Following the passing of our friend and colleague Bill Trite and the surprise resignation of a Town Councillor, Swanage faces a by-election on Thursday, the 24th July.
There is one seat for Dorset Council that covers all of the town no matter where you live and we are very pleased to able to put forward Cllr Chris Tomes as the Dorset Council candidate. Chris is currently the Deputy Mayor and serves Swanage as Town Councillor and local business man.
For the Town Council there are 2 seats to be contested, one in the South and one in the North. For Swanage South we are pleased that Phil Burridge has put his name forward, a Swanage fire fighter for over 40 years and currently the fire officer for Bournemouth Hospital, his commitment to local service can continue representing the Town on Swanage Town Council.
For the North of the Town we have the experienced and current Dorset Councillor, Gary Suttle, who until last year had also been a Swanage Town Councillor for 33 years. Gary brings his years of public service in various roles and would be a significant asset to Swanage Town Council and a natural link with Dorset Council.
Candidates:
Chris Tomes - Standing for Dorset Council
Chris Tomes was born and raised in Swanage. This town shaped him and he’s never stopped giving back to the place he proudly calls home.
He went to St Mark’s First School, Swanage Middle, and the Purbeck School. After school, Chris joined the family business—helping run the Costcutter store and post office in Herston, something his family has done for nearly 120 years.
At just 16, Chris joined the Swanage Carnival Committee. By 25, he was Chair. Over two decades later, he’s still helping organise the events that bring the town together—like the fireworks and carnival procession. Chris has always stayed hands-on in local life: volunteering at events, supporting community groups, and pushing for projects like a new sports centre to serve all ages with better access to health, fitness, and community facilities.
Since 2019, Chris has served as a Swanage Town Councillor and is now Deputy Mayor. As Chair of the Tourism and Local Economy Committee, he’s backed small businesses and helped launch Swanage Council’s new tourism website—promoting local shops, services, and jobs while protecting the town’s coastal heritage. He’s also championed children’s play. During his term, Swanage’s three playgrounds were upgraded and Herston Playfields opened, giving residents a much-needed green space where the old St Mark’s playing field used to be.
Now, Chris is standing for Dorset Council. He believes Swanage deserves a strong voice—rooted in local knowledge and real commitment. He’ll fight to make sure decisions reflect the needs of Swanage people, not just top-down policies.
Chris Tomes is local through and through. He knows this town, cares about its future, and with your vote, he’ll be a strong, honest, and active voice for Swanage.
Standing for Swanage Town Council
GARY SUTTLE
Gary has been a resident for all of his life, living in either Langton Matravers or Swanage. He attended St George’s at Langton as an infant and then went onto Swanage Grammar School. Following on to college where Gary began training as an accountant in Poole leaving to work for himself over 40 years ago. He recently became semi-retired as his eldest daughter and business partner of many years took over the running of the business that he built.
Gary has served Swanage as a Councillor for 34 years, served as Mayor on six occasions that he describes as a privilege that he will for ever be grateful for. He served both as District Council leader and Dorset Council cabinet member. When Gary became Mayor the town was in debt, spending all the council tax raised on interest and he pledged that this would stop and with the aid and great assistance of other councillors, particularly Bill Trite and Tony Miller, the Council achieved debt free status by the end of Gary’s last term as Mayor. Those actions and decisions saving the Town millions of pounds in interest over the last 20 years. Gary states the most important thing was that Swanage Council tax was spent in and on Swanage not on debt. He is happy that this was achieved while he served as Mayor and knows that it was done not by an individual but by working together as a team.
During his time at Purbeck District Council he was faced with the decision by the then County Council to close our tip and waste facility at Panorama Road, moving it to Wareham. Gary ensured that by working with the finance teams at Dorset and Purbeck he could prove that this was a costly mistake, and, with the support of the then Dorset Council portfolio holder, the new recycling centre in Swanage was created, Gary believes this to be his most significant achievement and the resulting business park an added bonus.
PHIL BURRIDGE
Born in 1963 at Everest Maternity Hospital on Queens Road in Swanage, he is the youngest of four siblings. He has lived in Swanage his entire life, with his education beginning locally and continuing at The Purbeck School.
After leaving school in 1979, he began working as a butcher at JH Dewhurst on Station Road. His lifelong ambition however was to join the fire service.
In 1982, he achieved this goal by joining the Dorset Fire Brigade as an on-call firefighter based in Swanage. He served for nearly 41 years, including 21 years as station commander, before retiring in 2023. From 1989 to 2006, he also served as a full-time firefighter, later transferring to the Community Fire Safety Department and then becoming a Technical Fire Safety Inspector. He is currently employed by the NHS as the Fire Safety Officer at the Royal Bournemouth Hospital.
He and his wife, who is also local, recently celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary. They have two sons and four grandchildren, all of whom live locally. His hobbies include playing golf and spending time with his grandchildren.
Now that he has more spare time, Phil is keen to give back to the town that has given so much to him and his family over the years. He is eager to get involved in projects that will help ensure the best outcomes for the town and its residents. He believes that through collaboration, Swanage can continue to be the safe and secure community its residents deserve.
Phil is particularly interested in improving the town’s infrastructure to support its growing population and the increasing demand for local facilities.