Fareham Borough Council leader reveals his 'greatest achievement' in politics as he steps down after 35 years in local government

Seán Woodward is only the third individual to be admitted to the office of Honorary Freeman of the Borough in recognition of his eminent services to the council from 1986 to 2024, and his contribution to the life of the borough. He has lived around Fareham most of his life. In 2021, after discussions with his family, wife Rosemary and son James, he decided to step down this May after 35 years as a councillor in Fareham, as leader for 25.

In an interview with The News, Seán reveals why he is ready to leave, why he went into local politics, reflects on his proudest moments, and what he will do next.

Being a Young Conservative

Seán was born in Bristol, learning his trade from his father who was a joiner and carpenter. He joined the Young Conservative Party at 18 years old, in 1979, voting in his first election when Margaret Thatcher became Prime Minister. When he became chairman of the Fareham Young Conservatives it was expected he would stand in the by-election. His chance came in 1985 as Conservative candidate for Sarisbury ward which at the time was a Liberal stronghold he was “absolutely thrashed”.

He then started producing the In Touch newsletter. He said production was very basic back in 1985 when there were no computers and desktop publishing, only typewriters and photocopiers. He used a typewriter and Cow gum glue to “type a bit, cut it out, stick it on”. In 1986 he stood again despite the opposition Alan Street warning him off.

He said: “I can still remember to this day, a Liberal telling me on the doorstep at one of the polling stations. ‘We don’t consider this to be a marginal ward’, he said very pompously to me.”

He won by 25 votes but after the opposition called for a recount, it rose to 27. “Then they shut up because it only got worse.” It meant the Conservatives kept control of the council that year because it had been no overall control. “That was an important win, one that was never expected,” he added, before saying he has been elected more than a dozen times for both county and borough councils – and hasn’t lost since.

ElectionsSeán said he loves knocking on doors and talking to people. In Sarisbury, he said people vote for the person, not the party and they vote for him. In 1994 he remembers that every Conservative, except him, lost their seat. He gave a talk to students at a sixth form college, Barton Peveril, and explained how councils and councillors make decisions every day which really affect people locally.

He said: “If you think of Members of Parliament unless you’re a minister, you’ll never make a decision. And therefore, what we do, whether people love it or loathe it. The decisions are affecting people and their lives. We live with them. We are also subject to our own decisions.”

Why be in local politicsSeán also revealed why he’s in local politics: ”To make a difference. Make a positive difference. Make things happen.” He can see a lot of good that has happened across the borough. There are some things he doesn’t like, such as losing a planning appeal when putting in place a five-year housing supply which took a long time because the government kept moving the goalposts.

DaedalusThe airport at Lee-on-the-Solent was bought by two borough councils for £1, with Fareham owning 85 per cent of the site and Gosport 15 per cent. Seán said he is very proud of supplying it with fuel and creating a Fareham Innovation Centre along with 350 jobs. Daedalus was a key strategic base during WWII and will be again in June during the commemorations of the 80th anniversary of D-Day in Fareham. Some 175 pilots flew more than 400 sorties on D-Day during Operation Overlord. Seán, who is a keen pilot but unable to fly at the moment as he hasn’t kept up his flying hours, also helped set up the air traffic control centre in Swanwick.

How will it feel to step down?After discussions with his family, Seán decided not to stand at the 2021 Hampshire County Council elections, and to step down after 35 years at the all-out 2024 elections for Fareham Borough Council. Being council leader does come with a few perks though – there is a ‘leader’ spot for parking outside Fareham borough offices, next to the mayor’s. There’s also an additional allowance of £24,008.40 on top of the basic rate for councillors of £8,002.80 – but he said you don’t go into it for the money.Seán said when driving around Fareham he’s looking for potential problems to solve. He said: “The signs are a bit squiffy, the grass hasn’t been cut. And all the time you’re trying to make the borough a better place and that won’t be my business anymore.”

Greatest achievementsWhen Seán came into politics, Whiteley, now an area of 6,500 homes, didn’t exist and he was fighting against it. He said that the lessons learned have stood him in good stead in developing Welborne, “You know [the national press] are calling it Hellborne”. Welborne Garden Village will be a new town of 6,000 homes, built over the next 25 years.Regeneration of the town centre – and part of that is Fareham Live, a new entertainment centre opening in the autumn – is also among his greatest achievements, he also added. Change, he said, has been forced upon us because if people shop online they can’t expect to find the shops on the high street.

Final message

He said public life is hard but worthwhile and also spoke about the decreasing support from the UK Government. Seán said: “It’s been absolutely amazing, working with some amazing people. Colleagues, councillors, all of the groups and organisations across the borough and as a county councillor obviously across the county, involvement nationally from lobbying of ministers, prime ministers, different party leaders, whatever it is, to get the very best for Fareham. And that’s what every decision I’ve ever made in politics has been to get the absolute best I can for the people I represent. And as leader, that’s everybody that lives in our borough, or nearly 120,000 of them.”

One thing to be sure as Seán steps down, there will be a big hole in his life. Seán said it would be nice to have his diary back and he’s expecting a list of jobs from his wife.