LOCAL ELECTIONS 2007

CALDERDALE COUNCIL

Monday, 23 April 2007

The local Calderdale candidates for the 3rd May election

CALDER WARD

RUBY BERRIDGE - Green

Hello, I’m Ruby and I live in the Nutclough area of Hebden Bridge. I’m standing in the Calderdale Council election to represent you and Hebden Bridge on the MBC.

I’ve been a member of the Green Party in Calderdale for four years, and during that time have become an active member, now being the Chairperson of the local group. I’ve been involved in fundraising and policy writing, and supporting other candidates in previous elections. This year I am running alongside Leo Vincent, who is standing in Todmorden, and we are hoping to start addressing concerns in our local areas. Concerns that this years council seem to be all too happy to avoid, despite their huge pay rise. In Hebden Bridge we need more affordable housing, better public transport, more job prospects and a wider range of accessible public services. All this needs to be done whilst still maintaining the character and charm of our town. The Green Party are excited and ready for this task.

I’ve lived in Hebden Bridge since 1998 and attended Calder High School. Currently I’m studying at Bradford College, reading Art, History and Politics. I left Calder High School at the age of thirteen and went into Adult education. I also work part-time for a company in Mytholmroyd.

I have a very varied and full life outside of work and education commitments. I am an active member of the ‘Friends of Nutclough Woods’, a local environment group, because I believe in preserving our natural heritage. We live in a too beautiful town to allow it to become a car park. I also sit on the Yorkshire and Humberside Education Panel because I believe that education, the quality of education, the choice of education, and availability of education, should be free and accessible to all. I also believe that proper education, based on important values as well as academic subjects will provide a proper and fair grounding for our community. I’m also a member of various pressure groups that have concerns close to my heart; Greenpeace, and Amnesty International and CND.

Voting for me, isn’t just a vote against the failing major parties that have failed to fulfil any of their promises, but also a vote for peace, social justice, equality, proper education, and preservation of our environment. Don’t waste your vote on May 3rd, Vote Green.

STEWART BROWN - Labour

Cllr Stewart Brown has been a town councillor for 10 years. He is an Environmental Health Officer by profession with over 20 years experience in local government planning and environmental health departments.

As a Calderdale Councillor for Calder Valley until 2000, Stewart laid the foundations for many environmental, regeneration and community initiatives in Calderdale that are now taken for granted, supporting the establishment of organisations such as the Green Business Network and Calder Future. He was the inaugural Chair of Calderdale’s Environmental Forum and launched Calderdale’s first ever recycling plan. Stewart also represented Calderdale on regional and national bodies for rural, environmental and planning issues.

Stewart is involved in many community organisations in the Upper Calder Valley including the Todmorden and Upper Valley Social Car Service, the Ground Floor Project, Hebden Bridge Fair Trade Forum, Friends of Colden Clough Nature Reserve and the Hebden Bridge and District International Group. He has led numerous community campaigns over the years, such as those to save local bus services and the Hebden Bridge Picture House.

Stewart said: “We need to restore civic pride. More and more council buildings are being left to fall into disrepair. Together with neglected plots of council land they end up being sold for a song without any public consultation. The Upper Calder Valley deserves a fair share of council funding and we need Councillors who will work hard both in our own streets AND in Halifax Town Hall where so many key decisions about council funding are taken. It’s time for a change, and people in Calder Ward deserve higher standards and better value and performance from their councillors.”

DAVID O'NEILL (Lib Dem)

LUDDENDEN FOOT WARD

John Beacroft-Mitchell (Lib Dem)

Since 2003 John Beacroft-Mitchell has been the leader of the largest group on Hebden Royd Town Council and a councillor for Cragg Vale ward.

Through his role on the allotments working party, John has led the debate for improving the provision of allotments for the whole of Hebden Royd.

“I am looking forward to taking the issue of allotments forward into the next session of the council,” says John.

Earlier this year, John presented a budget to the council which has increased the grants provision of the council from £25,000 to £45,000.

This has made Hebden Royd Town Council one of the largest grant making organisations in the Calder Valley, benefiting hundreds of local groups.

In June 2005, with the backing of the local community, John led Hebden Royd Town Council’s opposition to the plans for a large housing development on the land adjacent to Cragg Brook in Mytholmroyd.

“The Town Council has an important role to play in the planning process. Many inappropriate planning applications could have been waved through at Calderdale if it wasn’t for the council’s opposition,” says John.

John is very active locally with groups such as Roof Over Youth, Scout Road Community Group, Royd Regeneration and Mytholmroyd Station Partnership.

John lives and works in Mytholmroyd where he has a small publishing company and is married to Joanna. They have a one-year-old son, Ferdinand.

James Fearon (Lab),

John Gregory (BNP),

Richard Marshall (Con)

Previously, on the Hebweb

• Hebweb News - biogs for Town Council candidates
  
• Hebweb News - candidates for Town Council
• Hebweb news - 29th March + local candidates for Calderdale

• 2003 Hebden Royd Town Council election results
• 2006 Calderdale results
• 2005 General Election results
• Coverage of elections on the Hebweb