Voting papers are going out this week (starting 18 January) to the 62,000 levypayers for the election of five Conservators who will sit on the Board which owns and manages Wimbledon Common, Putney Heath and Putney Lower Common. Everyone who lives within the area who pays the Commons’ levy (as part of their Council Tax) and is on the Electoral Roll can vote.

It is a postal ballot organised by Electoral Reform Ballot Services. The voting area covers Putney, Roehampton, Wimbledon and a small part of Kingston. There are nine candidates for the five places to be filled. They are Diana de Coverly Veale, David Devons, Elaine Fletcher, John Rice and John Weir from Putney; John Horrocks from Roehampton, and Dr Stephen Frank, Norman Plastow and Andrew Simon from Wimbledon. Three of the candidates are existing Conservators and six are hoping to be elected for the first time.

Gordon Vincent, the Conservators’ Clerk & Ranger, Chief Executive, commented,
“The Commons are very important open spaces and their management, in the hands of the Conservators, is a challenging responsibility. We need a strong Board of Conservators to defend the Commons from all the pressures of today’s society. We hope everyone will use their vote, after reading the papers they are being sent.”

October 19, 2005