Exclusive: Guildford Society Chair Quits To Challenge Council As Independent

Published on: 14 Dec, 2018
Updated on: 16 Dec, 2018

Julian Lyon has stepped down from chairmanship of The Guildford Society to stand as an Independent candidate in the borough council elections next May (2019).

In a strong statement, exclusive to The Guildford Dragon NEWS, Mr Lyon called Guildford Borough councillors “a generally non-vocal bunch who would not stand up to strong leaders”.

Julian Lyon

He added: “When I was elected to the chair of the Guildford Society four years ago, we were optimistic that the new councillors to be elected would take note of the manifesto we put out for the society.

“I had hoped for a council with strong minds, objective argument and more than a scintilla of intent to scrutinise their leaders, particularly after the governance issues of the previous regime. We got a few level-headed councillors and a generally non-vocal bunch who would not stand up to strong leaders.

“This council has spent a lot of money on non-joined-up consultants, vanity projects and at the same time has been overly commercial in some of its decisions, for example in denying the wonderful local Guildford Shakespeare Company the ability to lease Burchatts Farm Barn at the asking rent for modest marginal commercial gain.”

As chair of the Guildford Society, Mr Lyon has been strongly critical of the Local Plan and Solum’s intended redevelopment of Guildford railway station.

He believes the Local Plan, as submitted, does not tackle many of the real borough issues, from those areas which perform poorly for young persons’ skills and employment to those areas where access to services is a very real problem.

Mr Lyon continued: “At the same time as promoting a plan that would see a massive increase in the amount of housing development in the borough, the vast majority in the green belt, the council has overseen housing delivery fall further behind even today’s housing targets.”

He also condemns what he sees as the failure of the Local Plan to deal positively with the town centre and says he has been frustrated at the way planning policy has failed to take account of the borough’s own “spatial hierarchy”.

“It is not enough to champion an unambitious plan for the town centre owing to its inability to bring forward new homes within five years, but to surrender the green belt (which also cannot deliver many homes within five years) is both negligent and unsustainable. This smacks of the leadership coming up with its answer and then seeking to justify it by asking its consultants to endorse the strategy.

“We need open local government with integrity, without political gamesmanship, without nastiness, with respect and attention to community views and experience. I have to try to do what I can to deliver better governance, approachability and consultation at Millmead.

“I would like to think others will come forward to stand alongside me as Independent candidates to reduce the hold that national parties have over local politics and that we can begin to move the needle back towards community engagement and a more listening council.”

Mr Lyon, who lives in Onslow Village, has not yet announced which GBC ward he will stand in. He is also a leading member of the Guildford Vision Group which has had two of its members selected as Conservative candidates for the May 2019 elections, Gerry Lyttle, for Holy Trinity ward and Bill Stokoe, for Friary & St Nicolas.

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