Devizes Guardians
Encyclopedia
The Devizes Guardians are a local political party
based in Devizes
, Wiltshire
. The party was formed in 2001 and has been successful in winning seats on Kennet District Council and Wiltshire Council
.
It is sometimes called the "local conservation party".
trees in the Devizes Market Place
, and on 19 June 2002 the new party was registered with the Electoral Commission
under the Registration of Political Parties Act 1998
. On 18 July 2002 the Devizes Guardians contested and won a Kennet District Council by-election
in the Devizes East ward, the successful candidate being Tony Duck, who commented "I think there is a movement for more grass roots representation, free from the shackles of party politics and hopefully enabling us to challenge local issues."
At the Kennet district elections of May 2003, the party contested three seats, all in Devizes, and won all three, its successful candidates being Nigel Carter
(Devizes North), Jeffrey Ody (Devizes South), and Tony Duck (Devizes East). Carter commented to a Wiltshire newspaper "We have to acknowledge there is an element of protest vote
in the support we have had. The question of the future of the hospital has been paramount in the issues expressed by the people we have talked to, with transport coming a close second."
At the May 2005 county council elections
, the party contested two divisions of Wiltshire County Council
, Devizes North and Devizes South, its candidates being Carter and Ody, but was unsuccessful in both.
In May 2007, the Guardians won two seats on Kennet District Council (Ody and Duck being re-elected, but Carter being defeated) and three on Devizes Town Council, to which Jane Burton, Ted East and Peter Smith were elected. In that year, the party reported to the Electoral Commission that it had 56 members and that its income and expenditure were both under £2000.
On 1 April 2009, the District of Kennet was abolished as part of the 2009 structural changes to local government in England
, and the Devizes Guardians contested four seats in the first elections to the new Wiltshire Council
unitary authority
held on 4 June 2009. Its three successful candidates were Ody (Devizes and Roundway South), Carter (Devizes North), and Jean Burton (Devizes East). The first seat it gained was Devizes and Roundway South, closely followed by a win in Devizes North.
At an annual general meeting
held on 27 October 2009, the party celebrated its successes and stressed the importance of a new public consultation
on planning policy
for Wiltshire.
The registered emblems of the party represent a tree.
Political party
A political party is a political organization that typically seeks to influence government policy, usually by nominating their own candidates and trying to seat them in political office. Parties participate in electoral campaigns, educational outreach or protest actions...
based in Devizes
Devizes
Devizes is a market town and civil parish in Wiltshire, England. The town is about southeast of Chippenham and about east of Trowbridge.Devizes serves as a centre for banks, solicitors and shops, with a large open market place where a market is held once a week...
, Wiltshire
Wiltshire
Wiltshire is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset, Somerset, Hampshire, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire. It contains the unitary authority of Swindon and covers...
. The party was formed in 2001 and has been successful in winning seats on Kennet District Council and Wiltshire Council
Wiltshire Council
Wiltshire Council is the unitary authority for most of the county of Wiltshire, in the West of England, the successor authority to Wiltshire County Council and to four districts—Kennet, North Wiltshire, Salisbury, and West Wiltshire—all of which had been created in 1973 and were...
.
It is sometimes called the "local conservation party".
History
The Devizes Guardians were formed in 2001, in the aftermath of the felling of five London planeLondon Plane
Platanus × acerifolia, the London plane, London planetree, or hybrid plane, is a tree in the genus Platanus. It is usually thought to be a hybrid of Platanus orientalis and the Platanus occidentalis . Some authorities think that it may be a cultivar of P...
trees in the Devizes Market Place
Marketplace
A marketplace is the space, actual, virtual or metaphorical, in which a market operates. The term is also used in a trademark law context to denote the actual consumer environment, ie. the 'real world' in which products and services are provided and consumed.-Marketplaces and street markets:A...
, and on 19 June 2002 the new party was registered with the Electoral Commission
Electoral Commission (United Kingdom)
The Electoral Commission is an independent body set up by the UK Parliament. It regulates party and election finance and sets standards for well-run elections...
under the Registration of Political Parties Act 1998
Registration of Political Parties Act 1998
The Registration of Political Parties Act 1998 , or An Act to make provision about the registration of political parties was an act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom to set up a register of political parties in the United Kingdom. Previously there had been no such register, and political...
. On 18 July 2002 the Devizes Guardians contested and won a Kennet District Council by-election
By-election
A by-election is an election held to fill a political office that has become vacant between regularly scheduled elections....
in the Devizes East ward, the successful candidate being Tony Duck, who commented "I think there is a movement for more grass roots representation, free from the shackles of party politics and hopefully enabling us to challenge local issues."
