Andrew Wood was not selected by the Tories to stand as a candidate for the May 1 vote in which residents will choose the new members of Buckinghamshire Council The unitary councillor said he would therefore not be representing any political party when he seeks re-election in less than 90 days’ time Cllr Wood said he has not renewed his Conservative membership and that he had been approached by the Liberal Democrats and Reform UK “I am standing as an Independent because I genuinely believe that there is a mixed message about who people should vote for and I want to work for the town not a political party,” he told the Local Democracy Reporting Service Cllr Wood is the current Conservative unitary councillor for Gerrards Cross having been elected last time around in 2021 But he is now among a ‘record’ number of more than two dozen Independent candidates standing in the May elections in Bucks as well as candidates from the Labour and Green parties and returning Independents seeking re-election Cllr Wood said he was ‘totally and absolutely elated’ to be joining the group and said Cllr Stuart Wilson who leads the Independents at Bucks Council was an ‘incredible opposition leader’ He added: “I believe in the candidates I think the strength of the candidates that are standing as Independents is as good as if not better than any political party candidates standing which is represent our constituents without any fear of retribution.” Cllr Wood served as councillor on Gerrards Cross Town Council for five years and was elected mayor in 2021 he dramatically resigned from the post in September 2023 after a negative response to his relationship with the town clerk Jiya Jilani Cllr Wood told the LDRS he was proud of his achievements while mayor such as delivering the ‘phenomenally successful’ Christmas event moving it from Station Road to Packhorse Road He said: “I raised the entire amount of money to fund the lights and the cost of the implementation.” The former mayor said he was also the ‘driving force’ behind two ‘Picnic in the Park’ events on West Common and had ‘championed pothole repairs’ saying he spent four hours a week identifying road defects in and around Gerrards Cross Cllr Wood says he has developed ‘great relationships’ with officers at Bucks Council and that he ‘gets things done’ The councillor is currently the deputy chair of the council’s licensing committee and also sits on the South Bucks planning committee and transport environment and climate change select committee however he does not yet know what will happen to these appointments                 Plans have been submitted for a new care home in Gerrards Cross to replace a vacant one on the same site Woolf Bond Planning has submitted an application on behalf of an applicant to redevelop the former Leonard Cheshire Chiltern House residential care home in Packhorse Road which accommodated 22 adults It is now vacant but the applicant is seeking consent to redevelop the 0.5-hectare site for a modern 84-bed care home A planning statement by Woolf Bond states: “The application represents a genuine opportunity to not only replace the existing care home with a vastly improved 21st Century facility but in a design led building that responds positively to the characteristics of the site the area and neighbouring residential properties “The sustainable location of the site reinforces the principle of the proposal and a legitimate planning policy objective of making effective but sensitive use of the site “The care home itself will include a wide ranging suite of facilities to provide the best quality of care for residents and should be seen as a real benefit to Gerrards Cross and its residents © Thames Tap (powered by ukpropertyforums.com) Sign up to receive our weekly free journal, The Forum here and website in this browser for the next time I comment Δdocument.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value" UK Property Forums enable forums and events in the property sector which help to create business development opportunities Office Address:UK Property Forums Ltd is located in Reading 0203 478 7340info@ukpropertyforums.com We are using cookies to give you the best experience on our website You can find out more about which cookies we are using or switch them off in settings This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful Strictly Necessary Cookie should be enabled at all times so that we can save your preferences for cookie settings we will not be able to save your preferences This means that every time you visit this website you will need to enable or disable cookies again Customers planning to travel between Birmingham and London Marylebone this weekend are being warned of changes to services while essential track maintenance takes place which will help provide better and more reliable journeys for customers and freight services means the railway will be closed on Sunday 2 March between Gerrards Cross and Bicester Network Rail’s teams will be replacing track and improving drainage to help keep the railway safe for the hundreds of passenger and freight trains which use the line every week The vital work will predominantly affect Chiltern Railways services and journeys will take longer than usual with bus replacement services in operation programme director for Network Rail Central route said: “I am sorry for the disruption caused while we complete these essential track upgrades We know there is never a good time to close the railway but this work has been carefully planned to keep disruption to a minimum while delivering the most future benefits for passengers and freight please plan ahead and check before you travel for the latest journey information and travel advice.” commercial & customer strategy director at Chiltern Railways said: “These engineering works will make sure the railway is more reliable in the future and we thank customers for their patience while the works are being carried out “Please remember to check your journeys in advance of travelling on Sunday as they will be subject to disruption and may involve a rail replacement bus.” Cookie Settings Powered by Onclusive PR Manager™