2023 Borough Council Election - Bishopstoke Independent - Karen Caws

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Eastleigh Borough Council Elections Thursday May 4th 2023 Vote for Independent Karen Louise CAWS

“Please do contact me if you’d like to find out more about why I am standing for election and if there are issues you’d like to discuss with me. I’d love to hear from you.”
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 07770 180470 Facebook: KarenCawsBishy

“I’ll be litter picking on Sunday 16th April 9:30am, starting at Bishy Beach. Do come along if you’d like to help and we can I have a chat as we tidy up our village.”

X Karen Louise CAWS

Bishopstoke & Fair Oak Independent Eastleigh Borough Council Election Edition May 2023 Vote for Independent Karen Caws on 4th May

“I’d be so proud to serve as a voice for Bishopstoke & Fair Oak and I’d be honoured to represent you with Cllr Louise Parker-Jones and Cllr Gin Tidridge on Eastleigh Borough Council”

Karen Caws is standing for election to the Borough Council. Originally from West End, Karen moved to Bishopstoke six years ago and is involved in the community, leading the Bishopstoke Parish Eco Team at St Mary’s, litter picking and volunteering for the Wildlife Trust.

Message from Cllr Ray Dean: “Thank you Bishopstoke” Cllr Ray Dean has represented Bishopstoke Ward since 2018. Having served his term, Ray has decided not to stand for re-election as he is relocating to Wales: “It’s been a huge privilege to represent the people of Bishopstoke at the Borough Council as one of this ward’s 3 councillors over the last 5 years alongside Lou and Gin. I’m proud of what we’ve achieved, including getting more bins, supporting Fair Oak Library and renovating the Planney. We’ve pushed for progress on stalled projects like the allotments at Sewall Drive & Bow Lake Gardens and I hope that if elected, Karen can carry the campaigns forward.”

Representing people, not a party
A voice for local people
Standing up for Bishopstoke and Fair Oak

Bishopstoke’s three ward councillors on Eastleigh Borough Council have all been independent since 2018, standing up for local residents.

Keeping Bishopstoke Beautiful Funds from developers have been used for 2 new projects in Bishopstoke, initiated by Cllr Louise Parker-Jones:

Revived woodland at The Planney

The strip of woodland between Edward Avenue and Dartington Road has been renovated to increase biodiversity after many years of neglect. There’s also a new community area with sculptures inspired by local children’s art.

Tree planting to create a new wildlife corridor Verges owned by the Borough Council are being planted to form a “corridor” that bees, birds and other wildlife can use to travel between the woods, river and green spaces.

Litter picking Community litter picking has been taking place over the past 3 years, organised by Bishopstoke’s Independent Parish, Borough and County councillors. Every session results in at least 5 bags full of litter! The next session is planned for Sunday April 16th from the play area at Bishy Beach at 9:30am-come along if you’d like to help.

Independents can (and do!) win in Bishopstoke

Since 2018, only independent candidates have won in Eastleigh Borough Council elections in Bishopstoke ward.

Securing Stoke Park Farm’s Future A huge “thank you” to all who attended the Stoke Park Farm consultations on 9th & 15th February and to everybody who has fed back their views to the Borough Council. Plans for this precious parcel of land were presented at the meetings but it is clear that proposals are extremely provisional and there is a long way to go before final plans are decided. Stoke Park Farm was earmarked for development with 5,000 houses and a new major road in Eastleigh’s Local Plan, but thanks to hard work by local residents, the Planning Inspector determined that it should be deleted from the plan. The farm was then sold to Eastleigh Borough Council who now intend to use the site to offset nitrogen pollution and biodiversity loss from developments elsewhere, to be funded by housing developers. The Local Area Committee for our area passed a motion last year, proposed by Cllr Louise Parker-Jones, for the area to be transformed into a nature reserve and has fed back to the consultation:

  • Sewall Drive is not appropriate for traffic levels higher than it was when the farm was in use so the land should not be used as an industrial estate or park (similar to Itchen Valley).
  • A timetable should be drawn up showing the transformation to a nature reserve.

In 2017, Anne Winstanley was amongst the LibDems who voted for plans to develop Stoke Park Farm into housing, despite local opposition… To secure the land’s future as a place for nature and our community, it’s important that new plans are made to prevent any risk that this destructive plan

More work to do
It is so frustrating that the new allotments at Sewall Drive and Bow Lake Gardens remain unused. Keeping pressure on the developers and Borough Council needs to continue.
New pathway lights at Alan Drayton Way have helped to make the path a little safer.
Concerns are rising that increased traffic at Allington Way may make travelling to Wyvern College less safe: pedestrian safety should be a priority.
Fair Oak’s library and new community café also require ongoing support.