Burgess Hill Local Council News -
Meeds Ward North By-Election May 2012
On Thursday May 10th, residents of Meeds Ward North will have the opportunity to vote for a new Town Councillor following the resignation of Neil Lawrence.
Today is election day. If you are eligible to vote in the Meeds North by-election, head on over to Cyprus Hall to cast your vote between 7am - 10pm.
The Candidates
Dan Airs - Conservative Party Lets not beat around the bush here, Dan Airs was a defeated Lib Dem candidate in the 2011 town council elections for the Victoria Ward. He conveniently switched to the Conservative party when the Meeds Ward North seat came available. It seems like he has a lack of loyalty and is looking for perhaps an easy way onto the council as former Meeds Ward North councillor Neil Lawrence was representing the Conservatives.
If Dan has all the qualities to make a good Town Councillor, then why does he not stand as an Independent?
The election leaflet for Mr Airs and the Conservatives can be downloaded here
Chance of Victory - 8/11
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Kathy Willis - Liberal Democrats It's hard to know how the Lib Dems will fare in this By-Election. Nationally their reputation is very poor and this was reflected in the massive loss of seats in Mid Sussex last year.
Kathy will appeal to familes and the younger voters with some very good election literature, but will this be enough for an ailing party from which Graham Knight stepped down as leader just a few days ago?
The election leaflet for Kathy Willis and the Lib Dems can be downloaded here
Chance of Victory - 5/2
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Janet Smith - Labour Party Labour never do well in the area, but there could be a chance for Janet Smith to rack up some votes if national sentiment filters down to local level. With news that the Conservatives are going to tax pensioners, pair it with the fact that mostly older people vote in local elections and Janet's inclusion on the ballot paper could take away some votes from Dan Airs and let another candidate in.
The election leaflet for Janet Smith and the Labour Party can be downloaded here Chance of Victory - 8/1
Flying the flag for UKIP is Chris French. The party are seeing a new wave of support with a recent YouGov poll putting them ahead of the Lib Dems. Just last month UKIP won a by-election for Seaford Town Council. Could the same happen in Burgess Hill?
Just like Black Beauty, Chris is the dark horse in the by-election.
He's
the only candidate of the seven to actually live in Meeds Ward North.
Those of you that 'Like' the BHU Facebook page will see that Chris is a frequent contributer to the discussions and he's rather active on Twitter too.
He's certainly ahead of the game when it comes to social media. Will that give him the edge? The election leaflet for Chris French and UKIP can be downloaded here Chance of Victory - 3/1
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Anne Eves - Green Party Sadly being a representative of the Green party doesn't do much for candidates in Burgess Hill. However, Anne is vowing to help protect the Burgess Hill Green Circle from development and that's sure to strike the right chords with some voters.
The election leaflet for Anne Eves and the Green Party can be downloaded here
Chance of Victory - 20/1
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John Bray - Independent Mr Bray lives in Haywards Heath, his inclusion in the election annoyed one woman enough that she had a letter published in the Mid Sussex Times. Where was this woman to be found when both Emily White and Ginny Heard were both out-of-towners to be elected onto our local councils?
Back to John, and apparently he entered the Burgess Hill elections back in the 1950's, driving round in a van with a speaker attached to it, urging the public to vote for him and his partner in crime. What a legend!
His appearance on the ballot paper however is a mere token one.
The election literature for John Bray can be downloaded here
Chance of Victory - 50/1
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Tom O'Hara - Independent An experienced former Town and District Councillor, Tom rates highly within the BHU offices for this letter he had printed in the local paper about the Mayor of Burgess Hill.
We don't need to say anything more about him as the above linked letter is more than enough!
Readers Poll...
Regardless if you live in Meeds Ward North or not, please take part in our poll and vote for who you would LIKE to win.
It's a political story, you don't even need asking to leave a comment below on this one as you just will!
Who's going to win? Who has the best election literature? Are there any lies contained within them? Does an independent candidate have a chance? Let the mud slinging commence!!!
On Thursday May 10th, residents of Meeds Ward North will have the opportunity to vote for a new Town Councillor following the resignation of Neil Lawrence.
Lets not beat around the bush here, Dan Airs was a defeated Lib Dem candidate in the 2011 town council elections for the Victoria Ward. He conveniently switched to the Conservative party when the Meeds Ward North seat came available. It seems like he has a lack of loyalty and is looking for perhaps an easy way onto the council as former Meeds Ward North councillor Neil Lawrence was representing the Conservatives.
It's hard to know how the Lib Dems will fare in this By-Election. Nationally their reputation is very poor and this was reflected in the massive loss of seats in Mid Sussex last year. 
Labour never do well in the area, but there could be a chance for Janet Smith to rack up some votes if national sentiment filters down to local level. With news that the Conservatives are going to tax pensioners, pair it with the fact that mostly older people vote in local elections and Janet's inclusion on the ballot paper could take away some votes from Dan Airs and let another candidate in. 
Flying the flag for UKIP is Chris French. The party are seeing a new wave of support with a recent YouGov poll putting them ahead of the Lib Dems. Just last month UKIP won a by-election for Seaford Town Council. Could the same happen in Burgess Hill? 
Sadly being a representative of the Green party doesn't do much for candidates in Burgess Hill. However, Anne is vowing to help protect the Burgess Hill Green Circle from development and that's sure to strike the right chords with some voters. 
Mr Bray lives in Haywards Heath, his inclusion in the election annoyed one woman enough that she had a 
It's a political story, you don't even need asking to leave a comment below on this one as you just will!