At the Kennet district elections of May 2003, the party contested three seats, all in Devizes, and won all three, its successful candidates being Nigel Carter
Nigel Carter
Nigel Denys Carter CEnv FEI MIEMA is an English Chartered Environmentalist, politician, leader of the Devizes Guardians party since 2002, and a member of Wiltshire Council since June 2009. His first career was as a naval officer.-Career:...
(Devizes North), Jeffrey Ody (Devizes South), and Tony Duck (Devizes East). Carter commented to a Wiltshire newspaper "We have to acknowledge there is an element of protest vote
Protest vote
A protest vote is a vote cast in an election to demonstrate the caster's unhappiness with the choice of candidates or refusal of the current political system...
in the support we have had. The question of the future of the hospital has been paramount in the issues expressed by the people we have talked to, with transport coming a close second."
At the May 2005 county council elections
Wiltshire Council election, 2005
Elections to Wiltshire County Council were held on 5 May 2005. The whole council was up for election and the Conservatives held onto control.Most electoral divisions had boundary changes, and several were new, including three new two-member divisions, in Salisbury and Trowbridge.As with other...
, the party contested two divisions of Wiltshire County Council
Wiltshire County Council
Wiltshire County Council was the county council of Wiltshire in the South West of England, an elected local Government body responsible for most local government services in the county....
, Devizes North and Devizes South, its candidates being Carter and Ody, but was unsuccessful in both.
In May 2007, the Guardians won two seats on Kennet District Council (Ody and Duck being re-elected, but Carter being defeated) and three on Devizes Town Council, to which Jane Burton, Ted East and Peter Smith were elected. In that year, the party reported to the Electoral Commission that it had 56 members and that its income and expenditure were both under £2000.
On 1 April 2009, the District of Kennet was abolished as part of the 2009 structural changes to local government in England
2009 structural changes to local government in England
Structural changes to local government in England were effected on 1 April 2009, whereby a number of new unitary authorities were created in parts of the country which previously operated a 'two-tier' system of counties and districts...
, and the Devizes Guardians contested four seats in the first elections to the new Wiltshire Council
Wiltshire Council
Wiltshire Council is the unitary authority for most of the county of Wiltshire, in the West of England, the successor authority to Wiltshire County Council and to four districts—Kennet, North Wiltshire, Salisbury, and West Wiltshire—all of which had been created in 1973 and were...
unitary authority
Unitary authority
A unitary authority is a type of local authority that has a single tier and is responsible for all local government functions within its area or performs additional functions which elsewhere in the relevant country are usually performed by national government or a higher level of sub-national...
held on 4 June 2009. Its three successful candidates were Ody (Devizes and Roundway South), Carter (Devizes North), and Jean Burton (Devizes East). The first seat it gained was Devizes and Roundway South, closely followed by a win in Devizes North.
At an annual general meeting
Annual general meeting
An annual general meeting is a meeting that official bodies, and associations involving the public , are often required by law to hold...
held on 27 October 2009, the party celebrated its successes and stressed the importance of a new public consultation
Public consultation
Public consultation, or simply consultation, is a regulatory process by which the public's input on matters affecting them is sought. Its main goals are in improving the efficiency, transparency and public involvement in large-scale projects or laws and policies...
on planning policy
Town and country planning in the United Kingdom
Town and Country Planning is the land use planning system governments use to balance economic development and environmental quality. Each country of the United Kingdom has its own planning system that is responsible for town and country planning devolved to the Northern Ireland Assembly, the...
for Wiltshire.
The registered emblems of the party represent a tree.
Officers of the party
The party's registered officers are as follows:- Leader: Mr Nigel CarterNigel CarterNigel Denys Carter CEnv FEI MIEMA is an English Chartered Environmentalist, politician, leader of the Devizes Guardians party since 2002, and a member of Wiltshire Council since June 2009. His first career was as a naval officer.-Career:...
- Nominating Officer: Mr Edward William East
- Treasurer: Ms Reta Stephanie Valentine
Wiltshire Council elections, 2009
At the Wiltshire Council elections of 4 June 2009, the party contested four divisions and won three.| Party | Members elected | |
|---|---|---|
| 61 | ||
| 24 | ||
| 8 | ||
| 3 | ||
| 2 | ||
| Total | 98 | |
| Source: Election results at Wiltshire Council website | ||
External links
- Devizes Guardians - official web site
- Devizes Guardians: Emblems at electoralcommission.org.uk
- Councillor by Division at wiltshire.gov.uk
- Your Town Councillors at devizes-tc.gov.uk