My name is John Peacock and I'm pleased to announce that I'm standing for Council at the forthcoming by-election on St Mary’s on the 20th of May.

Full statement

My family has had links to the islands dating back to the early 1940’s when my great grandmother moved to St Agnes to take up the role of school teacher. My mother was the councillor for St Agnes for a number of years. I have lived on the islands all my life apart from a short stint at university and subsequent employment as a civil servant. I returned to the islands in 1994 to work with my father forming a partnership running St Agnes Boating. Since my father retired I have run the business on my own.

I am a founding director of the Island’s Partnership. I represent the islands boating community at the stakeholder committee of the Maritime Coastguard Agency and I’m a committee member of British Marine’s Passenger Boat Association’s Board. I represent the islands on the advisory board for the Shared Prosperity Fund. I am a member of the Isles of Scilly Steamship Company’s advisory board and have worked with the local authority as part of the Island Futures committee, since its inception, being involved with various EU and Shared Prosperity funding streams.

I believe that the most important role of being a councillor is to represent our community and I will do my upmost to ensure that whenever I make a decision, it is based on the best interests of the islands. There are a number of areas where I believe I have experience that I can “bring to the table” if I were to be elected to be your representative on St Mary’s. I will ensure, if I have the opportunity to represent you that :-

• I will be dedicated to the role and responsibilities that go with being a member of the council.

• I will listen to the views of the community to ensure that I will recognise what is important to you.

• I will demonstrate integrity to vote in a way that I believe is best for the islands.

• I will work tirelessly with councillors to identify solutions for the complex issues that the islands face.

• I will use the experience that I have gained, both working within my own Scilly based business and the voluntary committee roles that I sit on, to ensure the islands find solutions to the major issues we face.

I am passionate about our local environment and I have ensured that I operate St Agnes Boating to reduce my impact on the planet. I offset all my carbon emissions by buying carbon credits until a sustainable power source is available. The islands are facing a climate emergency and I will use my experience to assist the islands, to reduce its impact on the climate and further our sustainability island wide. I volunteer with the RSPB to help maintain St Agnes’s rat free status working as the Volunteer Coordinator.

Transport is undoubtedly the cornerstone of our community's prosperity. I will work with colleagues, using my knowledge, to ensure that we have a cost effective, reliable and efficient transport system for the islands.

The islands are experiencing a housing crisis and I will seek to work with my fellow councillors to ensure that we have solutions in place that balance the needs of our community and the tourism market that underpins it.

I support the good care and refurbishment of Park House in a timely manner and the provision of a Cultural Centre.