Candidates

Bill Amos – Conservative

It has been a privilege to have served the people of Bedwardine for the last twelve months, having gained your trust at last year’s by-election. I respectfully ask for your support again so that I may continue to work for you.

I have lived in Bedwardine for 33 years and brought up my family here. My four children attended excellent local schools. I trained as a teacher then worked for British Telecom and then in the railway industry as an area supervisor.

I also served in the Territorial Army for ten years. I am now retired and in my spare time I have an interest in reading and industrial archaeology and history. I belong to several local societies and heritage railway societies. I serve on St. John's Parochial Church Council and Deanery Synod. I have also stewarded at Worcester Rugby Club and Worcestershire County Cricket Club.

John Beacham - UKIP

Bedwardine and St Johns, wards that the Council keep forgetting exist apart from housing students. The road network is inadequate and needs upgrading without causing chaos. And what about the Sainsburys parking fiasco where the store decided to open longer without consulting the Council?

Offering free evening parking without penalty and then Sainsburys change the rules without consultation? Not on my watch they won’t if you vote me in as your UKIP local candidate. A strong Councillor is needed to represent this area and to try and increase prosperity for all residents within the ward.

Daniel Manning - Green

I am studying Geography at the University of Worcester.

If elected I will work to further strengthen our local economy, which is thriving in retail, manufacturing, services, building and tourism, but, in many cases, it is sustained by too many low-paid jobs, following NHS and public sector cuts. We need to ensure that the local economy has a positive impact on everyone.

Worcester Green Party wants to increase the amount of local spending that is retained in the local economy. Worcester Green Party is in favour of small business grants and apprenticeship schemes, and an expansion of recycling schemes, including food recycling, that will see the city move towards ‘zero waste’.

I acknowledge that government cuts have meant that the council has faced difficult budget decisions. However, I reject cuts and outsourcing and want to ensure that as much as possible of the city council’s money is spent locally.

Mike Mullins - Liberal Democrat

I have lived in Bedwardine for over 30 years ago. I think it’s a great place to live

and work, but needs improvement. I was a Design Engineer but now volunteer for several charities.

My priorities are to attract more high tech jobs into the area and to improve the central area of St Johns. Some parts in the shopping area are run down and ugly. The Smoke Stack pub and Cinema have been derelict for over ten years and form a continuing eyesore for residents, shoppers and commuters.

I would also try ease congestion in St Johns, and improve pavements and repair potholes, both of which have been neglected.

I would try and protect the dwindling green open spaces which need to be carefully managed to prevent overdevelopment.

I think it is vital to preserve local government and resist any further government cuts.

Leisa Taylor - Women’s Equality

I’m standing for the Women’s Equality Party because the old parties are failing us, particularly women, so it’s time to do politics differently. That means putting residents’ needs and concerns above party politics – if elected I’ll make sure local people come first when it comes to making big decisions about the things that affect them most.

It is damming that less than a quarter of our councillors in Worcester are women, this means the council’s current policies fail to really value people and their communities – I will change that by putting equality at the heart of local politics.

I’ve lived and worked in Worcester for 25 years, and I’m now raising my daughter here. I ran the youth centre in St. John’s for several years, working with young people from Dines Green, Lower Wick and St. John’s, and I know how important community services are.

Christopher Winwood - Labour

I’m proud to represent Labour in the community where I grew up. I know Lower Wick like the back of my hand and was at school at Pitmaston and Christopher Whitehead.

As the university expands and student housing stretches across the ward, I am keen to work with residents and students to ensure good neighbourliness. A Labour council will crack down on rogue landlords and will introduce licencing of private landlords. We will work to ensure that community centres and young people’s activities are preserved: they are key to a positive future for so many.

Speaking to local residents, I have discussed everything from parking outside schools to dog mess to completing the ring road. All of these issues matter and I will work to make progress.

The Conservatives always take Bedwardine for granted, and I promise to bring a fresh eye to local issues.

Commentary

Bedwardine is one of the biggest wards in Worcestershire, both in terms of geographic area, and in population – it has more than 6000 electors and is one of five three member constituencies out of 15 in the entire city.

And for recent history it’s been solidly Conservative. The sitting councillor fighting this election is Bill Amos, who won a bye-election in May 2017 with 55 percent of the vote, albeit on a turn out below 40 percent.

His party will be hoping that he’s re-elected for a full four year term and will rejoin his brother Alan, who also represents the ward in the council chamber.

Butting up to urban St John on its northern boundary, and spreading west and south to the rural limits of the city, Bedwardine is mainly suburban, with a mixture of some very affluent areas, and estates inhabited by working families.

One of the issues increasing in the ward is the growth of Worcester’s student population and an increase in housing provision for students, particularly the conversion of family homes into houses of multiple occupation (HMO).

While the southern ring road is just outside the ward boundary, congestion on the notorious stretch between Powick and Ketch roundabouts also impacts on residents hoping to head south and east from the city.

Voters will have a wide choice - there are six candidates standing in the ward, from Conservatives, Liberal Democrats, Greens, Labour and UKIP, and a candidate from the recently set up Women’s Equality party.

Recent elections, both national and local in Britain have shown the inadvisability of making firm predictions, but based on previous form, if Cllr Amos doesn’t hold his seat, it could be a body blow to his party’s hopes of taking control of the council.