“Vote Lansley” for St Laurence at the Southend local elections due to be held on May 7th

Foreword by James Miller

When we started the Southend Confelicity Party we really did not think any further than to put our ideal version of what a political party was, in our eyes, on paper. Respectful freedom of speech; giving residents the opportunity to vote on policy to make a practical difference; and that those residents are local to the area so they know what they’re talking about and can feel, firsthand, what their vote will do.

That was the easy bit. The rest is a whole other story and we have since been met with all kind of opposition, much of it personal. It wasn’t how I thought I’d go, but it’s politics - what did I expect?

Over the three years of our existence, the Confelicity message of locally driven politics has resonated with a small, but passionate band of residents and I have no doubt that we will eventually gather pace as time goes on.

What has been most humbling is when new people join our movement and who share the same inner need to help, support and care for other people and the world in which we live.

Many will already be aware of Lee Clark, who is standing in Kursaal, and the incredible difference he is making in that community. Others will know of Simon Jones, who is fighting hard to save the greenbelt in, and Diane Sossou, whose educational background and status in one of Southend’s most celebrated schools makes her such a strong candidate in Thorpe.

I won’t provide a rundown of all of our other candidates just yet, but I would like to mention our very latest member and candidate Karl Lansley. His bio says more than I ever could, but I will say to St Laurence residents, here is a man who will serve with authenticity, humility and a will to make lives better. His track record and life experience is something else and I am truly humbled that he is a part of our local movement.

What runs through my head is that I don’t want to let him or anyone else committed to our cause down. Founding a party is very different to leading one. We do not have the time or resources of the other parties, but I believe in the platform we put together and step by step I hope we can fulfil our ambitions of putting local representation into Southend Council.

Karl Lansley Bio

Who Am I?

My name is Karl Lansley. I am 54 years old, widowed since 2017 and father to three children. I moved to Southend when I was about 5 years old and, with the exception of 4 years in Shoebury, have lived exclusive in the St Laurence Ward (moving between 4 separate properties)

In 2017, my wife of almost 13 years – Carli – passed away from Sudden Arrhythmic Death Syndrome (SADS). Carli was just 36 years of age at the time. In 2018, the family created a registered charity – Carli Lansley Foundation – in her memory. Our core aim has been to provide free ECG checks to young people (aged 14-35) to help detect undiagnosed heart conditions. As of January 2026, our charity has raised over £250,000, checked the hearts of almost 3,500 young people and found 150 that needed a further medical referral.

In October 2024, I co-founded a walking group with my friend (and fellow Confelicity member, Lee Clark. We named the group SMILE – standing for Support, Motivation, Inspiration, Love and Empathy. Initially started to just hold walks for people who may be struggling mentally – as both Lee and I have over the years – the group has grown beyond anything we could have possibly envisioned. We are now looking at 2 walks a month, regular group meals at local restaurants plus lots of other social events. We know the group has had a massively positive effect on so many people

Between my children, our charity and the SMILE group, I have found the focuses I need to keep my going after what will forever be the senseless tragedy of Carli's passing

My previous 'political career'

In 2018, I was approached by a friend – a member of the Liberal Democrats party - who'd wondered if I'd ever considered running for local council. My honest answer was 'no, I hadn't' but when I initially thought about the prospect, it was less than a year after Carli had passed and I was looking to pursue all the positive opportunities that would come my way. I had this idyllic vision that I would be able to help everyone and anyone, and solve every problem that arose. Writing this now, I can see how simplistic it all sounds but I genuinely thought getting involved with the local community would be just an extension of the charity work I was doing for local people.

It is safe to say it didn't take me too long to realise that, at that point in my life, I had taken on something that may not have been what I was expecting. In hindsight, I can now see I was nowhere near the right mindset to be taking on such a challenge. My name remained on the ballot paper and it was an honour to represent that party and also slightly surreal to see 'Vote Lansley' on boards and in windows as I drove around the ward. In the end, I received 296 votes – which I still think is a fairly respectable number.

I will always be grateful for the incredible team in the Liberal Democrats at that time and I was so pleased for Paul Collins, a good friend, of mine who was (convincingly) elected that year in the neighbouring ward of Eastwood Park

Why now?

In recent years, mainly due to my friendship with Lee Clark, I came to know more about the Confelicity party, who they were and what they were hoping to achieve. I've read their manifesto in full and so much of it resonates heavily with. I'll confess, I (like many, I expect) had to look up 'Confelicity' in the dictionary. It means 'Pleasure in another person's happiness', which I hope is one of the biggest qualities I've always lived my life by.

You can access the full manifesto here:-

https://www.southendconfelicityparty.co.uk/localmanifesto2026

Unlike local candidates from a national party, who would be expected to not only follow all the national policies but also be ready to defend them to local residents, the Confelicity party are primarily focused on local issues. How can the party make the lives of the people in Southend easier, safer and nicer? How can the party help make the areas in Southend more welcoming, more productive and more vibrant? How can the party affect decisions that directly impact the residents of Southend? How can the party help to support, and promote, local businesses?

And it was this focus on local issues that really drew me in.

There needs to be a pragmatic and realistic expectation of what a council, or councillor, can achieve. Decisions taken by government will make a lot of things difficult, or in some cases impossible, to change. But there are still so many things that can be made better for the majority when local residents make their voices heard

I'm not naïve enough to think I'm just going to head straight into a contest for a place on the council. I will be slowly, but deliberately, “dipping my toe” into issues that affect the residents of St Laurence. Even by just highlighting issues, and not even needing to be a councillor, people CAN make changes to the area they live in

In comparison to my brief candidacy in 2019, I am now at a point in my life where I feel more confident to put my name forward, find out people's concerns and see if/how we can try to change things for the better

The journey starts now...

Karl Lansley

January 2026