Eight new candidates throw down challenge to Osbaldwick parish councillors

Eight new candidates have thrown down a challenge to Osbaldwick’s 12 current parish councillors.

The new candidates are standing under a banner of “Time for Change” and say they want to give people in the village a chance to vote for their parish council.

Around half of the candidates live in the newly-built Derwenthorpe estate, including Bob Helliwell.

He says he went along to parish council meetings when he first moved to the area, and was worried to see the strength of opposition to the new homes.

“We decided to try to cause an election just to give people an option to vote for once,” he said.

“We have no political affiliation to each other, apart from a feeling that the parish council should be tested.”

He added: “There are more people in Osbaldwick ‘old village’ who welcome the Derwenthorpe estate because it was an improvement on what was there before.

“We don’t want this to be about the estate against the village.”

Current councillor Laurence Pye says he and other serving councillors were simply trying to do their civic duty and put something back into the area.

He says they have been treated in a heavy-handed fashion by the new residents.

With the Derwenthorpe estate privately owned and managed, there is very little the parish council can do in the area, even though residents of the new houses pay part of their council tax to Osbaldwick Parish Council, says Cllr Pye.

He adds the current councillors would welcome people who wanted to do good for the community, and said: “We have done a lot and we don’t want to lose that.”

The village has not seen a poll recently as not enough people have stood to require an election. Previously, councillors have been elected unopposed or have been co-opted to fill vacant seats on the parish council.

Elvington, Rawcliffe and Heslington South are also holding parish council elections tomorrow.