Mark Dunn

The National Park is both a threat and a victory. The victory is for conservation and ‘green policies’, which will protect and cherish – even more than before – the wonderful downland of West Sussex.

The threat is just as real, although it is less understood. It results from the relentless Housing Development Pressure on “The Strip”, lying between Emsworth and Chichester, which is neither in the National Park nor in the Chichester Harbour Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, but which is home to most of the people who live in the County Council’s Electoral Division of The Bourne.

The communities of Southbourne, parts of Chidham and Westbourne – and their surrounding hamlets – are being targetted by developers. They need a correspondingly louder and more focussed effort to protect them from developers, who have become over-aggressive.

I undertake to speak up in support of local people who feel under threat from over development. I will support the Chichester District Councillors who carry the weighty responsibility for Development Control, and do my best to make local opinion prevail over remote faceless planners.

As your County Councillor I promise to work hard for the whole community. I will be available and responsive, doing my best to improve the services provided by local government, and keeping Council Tax as low as possible.

Mark.dunn@westsussex.gov.uk

Home Phone 01243 535202
Work Phone 01243 777825

My top five Election Pledges are

1. Strive for sensible Planning and Development Policies and decisions…
2. Make sure local traffic and parking controls – especially speeding in villages – work properly…
3. Go on making Schools and Education the central theme of the County Council’s work, giving greater emphasis to Youth Services…
4. Help the the military communities on Thorney Island get the services and support they deserve.
5. Be quick and effective in supporting local business, especially those providing jobs for local young people… Tough times call for tough actions.

And above all to be an active and energetic friend to all who need help in their relations with local government.

Living in The Bourne Electoral Division means different things to different people. For example …

In the downland villages to the North there is a real distate for street lighting and traffic signs which spoil the rural atmosphere, but in Southbourne and Westbourne proper street lighting and traffic control is a priority.  

In the South there are issues around flooding from sea-level rises and the risk of tidal surges and low pressure systems, but in the north flooding is more about the Ems and ground water levels. The Environment Agency need to be kept informed of local events, and new approaches to global warming need to be considered.

So representing Bourne in the County Council calls for real local knowledge and close contact with local residents.

Mark is committed to this. He’s keen joiner-in at Parish Council meetings, and speaks up on local issues, using his experience and knowledge of the way local authorities work to inform and help the the Councils. As Chairman of WSCC he is uniquely well placed to make sure the other Government Agencies pay proper attention to local Bourne issues.

Mark enjoys close friendly working relationships with the Chichester District Councillors, and joins in the  real team work which is needed. He visits everywhere in Bourne frequently, and knows what’s going on locally.