News

Hawkinge Parish and District Cllr David Callahan announced today that he has resigned from the LibDem group on Shepway District Council and is to become an Independent councillor. 

Cllrs Callahan and  Tearle

Cllr. Callahan is Vice-Chair of Shepway's Corporate Scrutiny Committee and a member of the Development Control Committee, the Constitutional Advisory Committee, and Chairman of Hawkinge Parish Council.

He said that after 3½ years on Shepway Council, he had come to the conclusion that the real problem to solving Shepway’s problems is within the council itself, and that is party politics. "Over the past years all types of administrations have been tried, Conservative, LibDem., Con.People First Coalition, all have failed or are failing the people of Shepway," he said. 

"The future of Shepway is too important to become the football of party politics." 

Cllr Callahan said he believes that it is only truly Independent councillors who will consider what is best for Shepway and its people, and not what fits best their party and party political dictates. 

Cllr Steve Godden

"To this end I will combine with any other independently minded people who are willing to leave party politics and dogma out of local government and work together for the benefit and the future prosperity of Shepway," he said.

Swingfield Parish Council Chairman and former Conservative chief whip on Shepway Council, Cllr Colin Tearle is also a member of the Independent group and together with fellow independent Swingfield Cllr Steve Godden will be fighting the North Downs East seats in the May 2007 council elections.

Cllr Tearle said: "I want to see the North Downs East area prosper, with local employment opportunities for all the residents. There is too much waste and money is being squandered by the current administration.

"The Hawkinge area has failed to develop into a cohesive community and I believe many of the problems have stemmed from the lack of local jobs. The employment land is still occupied by just one supermarket and a public house and I would strive to bring these wasted resources into profitable use by bringing more business investment into the area."

Cllr Steve Godden was brought up in Millfield, Hawkinge and his family farmed in Hawkinge until 2005. He has also lived in Densole and Swingfield and is a Swingfield Parish Councillor.

A married man of twenty years and a commercial vehicle manager at a local garage, Steve has two sons aged 18 and 15. He said: "I am a truly local candidate and I am fully aware of all the local issues."

The seats are currently held by Cllr Callahan and  LibDem Cllrs Peter and Christena Smith.