Hello

My name is Russ Savage and I am PIP candidate for St. Mary's ward.

I have been one of PIP’s St. Marys Ward councillors for three years now and what a rewarding 3 years I have had.  If I were to be brutally honest, I never imagined that PIP and the Independent Group would be in control of the council as quickly as we were, or expected to be sitting on the decision making ‘Cabinet’ ( I am now the Cabinet member for People & Community).  However, I’m very proud of the way that I and PIP have influenced the changes that now shape our Council. We continue to seek transparency and accountability in all matters and, having instigated a root and branch ‘Peer review’ by the Local Government Association, we already see a more healthy-looking and cost-effective organisation. Unravelling many of the issues left to us by the former Conservative Administration has been extremely challenging. Reducing and restructuring the top tiers of the councils’ officers, has reduced costs to you our residents, by over half a million pounds. Moreover, this restructuring gives us a much clearer vision of how we can put our community at the heart of everything we do. Since becoming elected in 2021, I’ve become a grandfather, and I don’t think that there is anything more grounding than the importance of family. This continues to influence my resolve that we should protect the area that we live in.  

The forthcoming local election in May is not just about the Local Plan, but it does affect all aspects of our day to day lives. PIP is well along the way of developing a new local plan for everyone within our community. I would like to reiterate that I am not ‘Anti-Build’ and as I sit on the Development Management Committee, I do want to see the right homes, in the right places ‘for the right People’ – our local people!

I also now sit on the Local Plan Development Board, and as such we have already proved that we didn’t need over 5,000 extra houses in the area, and furthermore, that we can accommodate our ‘local need’ on Brown Field sites. 

Local crime is another issue that I’m working on with our Local Community Policing team. I currently sit on the Police & Fire Crime Commissioner panel (PFCC) and am working to secure grant funding for a total upgrade of the Boroughs CCTV. 

When elected we didn’t have great provisions for the youth or older community within the borough.  PIP have secured funding for both a ‘Sensory Garden’ at Richmond Park and a ‘Multi Use Games Area’ in John Burrows. And I will ensure in my Cabinet role, that we continue to allocate funding for future local projects and improvements to our community spaces.

Please help me to continue to fight for you all and carry on the good work that we have already started. My aim is to protect OUR Castle Point, to care about where WE live, for YOU the residents, our green spaces and our ecology. Putting you at the heart of everything we do.

This election is important for every resident in Castle Point, so please vote for

 Russell Savage

The Independent Councillor in St Mary’s Ward

PIP – Local People for Local People