Karen Pilkington

Devonport, Keyham & Morice Town

Karen stood for election in 2021 and 2022. She is not standing in 2023, but hopes to stand again in future years.

We’re all in this together
Plymouth needs local councillors who listen and act, putting people’s needs and the community first.
This means Positive Politics. inviting fresh ideas, asking questions, and treating others with respect.
I promise to:
● Listen and seek understanding even if we don’t agree.
● Represent everyone – whether you’re a born-and-bred local or have moved into the community.
● Make decisions based on a diversity of views – asking people from different backgrounds what they think helps inform better decisions.
● Hold decent, respectful conversations without creating a politics of ‘us and them’
● Support any action that adds to the fresh, exciting and hopeful journey that Plymouth is on to become the best place to live.
● Celebrate our ward as the jewel it is with its views, green spaces and warm hearted people.

About me

I moved to Morice Town 15 years ago to accommodate a large family, renting a room to aspiring Argyle apprentices to help make ends meet.

I started work at the bottom of a local media business answering the phone, progressed to writing about local people and organisations , and ended up being the editor of a community magazine in Saltash. This led to an increasing interest in how local government works and how important it is to have locals in the room when decisions are being made.

I like to roll my sleeves up and get stuck into local life, from litter picking, to supporting resident action. I am a board member of Pembroke Street Estate Management Board, a trustee of Plymouth VCSE (POP), and a co founder of The Village Hub, a community benefit society to work with the residents of Stoke and Morice Town. I’m also a parent governor at St Joseph’s Primary in Devonport.

I am committed to pioneering new ways to get local people able to make decisions and feel they have a voice in what happens in their neighbourhoods, not just as a tick on a form. I’m looking forward to seeing many more local people step forward with support to stand for local elections.
Together we are strong.