At the beginning of September 2022, Cllr Lisa Carter (Our Ryde) stood down to pressures of work commitments and a by-election in Ryde Appley and Elmfield has been called for 3rd November. Our Ryde have nominated local resident, Tom Hanley, as their candidate.
In May 2021, a group of independent Ryde residents came together under the banner of Our Ryde and stood in the local elections for Ryde Town Council. They were led by Cllr Michael Lilley, Mayor of Ryde. All the candidates won and 50% of the Ryde Councillors are now Our Ryde. Our Ryde’s principal belief is that national party politics should not influence local issues, and instead should be led by listening and responding to the needs of local residents. All senior posts within Ryde Town Council are held by Our Ryde members, including Mayor, Deputy Mayor, and Chairs of main Committees.
| Tom Hanley is an independent candidate, passionate about Ryde and is already active in our community and a member of Our Ryde. Our Ryde is a group of independents passionate about the development and growth of the Town for the benefit of all residents and the wider inclusivity of residents in the decision making of the Town. In his own words he states he is “proud to be associated with Cllrs Michael Lilley and Jenna Sabine from the Ryde Appley and Elmfield Ward, along with the other Our Ryde Councillors representing the Town of Ryde and its environs. Tom is the only candidate that lives in the Ward and not affiliated to any national political party. His own areas of specific interest include: 1. Supporting local residents that need help through the cost-of-living crisis 2. West Acre Park and other proposed developments affecting our ward 3. The future of Appley Tower, the Canoe Lake, the Splash Park and Appley Park 4. Developing exciting opportunities for active engagement with Ryde’s youth. “I am proud to be chosen to represent the successful team “Our Ryde” who are striving to work independently and support our residents, our businesses, our buildings, our heritage, and the many events that make Ryde a destination for all” |
Cllr Michael Lilley (Mayor of Ryde) says:
“It was sad Lisa had to stand down as she had achieved with Our Ryde so much at Ryde Town Council that now has a more representative mix of Councillors than in the past. Tom is a local activist who cares passionately about Ryde and the Ward he lives in, Ryde Appley and Elmfield. Tom has worked with me and Jenna in campaigning to keep precious green space, the restoration and reopening of Appley Tower, support of St. John;s Church Hall as a community hub, and making sure all local residents get help this winter. In the last 12 months, The Our Ryde team has managed incredible change in the Town with over £15 Million investment coming into the Town. You can see community democracy at real work visually with the Town and beaches coming alive. Tom would be a great asset to join the Our Ryde team on Ryde Town Council.”
There are two candidates, Tom Hanley for Our Ryde and Lou Temmel, Concerned Residents Awareness Group. Lou lives in the West side of Ryde and is a member of the Conservative party. Lou stood in the 2021 local elections for Ryde West (where he lives) for the Conservatives for IW Council and Ryde Town Council and lost. He was a former Ryde Town Councillor for 2 years representing Ryde West and Conservative Party. He is looking to get back on the Council although has no connection with Ryde Appley and Elmfield. To our knowledge there is no such group as Concerned Awareness Residents in Ryde. There is only one genuine option, Our Ryde.
The key question is what has Our Ryde achieved and what does Our Ryde and Our Ryde councillors stand for:
Jenna Sabine, owner of Monkton Arts and now Deputy Mayor says:
“I am passionate that decision making at local government level becomes much more democratic. People want and deserve their opinions to be listened to and their ideas brought to fruition. Ryde Town Councillors should be a reflection and inclusiveness of the demographic of Ryde, showing diversity and representation. I am the owner of Monkton Arts, and I would like to see cultural events and exciting community things happening in the town that I live in and love. Tom will bring so much to the Our Ryde team, Ryde Town Council and Ryde Appley and Elmfield ward”
Thirty things Our Ryde have been behind in Ryde and through Ryde Town Council since May 2021:
- Restructured Ryde Town Council to improve services and capacity through the building of an efficient and professional team.
- Obtained grant funding of £100,000 (St Thomas Church) and a further application of £500,000 grant funding for Government.
- Enhanced ‘Ryde Together‘ with community connector funding and now funding a new post of Ryde Community Development Worker
- Acquired and invested in Ryde Marina
- Created beach service trading operations and brought back deckchairs and other beach equipment for hire and created jobs for young residents. Developing a string income generation operation for the Town Council so that the Council has a mixed income and not reliant on annual increases to precept.
- Development of a new logo and image for Ryde Town Council and the Town.
- Improved beach safety station
- Acquired Puckpool storage for beach operations so these can be developed in future
- Developing plans for new Marina facilities/offices/toilets
- Created banners and flags for Ryde seafront and brought the esplanade alive with activities
- Secured major events for Ryde such as classic car show, Pride, beach soccer
- Created Greening Ryde with community support and engagement. Improvements are being made to allotments and the preservation/improvement of green spaces such as St. John’s Wood.
- Attracted millions of pounds of investment into Ryde
- Created long term plan for Vectis Hall as a community venue and offices for Town Council. By purchasing buildings for Town and Community use, RTC will be able to stop renting properties and save money.
- Retained and improved the youth service, Network Ryde, which is the only Area bespoke youth service in Ryde.
- Implemented Historic Action and improvements and develop a plan to make sure historic buildings in the Town are not only preserved but are brought back to their full economic and social/community use for the benefit of all. Through Covid19, initiated a youth employment programme that created 22 jobs for young people.
- Moved Pedestrianisation of high street forward to a solution
- Created and signed a Memorandum of understanding/agreement with University of Portsmouth that will enable Ryde Town Council and other Ryde organisations to access to expertise, innovation, creativity to develop the Town. Ryde residents to have access to Further and Higher education pathways.
- Creating a MOU with IW Council that enables improved services and opportunities in the Town
- Investing and celebrating opportunities in Ryde widely
- Securing Appley Tower for the community in a model partnership with a local charity and funding for renovation and restoration.
- Sourced a Dotto train and development of improved community transport in the Town
- Securing the Town Hall acquisition and the development of the Town Hall into a major Art, Music, Dance and Drama Venue.
- Developing and creating a charitable trust for Ryde that can attract investment into the Town.
- Supported Shademakers to gain £2.5M from Arts Council to develop the Packs Building on Cross Street into an Arts Venue.
- Our Ryde through community entrepreneurism such as Monkton Arts have developed cultural industries in the Town which leads to job creation and increase visitor numbers that build Ryde’s reputation to be a must go to place.
- Instigated a Town Approach to Solar Energy that could enable the Town to be Carbon Neutral by 2030 in partnership with key innovators in the renewable energy field. This could enable residents and businesses to have reduced energy bills in future.
- Supported and developed a voluntary and public sector community network that can respond to crisis’s such as Covid19 and Cost-of-Living Crisis so the most vulnerable in the Town get supported.
- Supported residents to have access to the best professional expertise to challenge local landowners and developers regarding large developments that do not meet the needs of the Town and residents through the Courts if needed. Our Ryde strongly believes in community and resident empowerment.
- Support the development of a Ryde Place Plan that enables the Town to grow with full consultation and engagement of the Community.
All the above is just a fraction of the achievements of the Our Ryde team in collaboration with Ryde residents and the hard work and dedication of Ryde Town Council staff.
