Paul Wood's campaign to become Hersham's next Conservative councillor received a boost this week, when he received a helping hand canvassing from local MP Dominic Raab.
Paul is a long-time resident of Hersham and has been distributing a survey seeking residents views ahead of this year's Elmbridge Borough Council elections on 7 May. He has been getting great feedback which will be acted on by his himself and Hersham's existing Conservative councillors, John O'Reilly, Mary Sheldon and Ruth Mitchell.
In February the team were out door knocking again and buoyed up by the arrival of Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab, who took a break from affairs of state to lend a hand.
Paul said: “I am enormously grateful for Dominic's help. It's a great morale boost for myself and the team to have him join us and also useful for Dominic to hear from residents on the doorstep and respond to their questions - everyone seemed to really enjoy meeting him."
Speaking about his plans if elected as a Hersham councillor, Paul adds: "My objective is quite simply to do as much as I can to ensure that local services are responsive to Hersham’s needs. Since retiring from full-time work three years ago, I have been active in supporting our excellent local councillors, Mary Sheldon and Ruth Mitchell at EBC and John O’Reilly at Surrey County Council.
"My experience as a senior human resources executive in complex international businesses has enabled me to develop the skills to manage difficult situations and to work effectively with people to find solutions. If elected, my priority would be to pursue actively those issues which are important to residents, such as the refurbishment of the Village Hall, and ensuring that our local environment is cared for and remains a place we can all enjoy.
"Seeking ways to make services more efficient and cost-effective so that you get more value for your money is also a key concern. Our local services are provided in part by Elmbridge Borough and in part by Surrey County. It may not be the most efficient way of organising things but it is the system we have to work with, at least for the time being. We understand residents are not interested in which council is responsible for a problem, they just want it sorted."
In the months ahead, Paul is looking forward to meeting as many residents as possible and on 7 May, with their support, he hope to join the Conservative team at Elmbridge. Please email [email protected] if you'd like to help the campaign.