The owner of Swinton Estate in Masham has thrown her hat into the ring to be one of 90 councillors elected to North Yorkshire Council.
Felicity Cunliffe-Lister, whose formal title is Baroness Masham, has put herself forward as an independent candidate when voters head to the polls on May 5.
She will stand in the Masham and Fountains division against Conservative Margaret Atkinson, who has held the division for nine years, and Liberal Democrat Judith Hooper.
All three candidates have spoken to the Stray Ferret this week.
Conservative: ‘My priorities are the community and the countryside’
Conservative Margaret Atkinson has represented Masham and Fountains on North Yorkshire County Council for nine years and Fountains and Ripley on Harrogate Borough Council for 20 years.
Ms Atkinson, who lives in Kirkby Malzeard, said abolishing the two councils for the new unitary authority was a “brilliant idea” because it would devolve more power and funding directly to local communities.
She said her priorities would remain the same:
“My priorities have always been the community and the countryside. They are two huge issues for this rural area.”
Ms Atkinson, who lives on a farm, said she was concerned about the closure of rural schools and the impact of high house prices on young people, as well as by the ageing population and the state of roads.
She said she had been “fighting for these things” constantly and the lack of progress in some areas was down to “shortage of money” from national government. She felt the devolution agenda would make it easier for the new council to take decisive action.
Asked what set her apart from her rivals, she said it was her long-term commitment to local causes and her deep roots in the community:
“I have always lived in this area. I went to school in this area and did my children and grandchildren.”
Independent: ‘I feel like I’ve got a lot to give’
Felicity Cunliffe-Lister has owned the Swinton estate with her husband Mark since 2000 and the couple have spent the past two decades building up the business.
But she says the time is right to do something different and to help others in the rural community.
She said:
“I have been running a business now for over 20 years with around 150 members of staff.
“I feel like I have got quite a lot to give and have some great experience.”
Ms Cunliffe-Lister said retaining young people in rural areas and improving standards of services elderly residents were key issues for the new council.
“I feel that we have to do everything we can to improve young people’s opportunities.
“I want young people in this area to feel engaged in their rural communities. I do think there is a lot to be said to draw in all the resources that we have. Businesses for example, they are a great resource.”
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She described loneliness, particularly among older people in rural areas like Masham, as a “simple but profound issue”.
A lawyer from Devon, Ms Cunliffe-Lister has been a governor at Masham Primary School for four years, a trustee at Masham Almshouses, a charity that provides housing for those in need, and has also served on charity boards in Ripon and the north east.
Her goals, if elected, include improving “faith in the system” and finding something tangible from the government’s “levelling up” agenda. She said:
“I would like to feel that if I was elected there would be a level of engagement that they [the residents] do not feel is there at the moment.”
Ms Cunliffe-Lister also highlighted more immediate issues, such as fixing potholes.
Despite being new to the political arena and heading into a campaign without a team, she said she felt ready to “get out there”.
Liberal Democrat: “passionate about openness and community”
Liberal Democrat candidate Judith Hooper and her husband have a smallholding of 11 acres that they are rewilding.
She worked closely with councillors during her career as a GP and director of public health in Kirklees. Most recently she helped at covid vaccination centres
Her priorities are engaging with communities to understand their issues and addressing inequalities.
“I am appalled by the lack of contact with local councillors since moving into the area eight years ago.”
Her priorities are: holding regular public meetings rather than “taking votes for granted”, getting fair planning decisions and “tackling the climate crisis and thus fuel issues and increasing fuel poverty”.
She added she wanted to see more opportunities for activities for young people and to see what could be done to address the playground flooding in Masham.
“Probably above all, I am a Lib Dem because I’m passionate about openness, communities working with local people and the environment
“Our house is moving towards being carbon neutral by ground source heating and having planted nearly 4,000 trees and shrubs ,which help to offset some of our carbon emissions.”
Full list of candidates
Voters will head to the polls on May 5 to elect councillors to the new North Yorkshire Council, which will replace both North Yorkshire County Council and Harrogate Borough Council.
The Labour Party, Liberal Democrats, Conservatives, Green Party and independents have all fielded candidates ahead of polling day.
You can read the full list of candidates here.
