Buntingford: Green Party’s General Election candidate for North East Herts spearheads campaign to reopen Ward Freman pool
The East Herts district councillor bidding to become Green Party MP for North East Herts is making waves to keep Ward Freman swimming pool afloat.
Cllr Vicky Burt, who represents Buntingford on EHC, is spearheading efforts to reopen the facility and supporting a fundraising dance event.
The pool, managed by Everyone Active on behalf of EHC and owned by Hertfordshire County Council, closed in December because neither authority could afford the £543,550 repair bill to bring it up to a safe standard.
The community is now fundraising to secure its future, including the ‘Dance the Decades’ event at Freman College in Buntingford on Saturday’, April 27. It will feature music from the Sixties to the Noughties and guests are invited to dress in the style of their favourite decade, with New Romantics, punks and disco queens all welcome. To buy tickets, see https://www.tickettailor.com/events/saveourpool/1201322.
Cllr Burt, whose party is the largest group on EHC and shares power with the Liberal Democrats, said: “The pool is such a vital asset for the town and we’re looking into lots of community-led, sustainable options that will ensure its future is secure.”
Sir Oliver Heald, the current MP for North East Herts, which includes East Herts villages along the A120 from Bishop’s Stortford, has confirmed he will not contest the next General Election for the Conservatives. The Tories’ new prospective parliamentary candidate has not yet been announced.
The Liberal Democrats’ hopeful is Ruth Brown and Reform UK has selected Steven Adelantado as its candidate. Labour has yet to announce its contender.
Cllr Burt was a primary school teacher for more than 20 years. In 2018 she set up a private tutoring business she now runs full-time, along with a pop-up restaurant she runs with her husband.
She is a member of Buntingford Amateur Dramatics group and on the committee of the Buntingford Film Club, which provides events in the town and surrounding villages.
