Electioneers keep it all in the family

7:00pm Thursday 5th April 2007

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ONE of the youngest candidates in the country will be standing in Poole's council elections on May 3 - following in the footsteps of two generations of her family.

New election laws have lowered the minimum age for a candidate from 21 to 18, but Sarah Wilson, who is standing in Poole Town, still just scraped through, celebrating her 18 birthday on March 26, just over a week before the cut-off.

The art and design student at Poole College follows in the political footsteps of her mother, Lindsay Wilson, who will be defending her seat in Alderney, and grandfather, Graham Wilson, who will be doing the same in Newtown. All three are Liberal Democrats.

The nominations were announced yesterday at Poole Civic Centre by returning officer Paul Morris.

Altogether there are 115 candidates, six more than in 2003, standing for 42 seats in 16 wards across the borough.

British National Party candidates are standing in Poole at local level for the first time, in Parkstone and Alderney.

There are 42 Conservative candidates, 36 Liberal Democrats, 16 Labour, 13 UKIP, five independents and one Green.

Most current councillors will be defending their seats with a few notable exceptions.

Jane James, a Liberal Democrat councillor who has represented Merley and Bearwood for 16 years announced her retirement earlier this year. And Conservative councillor for Poole Town Bill Wretham is not standing, after 24 years in office. The former mayor has been suffering ill health.

Ray Smith, a Conservative councillor for Canford Cliffs, and Lib Dem Michael Collyer of Hamworthy West are also retiring.

More than 60 candidates have been nominated to contest the 24 seats on Christchurch council where only North Highcliffe ward member Kevin Dingley is the only sitting councillor not seeking re-election.

But whatever the outcome on May 3 there will be tears before bedtime the following morning when the results are announced in the Mudeford ward where four sitting councillors are jostling for three seats.

Among them will be veteran Eric Spreadbury, bidding to complete 50 years as a member of the council he first joined in 1960.

Only the ruling Conservative group is fielding candidates for every seat but the Liberal Democrats are contesting all of the 11 wards with former councillor Martyn Hurll among 19 nominations, including two current councillors - Chris Legg and John Campbell - switching wards in a bid to spread their party's powerbase into present Tory strongholds at St Catherine's and Hurn, Mudeford and Highcliffe.

Also trying to engineer a comeback are Conservative Nick Geary in North Highcliffe and former Wingfield ward member Linda Hammond standing in Portfield as one of six candidates hoping to swell the current solo independent voice in the council chamber.

Undaunted Labour activists are hoping to end the party's 16-year absence on Christchurch council by fielding 11 candidates and industrialist Rollo Reid is one of three UK Independence Party nominations.

Other local personalities hoping to make an entrance on the political stage include Grange School teacher and Territorial Army officer Brett Bader and Frogs community group leader Julie Petrie.

New Forest District Council is not publishing its statement of persons nominated until Tuesday pending validation and the deadline for withdrawal but a spokesperson confirmed all 60 seats were being contested.

l Round up of other councils next week.