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 My Aims
Fylde is currently run, in effect, by seven councillors who make the majority of decisions. Too often, the remaining councillors, let alone the rest of us, are not consulted or listened to, as was the case with Melton Grove, with many councillors only finding out what was going on when they read the letters that we (Melton Grove Residents Association) wrote to The Express. Like other Independent candidates, I would like to see this Cabinet system replaced with a Streamlined Committee system that would give all councillors a say in the running of our borough, on behalf of the people of their ward.
One thing that I feel strongly about is promoting interest, knowledge and involvement in our systems of government, both local and national, particularly among our youth. There appears to be a generation of people who seem to think that looking after our affairs is someone else’s job. If elected, I would like to set up an initiative to inform and encourage our school children, and to let them know what they can do to get involved. This initiative would need to include councillors from all the main parties as well as Independents, and would be on a strictly non-partisan basis.
Fylde residents should be better informed. This does not need to involve costly newsletters nowadays. With email and Fylde Borough Council’s website, there is plenty of scope for improving how the electorate are kept up to date. For those without internet access, a simple scheme could be set up where a neighbour who does have internet access prints updates on their behalf. This would not only involve people more, but would also encourage a greater sense of community and responsibility for neighbours.
My involvement with Lytham Cricket Club will carry on, but this is primarily in the summer months. Regardless of the outcome of the election, I will be getting more involved with groups dedicated to Lytham and encourage you to do so as well.
My History
In 1987, after graduating from Queen’s University, Belfast with a degree in Computer Science, I moved to Lytham to work for Guardian Royal Exchange, where I stayed for nine years.
I married a Lytham girl in 1996 and have lived here ever since. Emma and I have two boys, aged 12 and 14. Also in 1996, I left Guardian to work as a self-employed IT consultant, working at various companies in the UK, but mainly abroad in Germany, Belgium and The Netherlands. Spending almost seven years working abroad has reinforced for me how lucky I am to live in a place like Lytham. The character and friendliness of our town, although maybe slightly changed over the years, is something we all should work hard to keep hold of.
For the last three years, I have worked for AXA Tech in Lytham, initially in a senior technical role but more recently in a managerial capacity.
Since 2007, I have coached U11 and U13 teams at Lytham Cricket Club. I have helped organise fundraising events at the club and occasionally play for the 3rd XI team.
For Park View 4U, I acted as Press Officer for a year and organised the successful ‘Blue Heart’ campaign.
More recently, I have been involved with Melton Grove Residents Association in their attempt to prevent the sale of their homes to a property developer.
My Politics
Having grown up in Northern Ireland in the ‘70s and ‘80s, I have been keenly aware of politics from an early age. Both my parents were founder members of the SDLP, a moderate party with members from all sections of the community. My father was election agent for the party leader, John Hume, who was joint winner of the 1998 Nobel Peace Prize for his part in bringing ‘The Troubles’ to an end. This participation, moderation and tolerance of others’ opinions has formed my political views.
National politics in England nowadays is quite different from that with which I grew up. It seems to be all about power rather than ideology, with few fundamental differences between the main parties.
In contrast, local government is, or at least should be, purely about working on behalf of the people who have elected you. There are few ideological differences at this level. Accordingly, I see little relevance to mainstream party political allegiance in local government.
My reason for standing in this election as an Independent is that too many of our councillors seem to have forgotten who elected them and who they are supposed to serve, while others seem to be there simply to make up their party’s numbers. This needs to change.
If you have any questions about the election, about me or about my views on any issue, please phone me on (01253) 730830 or email me at charlieduffy@hotmail.com
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