Nine council lives for 'hyperactive' Chris

A SOMERSET resident is standing for nine parish councils in next month's elections. Chris Byrne, the former nurse of comedy legend Frankie Howerd, who lives in Webbington Road, Cross, is a candidate in six Sedgemoor parishes and three in North Somerset. Chris said: "I want to be the 'messenger' councillor, so people from all the villages will be able to come to me to voice their concerns. Most issues in the area don't just affect one parish, so by being on more councils, maybe something will get done."Chris has run for Axbridge Town Council and Badgworth, Cheddar, Compton Bishop, Weare and Wedmore parish councils in Sedgemoor. The only contested seat is in Wedmore, where 11 candidates are battling for 10 vacancies. He has also run for Banwell, Loxton and Winscombe and Sandford parish councils in North Somerset. Banwell is uncontested, in Loxton there are seven people vying for five seats and in Winscombe and Sandford there are 16 candidates battling for 15 seats. Chris added: "I'm a hyperactive person and only need about four hours sleep a night, so I'll definitely be able to attend all the meetings. I've never missed a meeting of my local parish council, Compton Bishop, so I will be okay with the workload."There is no legal limit to the number of parish councils someone can be elected for, but certain conditions must be met. A candidate:* Must be an elector of the parish or be the owner or occupier of land or buildings in the parish for at least 12 months. * Must have worked in the parish for at least 12 months* OR must have lived in the parish or within three miles of the parish for at least 12 months. If any of these three criteria are met, a person is allowed to stand for election. As Chris lives so close to all the villages, he qualifies under the third condition.