and make changes.
Community Action and Not Party Politics has proved to be a winning combination for FRAG and the fact that we are non party political but represent the residents of the community.
Taking a seat from our labour run council who are voting all the housing through makes us feel even better.
If you want to know how we did it just ask us and we can let you know and guide you to a success at your next election. You can do it as well.
Kind regards
Maria
*http://covop.org/
N.B. The East Devon Alliance has not put forward candidates for election, but FRAGOFF’s example serves to show what can be done.
See also:
Futures Forum: CoVoP: Community Voice on Planning
Futures Forum: CoVoP: Community Voice on Planning: new website
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